March 25, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) regarding a “time-limited price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market.” “This temporary price adjustment will provide needed flexibility for the Postal Service by helping to ensure that the actual costs of doing business are covered, as required by Congress,” USPS filed.
The planned price change, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service on March 24, is an 8% increase effecting base postage prices on retail and commercial domestic competitive products, including: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. No other products or services would be affected, including First-Class Stamps. Pending favorable review by the PRC, the price change would go into effect April 26 and would remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027; at that time, USPS will be called on to determine if a different long-term approach is needed.
“Transportation costs have been increasing, and our competitors have reacted with a number of surcharges,” USPS announced in a national news blast. “We have steadfastly avoided surcharges, and this charge is less than one-third of what our competitors charge for fuel alone; so, even with this change, the Postal Service continues to offer great value in shipping with some of the lowest rates in the industrialized world.”
Complete USPS price filings, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website’s Daily Listings section at prc.arkcase.com/portal/filings. Price tables are also available on the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.