USPS® 2021 Rate Change News: What You Need to Know

In case you missed it, the U.S. Postal Service announced new pricing at the end of May, and since then there has been a lot of talk and even more questions about the upcoming rate event. The ways businesses send mail are changing and delivery points are growing, so here we all are. New postage rates are scheduled to go in effect on August 29, 2021. At Quadient, we’ve been staying on top of all the news so we can bring you the highlights and keep you in the know. We want to make sure your business can get ahead of the changes and have outlined ways to help reduce the impact on your bottom line. Please check out our cheat sheet to the new prices.

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U.S. Postal Service Decision Date

The Postal Service expected to hear back from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) about their final decision on the proposed rates at the end of June 2021. That’s because the PRC has 30 days to approve or deny the pricing notice. However, our mail experts have been given a more concrete date of July 19, 2021. Keep an eye on your inbox because we will send you an announcement once the final prices are released!

Postal Services Affected & New Prices

This summer’s rate event is comparable to the annual January rate events, so we have been keeping an eye out for any updates about the August 2021 Rate Change. The notices have been revised as of June 25, 2021, but the list of services affected as well as their proposed prices have not been altered. That means the expected increase of more than 6 percent for First-Class Mail®, as 15 cents for Certified Mail fee and an additional 20 cents for Return Receipt, as well as most other pending prices might be here to stay. Likewise, prepare for increases if your business send Marketing Mail items and postcards. Non-profit letters will also see a 6% increase, but it remains 6.5% below commercial pricing.

Rate Change Schedule Change?

The big takeaway is one we’re sure has been on everyone’s mind: How will this event in August effect the annual January rate event? And the unfortunate long and short of it is this: They don’t know yet. We don’t know yet. Historically, if the USPS® holds another rate change event during the year, it’s temporary to take advantage of seasonal shipping and mailing booms. But it’s clear that this rate event is going to be handled a bit differently. It’s about the size of the annual January rate change event with above average rate increases for mid-year events.

So, how will this affect the schedule? Well, we have two ideas:

1. USPS annual rate change events may be fluid and less likely to be tied to the start of every calendar year.
2. Due to this August’s major rate event, the annual rate change event in January 2022 may not bring significant increases. But we’ll have to see.

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No matter what the future brings, we at Quadient are here to help make sure that you are prepped and ready for any twists and turns. Be sure to keep our Postal Rate Hub bookmarked, as we’ll keep it updated with the latest rates and news. You can also keep up with the latest mailing, shipping, and rate news by subscribing to our Newsletter mailing list.

Resources for Mailers

• August 2021 Price Change Information
• USPS Newsroom Announcement (28 May 2021)
• USPS Rate Change Cheat Sheet