Why is this happening?
The Postal Regulatory Commission has completed a review of the rules that determine how much the U.S Postal Service can raise rates in a year. Now the Postal Service is exercising new pricing authority granted by the Postal Regulatory Commission in a November 2020 ruling that allows them to exceed the CPI-based price cap on market-dominant products to account for certain factors. To help the U.S Postal Service restore financial stability, the regulator decided it should have the ability to raise prices above the rate of inflation. The Postal Service decided to move up the rate change to help expedite their ability to generate new revenues rather than waiting until the traditional October announcement and January implementation date.
Listed below are the highlights of the proposed August 2021 U.S Postal Service rate increase:
- Retail stamps and Forever® stamps are increasing 3¢ to $0.58.
- Metered Mail letters increase 2¢ to $0.53, improving the metered letter savings to 5¢ per letter when compared to stamps.
- Flats increase $0.16 to $1.16 for 1 oz.
- Postcards increase $0.04 to $0.40.
First Class Mail Letter Rates – As of August 29, 2021
INCREASE PER LETTER -Jan 2021 Rates vs. aug 2021 Rates
| Mail piece Weight | Jan 2021 | Aug 2021 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letters - 1 oz. | $0.55 | $0.58 | $0.03 |
| Letters - Additional Ounces | $0.20 | $0.20 | No Change |
| Metered Mail Letters (Stamps.com Rate) - 1 oz. | $0.51 | $0.53 | $0.02 |
| Metered Mail Letters (Stamps.com Rate) - Additional Ounces | $0.20 | $0.20 | No Change |
| Flat/Large Envelope - 1 oz. | $1.00 | $1.16 | $0.16 |
| Flat/Large Envelope - Additional Ounces | $0.20 | $0.20 | No Change |
| Postcards | $0.36 | $0.40 | $0.04 |
| International Letters - 1 oz. (County Groups 1-9) | $1.20 | $1.30 | $0.10 |
| International Postcard (County Groups 1-9) | $1.20 | $1.30 | $0.10 |
| International Flats - 1 oz. (County Groups 1-9) | $2.40 | $2.60 | $0.20 |
Additional benefits to using USPS shipping services powered by GlobalPost
Our First Class Mail International Flats with Merchandise Allowed is a part of our special service which allows customers to ship flat-size mailable documents of value while still using the USPS service for a surcharge. The USPS First Class Mail International service does not allow items of value to be sent FCMI.