Updated August 14, 2025: This post now reflects UPS’s latest announcement delaying certain surcharge definition changes—originally set for August 17, 2025—until on or after December 22, 2025.
UPS recently announced several updates that will take effect on June 2, 2025, impacting surcharges, zone designations, and certain fees. These updates follow closely on the heels of the carrier’s earlier changes to late payment fees, invoice processing, and billing policies.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s changing:
Zone Chart Adjustments
UPS will revise the zone assignments for select origin/destination ZIP code pairs.
New zone charts will be made available on UPS.com beginning June 2.
Zone designations directly influence shipping rates, especially for longer distances. Even a small zone shift can have significant cost implications.
Surcharge Increases (Zones 7 and Above)
UPS is updating several key Additional Handling and Large Package surcharges:
Surcharge Type | New Rate |
Additional Handling – Weight | $55.00 |
Additional Handling – Dimensions | $38.00 |
Additional Handling – Packaging/Other | $31.50 |
Large Package – Commercial | $260.00 |
Large Package – Residential | $305.00 |
These changes are especially relevant for shippers sending oversized or heavy items across longer distances.
Remote Area Surcharge for Ground Saver
A Remote Area Surcharge will now apply to Ground Saver packages delivered to certain ZIP codes in the contiguous U.S.
Ground Saver is often used to cut costs on lightweight, non-urgent deliveries. This new surcharge could eat into those savings for select destinations.
Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee
UPS will now assess the greater of:
$1.65 per package subject to a shipping charge correction during the invoice period, or
12% of the total amount of shipping charge corrections during that period
This fee applies when the dimensions, weight, or other details provided at shipment time don’t match UPS’s audited measurements.
Over Maximum Limits Fee
The Over Max fee will increase to $1,775 per package
This applies to packages that exceed UPS’s maximum size or weight thresholds, typically requiring special handling or alternate transportation methods.
What This Means for Shippers
These adjustments highlight a continued trend across the parcel industry: carriers are tightening their billing practices, increasing fees for oversized or incorrectly manifested shipments, and pushing more costs onto shippers—especially for rural deliveries and longer-distance zones.
Whether you’re shipping small parcels, bulky freight, or anything in between, these changes can add up fast.
How Lojistic Can Help
Lojistic is a free shipping intelligence platform that gives you clear visibility into your carrier costs, surcharge trends, and logistics risks. Our tools help businesses reduce costs and avoid surprises—especially when carriers like UPS make sweeping changes like these. VIEW DEMO
You can also use Lojistic to:
Automate surcharge tracking
Catch costly, carrier-imposed audit corrections
See the impact of changes across zones and service types
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UPDATE: More UPS Surcharge & Fee Changes Coming August 17, 2025
In addition to the surcharge increases effective June 2, UPS has announced another wave of updates that will take effect on August 17, 2025. These changes include modifications to how key surcharges are calculated, as well as updated fee structures for both commercial and residential packages.
Large Package Surcharge (LPS) Changes:
LPS will no longer apply based on length plus girth.
LPS will apply to:
Domestic packages with a cubic size greater than 17,280 cubic inches
Packages weighing more than 110 lbs
All other LPS criteria remain unchanged.
New LPS Fees for Domestic Shipping:
Commercial Packages (by zone):
Zone 2: $205.00
Zone 3–4: $225.00
Zone 5–6: $250.00
Zone 7+: $260.00
Residential Packages (by zone):
Zone 2: $240.00
Zone 3–4: $260.00
Zone 5–6: $297.50
Zone 7+: $305.00
Additional Handling Charge (AHC) Changes:
AHC will no longer apply based on length plus girth.
AHC will now apply to:
Packages with a cubic size greater than 8,640 cubic inches
All other AHC criteria remain unchanged.
Updated AHC Fees by Zone:
Domestic | Zone 2 | Zone 3–4 | Zone 5–6 | Zone 7+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Weight | $43.50 | $47.50 | $52.75 | $55.00 |
Cubic Size | $28.00 | $31.00 | $36.00 | $38.00 |
Length | $28.00 | $31.00 | $36.00 | $38.00 |
Width | $28.00 | $31.00 | $36.00 | $38.00 |
Packaging | $25.00 | $29.00 | $31.00 | $31.50 |
Update (August 14, 2025):
UPS has delayed the changes to the definition of the Domestic Large Package Surcharge and Additional Handling Charge—originally scheduled for August 17, 2025—until on or after December 22, 2025. This delay affects the introduction of the new Additional Handling Cubic Size, Large Package Surcharge Cubic Size, and Large Package Surcharge Weight, as well as the removal of the current Length plus Girth definitions for these charges. The change to how UPS determines package dimensions for charge assessment remains scheduled for August 18, 2025, and all other updates are still set to take effect as announced.
Author
Bryan Van Suchtelen
Bryan Van Suchtelen
Corporate Director of Rate Services
With more than 34 years of parcel experience, Bryan Van Suchtelen is the Corporate Director of Rate Services at Lojistic, one of the nation’s top logistics and transportation cost management companies.
Prior to joining Lojistic in 2015, Bryan enjoyed a 26-year career with UPS where his roles included Pricing, Field Sales and Director-level Sales Management of some of UPS’s largest customers.
At Lojistic, Bryan leverages his wealth of experience/expertise to identify and execute supply chain cost management solutions for parcel shippers of all sizes. Bryan has helped his customers reduce their shipping spend by tens of millions of dollars.