The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to request a rate hike this coming summer, which would increase the price of a first-class stamp from 73 cents to 78 cents.
This proposal was submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Wednesday, which is required to approve it. If authorized, the 5-cent rise for a “forever” stamp and similar hikes for postcards, metered letters, and international postage will become effective on July 13.
The suggested changes would result in an average increase of about 7.4% for mailing services.
The Postal Service argues, as it did last year when it implemented a comparable hike, that these adjustments are necessary for achieving financial stability.
Former U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy had warned postal customers to prepare for “uncomfortable” rate increases as the Postal Service aims for self-sufficiency. He noted that such price hikes were overdue following “a decade of ineffective pricing models.”
DeJoy resigned in March after nearly five years, amid discussions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) about the potential privatization of mail services.
Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino is currently overseeing the role of postmaster general until the Postal Service Board of Governors appoints a permanent successor to DeJoy.
Trump has contemplated moving the USPS under the auspices of the Commerce Department to address financial losses faced by the $78 billion-per-year agency, which has faced challenges in adjusting to the decline of first-class mail.
