If you’re mailing packages using the U.S. Postal Service, the price will likely be rising come late April as a temporary measure to deal with increasing transportation costs.
The U.S. Postal Service announced plans to raise shipping prices by 8 percent next month.
If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the rate hike will take effect at midnight Thursday, April 26.
The increase applies to Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select, according to a statement.
The temporary price change is expected to remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027.
First-class mail stamps and other postal products are not included in the proposed price adjustment.
The Postal Service described the filing as 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,” the agency said in a statement.
The move follows similar moves by for-profit delivery competitors that have implemented surcharges to manage rising fuel expenses.
Nationwide, the cost of fuel for vehicles and aircraft has climbed amid the war with Iran, with the national average gasoline price hitting $3.99 on Monday.
The financial pressure comes as the agency warns it could run out of cash by fall.
During recent testimony to Congress, U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner said first-class stamps could eventually rise to 95 cents or $1, according to Reuters.
The current 78-cent rate already represents a 46 percent increase since 2019.
A 2023 report by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General found that the Postal Service’s stamp cost is the “most affordable national operator” out of 31 countries sampled.
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The Postal Service has faced years of financial losses and declining mail volume. It remains bound by unique legal mandates imposed by Congress. Unlike private carriers, the Postal Service is required by law to deliver to more than 169 million addresses nationwide, including remote locations.
The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 requires six-day-a-week delivery, and the agency delivers packages and Priority Mail Express on Sundays.
Beyond personal and commercial mail, the Postal Service manages 31,000 branches and plays a critical role in vote-by-mail, medication delivery, and processing government mailings.
The agency is currently attempting to trim costs through its “Delivering for America” modernization plan.
The U.S. Postal Service isn’t alone as similar struggles are being felt globally as digital communication replaces traditional mail. Canada Post has already reduced delivery days and locations due to its own financial crisis.
