U.S. Postal Service Announces a New Price Change To Take Effect July 10, 2022
April 6, 2022
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Article Updated: June 1, 2022
It's official, the rates are now approved: it's time to prepare for a First-Class Mail increase this summer.
No worries. We've got a cheat sheet to the rate increases from the U.S. Postal Service...
Get a sneak peek at the USPS increases to First-Class stamps, metered mail rates, postcards, and international letters. For a full breakdown of the changes and tips on how to reduce the impact on your mailroom, read our cheat sheet.
Attention Mailers: USPS announced a major rate change event.
The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes to take effect on July 10, 2022.
Prepare for price increases on the First-Class Mail Forever stamps, metered mail rates, postcards, and international letters. This is the first increase to First-Class Mail since August 29, 2021. Earlier this year, the USPS made changes to their shipping rates in January, and recently implemented two new shipping fees in effect since Sunday, April 3, 2022.
The new prices would mean a rate increase on some mail products, including a two-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 58 cents to 60 cents. The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect.
First-Class stamps are going up 2 cents
The proposed mailing service charges include:
Product | Current Price | Planned Price |
---|---|---|
Letters (1oz) | 58 cents | 60 cents |
Letters (metered 1 oz.) | 53 cents | 57 cents |
Letters additional ounce(s) | 20 cents | 24 cents |
Domestic Postcards | 40 cents | 44 cents |
International Letter (1 oz.) | $1.30 | $1.40 |
Why are the rates changing?
The USPS states that the mailing services price increase is generally based on the consumer price index to help the postal service maintain competitiveness in the market. According to the USPS, "The proposed prices would raise First-Class Mail prices by approximately 6.5 % which is lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual inflation rate of 7.9% as of the end of February."
"As inflation and increased operating expenses continue, these price adjustments will help with the implementation of the Delivering for America plan, including a $40 billion investment in core Postal Service infrastructure over the next ten years."
It's important to remember that the Postal Service has some of the lowest postage rates on letters and continues to offer customers ways to save on shipping.
As we get more updates on the USPS rates for 2022, we will be sure to update those who will be affected the most, our valued customers. Be sure to visit and bookmark our Postage Rate Hub for more information. You can also subscribe to our newsletter mailing list for all the breaking news and insights on the new rates.
Source: Postal Regulatory Commission
Still Using Stamps?
If your company is still using stamps to send business mail, now is the perfect time to explore ways to offset the cost of these rate increases. Right now, you'll save 5 cents on every letter you mail and you can only get that discount with a meter!
Check out our postage meters and reach out to a mail expert with any questions.
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