US Postal Service to increase price of stamps in July

In April, the United States Postal Service (USPS) filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price increases. This will take effect July 9, 2023. The new rates include a three-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents. Other increases are listed in the table below. The most recent postage increase was January 2023.

The increases will raise First-Class Mail prices approximately 5.4 percent. The USPS stated in their release that this is to offset the rise in inflation and were approved by the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service.

The price for 1-ounce metered mail will increase to 63 cents, and the price to send a domestic postcard will increase to 51 cents. A 1-ounce letter mailed to another country would increase to $1.50. There will be no change to the single-piece letter and flat additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents. The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.

The Mailing Services price changes include:

POSTAGE TYPE	CURRENT RATE	NEW RATE
Non-Profit Marketing Mail (Bulk)*	18.8¢	19.7¢
Marketing Mail Letters (Bulk)*	33.5¢	35.2¢
First-Class Presort Postcards	37.1¢	37.7¢
Postcard Single Piece (Stamp)	48¢	51¢
First-Class Presort Letters*	52.6¢	55.6¢
First-Class Single Piece (Stamp)	63¢	66¢
Marketing Mail Flats (Bulk)*	82.4¢	89.3¢
First-Class Presort Flats*	89.6¢	$1.03

As operating expenses fueled by inflation continue to rise and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan. The prices of the U.S. Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.

The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filing, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website under the Daily Listings section at prc.gov/dockets/daily. The Mailing Services filing is Docket No. R2023-2. The price tables are also available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.