The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced its next price increase, which is set to take effect on January 21, 2024. This change will affect First Class, Periodical, Standard/Marketing Mail, Package Services, Bound Printed Matter, Media/Library Mail and other miscellaneous USPS fees. As of October 2023, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has not yet approved these increases.
This announcement marks the first increase of the 2024 calendar year, after two price increases that took effect in 2023. USPS cites inflationary pressures as the driving force behind this price increase. Most mail types are set to increase in price by around 2%, though certain marketing and periodical materials will see a larger increase.
Continue reading below to see specific mail price increases planned for 2024, as well as official statements from USPS regarding the change.
- New prices scheduled to take effect Jan. 21, 2024
- Postal Service prices remain among the most affordable in the world
- First-Class Forever stamp will be 68 cents
The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect Jan. 21, 2024. The new rates include a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 66 cents to 68 cents.
The proposed adjustments, approved by the governors of the Postal Service, would raise mailing services product prices approximately 2 percent. If favorably reviewed by the commission, the price changes would include:
| Product | Current Prices | Planned Prices |
| Letters (1 ounce) | 66 cents | 68 cents |
| Letters (metered 1 ounce) | 63 cents | 64 cents |
| Domestic Postcards | 51 cents | 53 cents |
| International Postcards | $1.50 | $1.55 |
| International Letter (1 ounce) | $1.50 | $1.55 |
There will be no change to the additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents. The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.
As inflationary pressures on operating expenses continue 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 Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.
The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filing, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website under the Daily Listings section at prc.arkcase.com/portal/docket-search/daily-listings. The mailing services filing is Docket No. R2024-1. The price tables are also available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.
This table shows the average by mail class.
| Class | Percent Change |
| First Class Mail | 1.969 |
| USPS Marketing Mail | 1.961 |
| Periodicals | 1.959 |
| Package Services | 1.960 |
| Special Services | 2.168 |
This table shows Standard/Marketing for letters and flats.
| Product | Percent Change |
| Letters | 1.333 |
| Flats | 3.966 |
This table shows the Periodical Pricing changes.
| Product | Percent Change |
| Outside County | 1.594 |
| Within County | 7.320 |
| Overall | 1.959 |
