Your Guide To FedEx Surcharges 2021

If you’ve been shipping for over a year, you’ve likely noticed that FedEx surcharges have increased across the board. Shipping surcharges are the fees associated with specialty shipping services. For example, Sunday delivery, oversized packages, and dangerous goods all incur FedEx surcharges of different amounts.

FedEx surcharges, as with most couriers, are subject to adjustment on a yearly basis. This is because the cost of fuel and other shipping factors tends to increase over time, and couriers must find ways to keep pace.

This article will walk you through the FedEx fees that went into effect on January 4, 2021, for FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and Home Delivery services.

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Here's a rundown of FedEx surcharges in 2021.

1. Address Corrections – $18

Need to change the address of your shipment before it's delivered? FedEx charges $18 for an address correction in 2021, up from $17 in 2020. The same FedEx surcharge of $18 applies if you want to reroute a package to a different address while it's in transit.

2. Collect On Delivery (COD) – $16.50

Want to minimize the processing cost of credit cards, physical checks, and monthly bank fees? You can have your cash payments collected on delivery by a FedEx driver. FedEx assesses a Collect On Delivery (COD) fee of $16.50 per package in 2021, up from $15.50 in 2020.

3. Dangerous Goods – $6.15

FedEx surcharges apply when you mail packages that contain dangerous substances and materials via FedEx Express services. For example, dry ice is used for cooling food items, like those Omaha Steaks you bought for Dad last Christmas. To ship dangerous goods, you’ll be looking at a FedEx fee of $6.15.

FedEx also levies a surcharge for both “Accessible” and “Inaccessible” dangerous goods. “Accessible'' dangerous goods must be kept near the driver, or be accessible. These incur a minimum fee of $115 per package, adjusted by weight. For example, explosives or flammable liquids. “Inaccessible '' dangerous goods can be kept in back with normal packages, such as lithium batteries, and incur a minimum fee of $54.50 per package, adjusted by weight.

Related post: What Are Shipping Surcharges (and How Can I Avoid Them)?

4. Ground Unauthorized Package Charge – $920

A ground unauthorized package is more than 108 inches in length, more than 165 inches in length, and girth combined or weighs more than 150 pounds.

If FedEx discovers you to be shipping a package of unauthorized size, you’ll pay a steep $920. Moreover, the carrier may refuse to transport your item until you pony up. This FedEx fee shows the sharpest increase of all, up from $875 last year.

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5. Additional Handling Surcharge – $16.00/$25.50

Additional handling surcharges apply to oversize packages that exceed:

• 48" on the longest side
• 30" on its second-longest side
• 105" in length and girth combined

Dimensions-related handling surcharges went up one dollar since 2020. And so did weight-related surcharges. You’ll pay $25.50 per package in fees for domestic packages above 50 pounds international packages weighing more than 70 pounds. Certain services only pay $14 per package for the additional handling surcharge, as seen below.

6. Delivery Area Surcharge – $3.25

Addresses in remote areas of the 48 contiguous states (rural destinations), or certain parts of Alaska and Hawaii run into a delivery area surcharge. As of 2021, FedEx delivery area surcharges stand at $3.25 per package. Express packages to extended commercial addresses attract a fee of $3.85 per package.

Delivery area surcharges vary slightly depending on if your package is bound for a residence or a commercial location. The table below shows FedEx delivery surcharges for commercial/extended commercial addresses for FedEx Express and Ground services.

7. Oversize Charge – $105

FedEx labels your package as "oversized" if it exceeds 96" in length or 130" in length and girth combined. The FedEx fee for oversize packages this year is $105 for Express/Ground services, up from $100 in 2020. Oversized packages destined for residential areas cost a bit more to ship, a full $130 per package.

Learn More About Dead and Dimensional Here

8. Residential Surcharge – $4.95

Want to send packages to your customer's doorstep? FedEx residential surcharge applies to shipments addressed to homes or private residences. FedEx fees stand at $4.95 per package in 2021, up from $4.65 in 2020 for Express and International Package services.

For Domestic or International Ground packages, FedEx residential surcharges are $4.80 per package. For FedEx Home Delivery service, you pay $5.00 per package.

The table below shows all FedEx residential surcharges in 2021.

9. FedEx Delivery Signature – $6.70

Delivery confirmation is when your package can only be delivered if it is signed for by the receiving party. As of 2021, this feature costs $6.70.

10. FedEx Peak Surcharges – Variable

At their discretion, couriers like FedEx can introduce peak season surcharges (PSS) to offset the strain of increased shipment volumes. FedEx peak surcharges apply during holiday seasons when the courier is operating at near or full capacity. FedEx rolled out peak surcharges when the pandemic hit, which can be seen below:

For Ground Economy, you’re paying $0.75 more per package. Express Services, Ground, and International Ground are up to $3.00 at present. And Oversize packages incur an added $30 fee, on top of the usual oversize fee.

11. Third Party Billing Service – 4.5%

A third-party billing surcharge applies when duties, taxes, or other shipping costs are paid by someone other than the sender or recipient. This FedEx surcharge comes in at 4.5% of your net transportation charges.

Want to know the duties and taxes owed on your shipment? Try our Duty and Taxes calculator to determine upfront how much you should be paying in duties and taxes. Then, decide who should be paying for such shipping costs – you, your customer, or a third party.

Slash FedEx Surcharges With Easyship

For FedEx shippers, an increase in FedEx surcharges means an increase in shipping costs. And since FedEx fuel surcharges are here to stay, this happens every year.

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