April 14, 2023
This week, the United States Postal Service (USPS) filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 9, 2023.
This increase is in line with the USPS’s implementation of twice-yearly rate increases on Market Dominant products that began in January of this year. Market Dominant products include First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Special Services.
With PRC approval, the proposed increases will raise mail prices accordingly (represented as an average within each class):
First-Class Mail: 5.378 percent
USPS Marketing Mail: 5.381 percent
Periodicals: 8.122 percent
Package Services: 5.379 percent
Special Services: 5.429 percent
In a USPS press release announcing the filing, the agency states, “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 USPS previously announced that mailers should expect these twice-yearly increases to occur each January and July.
The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect.