Penny Increase for the Forever Stamp
October 7, 2017 - WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on Friday of price changes to take effect Jan. 21, 2018. The new prices, if approved, include a one cent increase in the
price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 49 cents to 50 cents.Postcard stamps and metered letters would also have a one cent increase. Today’s filing does not include any price change for single-piece letters being mailed to international destinations or for additional ounces for letters.
The proposed prices would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 1.9 percent, and most Shipping Services products will average a 3.9 percent price increase. While Mailing Services price increases are limited based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Shipping Services prices are adjusted strategically, according to market conditions and the need to maintain affordable services for customers.
The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:
| Product |
Current |
Proposed |
| Letters (1 oz.) |
49 cents |
50 cents |
| Letters additional ounces |
21 cents |
21 cents |
| Letters (metered) |
46 cents |
47 cents |
| Outbound International Letters (1 oz.) |
$1.15 |
$1.15 |
| Domestic Postcards |
34 cents |
35 cents |
The new Shipping Services product prices would increase Priority Mail 3.9 percent and Priority Mail Retail an average of 0.8 percent. As in the past, the Postal Service will not include any surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or regular Saturday delivery.
The proposed domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate Retail price changes are:
| Product |
Current |
Proposed |
| Small Flat Rate Box |
$7.15 |
$7.20 |
| Medium Flat Rate Box |
$13.60 |
$13.65 |
| Large Flat Rate Box |
$18.85 |
$18.90 |
| APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box |
$17.35 |
$17.40 |
| Regular Flat Rate Envelope |
$6.65 |
$6.70 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope |
$6.95 |
$7.00 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope |
$7.20 |
$7.25 |
The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 21, 2018. The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at https://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily. For the Mailing Services filing see Oct. 6, 2017, Docket No. R2018-1. For the Shipping Services filing see Oct. 6, 2017, Docket No. CP2018-8.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Source: U.S. Postal Service
