Surcharges and Correction Charges
Please find below important information about UK and international Surcharges and Correction Charges. For the avoidance of doubt, any reference to Surcharges in our Agreement with you shall be deemed to include both the Surcharges and Correction Charges as set out below.
Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.
For more information and help on understanding when Correction Charges are applied please go to royalmail.com/surchargehelp
Details of correction charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level correction charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
Supplementary Store Collection Fee
Please click here for more information (see Changes from 30 September 2024 section)
Introduction of new business collection surcharges
These charges will only apply to customers who provide a daily forecast to their account team and receive a large collection vehicle dedicated to their items only. Further details about the charges for affected customers, including the process for notifying of any collection changes and associated pricing will be provided shortly on this webpage.
UK - Letters
All Domestic Letter Surcharges are outlined under Adjustment Charges section of the Retail Letters Price guide (pages 33 and 34). We will communicate any surcharge rate changes by giving you no less than 30 days’ notice in advance, via this web page.
- Retail Letters Price Guidepdf, 1.85 MB
Letter Account Charges are also in the On Account section of the Business Price Guide (page 7). We will communicate any surcharge rate changes by giving you no less than 30 days’ notice in advance, via this web page.
- Business Price Guidepdf, 3.44 MB
UK - Parcels
Fuel surcharge is applied on the product price after any discounts or commissions, and before VAT. We aim to keep this surcharge lower than other delivery companies.
As of 4 July 2022, the fuel surcharge is 8.0%.
Fuel surcharge is applicable to:
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed® by 9am, 1pm and Next Day
• Royal Mail Tracked 24® and Royal Mail Tracked 48®
• Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48®
• Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns
• Royal Mail Tracked Returns® and Mail Order Returns
Fuel surcharges will not apply to non-contract business and consumer parcel services or any items within the USO.
We will communicate any fuel surcharge rate changes at least 30 days in advance, via this page.
The Green Surcharge applies to some products for our account customers and will contribute towards funding decarbonisation measures in our network. Further information about Royal Mail’s ambition to reach Net Zero by 2040 can be found here.
The Green Surcharge is applied on the product price after any discounts or commissions or other surcharges, and before VAT.
As of 31 March 2025, the Green Surcharge will be 5p per item, increasing from 4p per item.
The products covered by the Green Surcharge are:
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed® by 9am, 1pm and Next Day
• Royal Mail Tracked 24® and Royal Mail Tracked 48®
• Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48®
• Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns
• Royal Mail Tracked Returns®
Green Surcharge will not apply to non-contract business and consumer parcel services or any items within the USO.
We will communicate any Green Surcharge rate changes at least 30 days in advance, via this page.
The Peak Surcharge is effective across our busiest time of year as we scale-up our network at additional cost.
The Peak Surcharge is applied on the product price after any discounts or commissions or other surcharges, and before VAT.
The Peak Surcharge will be effective 18 November 2024 until 10 January 2025 (inclusive).
The products covered by the Peak Surcharge are set at the following rates per item:
| Charge | Products |
|---|---|
| £0.05 | Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® Large Letters; Royal Mail Tracked 24® and Royal Mail Tracked 48® Letterboxable |
| £0.10 | Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® Parcels; Royal Mail Tracked 24® and Royal Mail Tracked 48® Parcels; Royal Mail Tracked Returns®; Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed® by 9am, 1pm and Next Day; Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns |
Peak Surcharge will not apply to non-contract business and consumer parcel services or any items within the USO.
We will communicate future effective dates and any Peak Surcharge rate changes at least 30 days in advance, via this page.
Details of charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
UK Parcels Correction Charges rate cardpdf, 1.63 MB
When Tracked Returns customers request Royal Mail to hold containers at Parcel Hubs beyond the scheduled delivery date, it can create operational bottlenecks and impact service quality.
- From 30 September 2024, Royal Mail will introduce charges to cover the additional costs associated with holding containers in Parcel Hubs beyond the scheduled delivery date
- If you request for containers to be held beyond the scheduled delivery date, we will apply an Admin Charge per container as well as a Retention Charge per container per day to cover the additional operational costs
- Charges are detailed in the table below
- We will communicate any future changes at least 30 days in advance, via the Royal Mail surcharge web page
| Charge | Charging Basis | Effective Date | Admin Charge per container | Retention charge per container per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracked Returns Retention charge | If you request us to hold a container beyond the scheduled delivery date, we will charge you per container per day | 30/09/24 | £1.00 | £20.00 |
Return to Sender charges for Tracked 24 & 48 and RM 24 & 48
Where items are returned to the sender for any of the below reasons, your items will be scanned, and you will be charged (see table below):
- Undelivered items that have not been collected, nor a Redelivery arranged within the 18-day holding period
- Incorrect/incomplete address
- Recipient moved (gone away)
- Recipient refused
| Product | Charges per item (Excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Tracked 24 | Agreed Contract Rate |
| Tracked 48 | Agreed Contract Rate |
| RM 24 Parcel | £3.50* |
| RM 48 Parcel | £2.50* |
| RM 24 Large Letter | £2.50* |
| RM 48 Large Letter | £1.50* |
*Effective from 30 September 2024
Parcel Label best practice guidepdf, 1.49 MB
International
International surcharges help us respond to the impact of the international market on key cost areas for our business, such as:
- Fuel;
- Conveyancing; and
- International delivery charges.
International surcharges do not apply to International non-contract business and consumer services.
The International surcharge applies to the following:
- International Business Tracked;
- International Business Tracked & Signed;
- International Business Signed;
- International Business Mail;
- International Business Parcels;
- International Business Parcels Returns;
- International Business Mail Response services - Local Look options.
An International surcharge (currently 6.5%*) is applied to the product price after any discounts or commissions and before any applicable VAT.
We will communicate any International surcharge rate by giving you no less than 14 days in advance, via this page.
*effective from 3 January 2023 due to unfavourable movements in Sterling Exchange rates. Was previously 4%
The Peak Surcharge is effective across our busiest time of year as we scale-up our network at additional cost.
The Peak Surcharge is applied on the product price after any discounts or commissions or other surcharges.
The Peak Surcharge will be introduced on 18 November 2024 and be effective through to 10 January 2025 (inclusive).
The products covered by the Peak Surcharge are set at the following rates per item:
| Charge | Products |
|---|---|
| £0.05 | International Tracked Large Letters; International Tracked & Signed Large Letters; International Signed Large Letters; International Untracked Large Letters (Non-Personal Correspondence only) |
| £0.10 | International Tracked Parcels; International Tracked & Signed Parcels; International Signed Parcels; International Untracked Parcels |
Peak Surcharge will not apply to Personal Correspondence, On Account or non-contract services.
We will communicate future effective dates and any Peak Surcharge rate changes at least 30 days in advance, via this page.
Details of charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
International Correction Charges rate cardpdf, 1.56 MB