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By Alia Shoaib
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The United States Postal Service has proposed raising prices on mailing services, including letters and postcards, as it continues to grapple with financial pressures and rising operational costs.
Why It Matters
These proposed price increases come amid an ongoing financial crisis facing the USPS, with the agency increasingly relying on higher postage costs to address ongoing shortfalls.
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As a self-funded public service, the agency has repeatedly increased its prices in recent years, while warning that structural and regulatory constraints are intensifying pressure on its finances.
The Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress in March that the agency’s financial troubles needed to be addressed, including by increasing its borrowing capacity, or it would be "the end of the Postal Service as we know it."
What To Know
The USPS has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) proposing price changes effective July 12, pending approval from the agency.
The proposal includes a 4-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 78 cents to 82 cents.
Letters (1 ounce) would rise from 78 cents to 82 cents, while metered letters would increase from 74 cents to 78 cents.
Domestic postcards would increase from 61 cents to 65 cents, and international postcards and letters from $1.70 to $1.75.
USPS said that the changes would increase overall mailing prices by around 4.8 percent, and that it was also seeking price adjustments for other services and products.
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The agency said that it was in the midst of a "severe financial crisis" and rising operational costs and was proposing these changes to address the gaps.
It noted that it generally receives no tax dollars to support its work and relies on revenue generated from sales to fund its operations.
The USPS said this week that it was temporarily pausing contributions to the Federal Employees Retirement System due to the "severe financial crisis."
The agency has been steadily increasing its prices over the last few years. In the most recent rise in July 2025, the price of stamps increased by 5 cents.
If approved, the new price increases would be the eighth increase since 2021.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Postal Service said: "In the midst of the severe financial crisis facing the Postal Service and continued rising operational costs, the Postal Service is using all available tools, including available regulatory pricing authority, to ensure we can continue to fulfill our universal service obligation and serve the American public."
What Happens Next
The proposal will be reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission, and if approved, the new prices will take effect on July 12.
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