WASHINGTON D.C. — Mailing a letter is about to cost a little more. The U.S. Postal Service is raising postage rates Sunday, July 12, with the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp increasing from 78 cents to 82 cents — a four-cent jump.
The rate change represents an average increase of 4.8 percent across First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and selected special services.
First-Class Mail metered letters will rise from 74 cents to 78 cents for one-ounce letters, while the additional-ounce surcharge is expected to hold flat at 29 cents.
The Postal Service will also introduce changes to how dimensional weight is calculated for packages, aligning its divisor for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select to industry standards. PO Box rates will also see a 3 percent increase.
The USPS generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.
A complete breakdown of all rate changes is available on the USPS website can be found here.