Starting Sunday, you will begin to see slightly higher postage rates at your local post office. Among the price increases, includes a two cent raise for First-Class Mail Forever stamps.
The U.S. Postal Service made the announcement in April, citing inflation and increased operating costs as the reason for the price hike.
USPS said it raised first-class mail prices approximately 6.5%, which is lower than current inflation rates. This comes after the Postal Service raised the rate of Forever stamps from 55 cents to 58 cents less than a year ago.
And expect prices to continue going up. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said price will rise “at an uncomfortable rate,” until the agency is on track to be self-sustaining.
“While our pricing decisions are ultimately made under the authority of the Board of Governors, in the near term, I will most likely be advocating for these increases,” DeJoy said during a USPS Board of Governors meeting in May. “I believe we have been severely damaged by at least 10 years of a defective pricing model, which cannot be satisfied by one or two annual price increases, especially in this inflationary environment.”
Below are the new prices for mail:
Product | Previous Prices | New Prices |
Letters (1 oz.) | 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 |