The Postal Regulatory Commission recently approved 5-cent increases for postcards (56 cents to 61 cents), metered letters (69 cents to 74 cents) and Forever stamps (73 to 78 cents) after announcing the changes in April. Forever stamps remain valid indefinitely and can be used to send mail weighing less than 1 ounce.
Beyond letters, the USPS is also increasing rates for shipping services. In a May news release, the agency said the changes represent an approximately 6.3% increase for Priority Mail service, a 7.1% increase for USPS Ground Advantage and a 7.6% increase for Parcel Select.
All of the changes go into effect Sunday.
For stamps, the increase from the current rate of 73 cents comes after stamp prices were held flat in January, which was the first instance since 2022 that stamp prices were not raised on a twice-per-year cadence in January and June. At the time, former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said inflation projections were down, allowing the agency to slow the rise in stamp prices.
But the U.S. Postal Service now has new leadership under the Trump administration, and reports indicate there’s a growing preference among officials to raise prices as the Department of Government Efficiency looks for ways to address deficits. The USPS lost $9.5 billion in 2024, according to its fiscal reporting.
In recent weeks, USPS officials, DOGE staffers and Trump officials discussed price strategy, according to Government Executive, an industry publication. In at least one meeting, officials discussed a possible “exigent” round of price increases outside the established twice-per-year cadence. Those hikes did not materialize, though, and critics reportedly said it wouldn’t make sense to raise prices right before the previously scheduled July price hikes.
In addition to increasing prices, the USPS is also reducing some of its delivery time commitments as it tries to find cost savings. For example, the USPS added a day to service standards for some long-distance items that are over 50 miles from processing centers in an effort to streamline truck schedules. Some of these changes took effect in April, and additional changes were effective July 1.
Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino said in an April keynote address that the agency is making progress toward improving its financial health thanks to modernization efforts.
“This transformation is about building a Postal Service that is more efficient, more capable and more competitive for the future,” he added.
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This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
