USPS July 2026 Postage Rate Changes: What High-Volume Mailers Need to Know
USPS implemented new mailing rates effective Sunday, July 12, 2026, increasing Market Dominant mailing services by approximately 4.8% on average. While this increase is smaller than the July 2025 adjustment, it still impacts virtually every mailing program. The effect varies by mail class, mailpiece design, and presort level.
1. First-Class Mail — Retail and Metered
Forever Stamp: increases from $0.78 to $0.82
Metered 1-ounce letters: increase from $0.74 to $0.78
Domestic postcards: increase from $0.61 to $0.65
International letters/postcards: increase from $1.70 to $1.75
Additional ounce: remains $0.29
Impact for Mailers
Retail First-Class Mail sees roughly a 5% increase, making single-piece mail more expensive for invoices, correspondence, and low-volume mailings.
The additional-ounce price remaining unchanged helps reduce the impact on heavier transactional mail such as statements and invoices.
Businesses relying on retail postage should continue evaluating whether automation or presorted mail can reduce mailing costs.
2. Presorted First-Class Mail
Commercial First-Class Mail prices generally increase by about 4.7%–5.2%, depending on the presort level and mailpiece characteristics.
Impact for Mailers
Presort First-Class Mail remains the preferred option for:
Bills and invoices
Statements
Healthcare communications
Legal notices
Time-sensitive customer correspondence
Although postage is increasing, automation discounts continue to provide substantial savings compared to single-piece First-Class Mail.
Maintaining excellent address quality through CASS certification, NCOA processing, and barcode accuracy remains one of the easiest ways to maximize postal discounts.
3. USPS Marketing Mail (Commercial & Nonprofit)
Most Commercial Marketing Mail products increase approximately 5%, although the exact increase varies by mail category and preparation method.
Unlike the major structural changes introduced in 2025, the 2026 adjustment focuses primarily on price increases rather than eliminating destination-entry discounts. Some Marketing Mail categories—including Carrier Route and certain flat-mail products—experience different percentage changes based on their cost coverage and preparation requirements. USPS has also introduced operational changes affecting certain flat-mail bundle preparation.
Impact for Mailers
Marketing Mail continues to offer the lowest postage costs for:
Direct mail marketing
Acquisition campaigns
Customer retention
Political mail
Nonprofit fundraising
Although costs are increasing, USPS Marketing Mail remains one of the highest ROI marketing channels available.
Organizations mailing large volumes should continue optimizing:
Mailing lists
Targeting strategies
Mailpiece design
Entry point selection
to maximize return on postage investment.
Strategic Considerations for Mailers
Continue Optimizing Address Quality
Undeliverable mail wastes both printing and postage dollars.
Use:
CASS Certification
NCOA Updates
Duplicate suppression
Move update compliance
to maximize delivery rates and postal discounts.
Review Mailpiece Design
Small design changes can reduce postage by:
qualifying for automation rates
reducing paper weight
converting flats to letters where appropriate
improving machinability
usps incentives
There are various USPS incentives which can lower postage, please contact us to see if there are any you mail piece may qualify for
Final Takeaways
USPS Market Dominant mailing prices increased an average of 4.8% effective July 12, 2026.
The Forever Stamp increased from $0.78 to $0.82, while metered letters increased to $0.78.
The additional-ounce rate remains unchanged at $0.29, helping offset costs for heavier First-Class letters.
Presorted First-Class Mail continues to provide the best balance of speed and affordability for transactional mail.
USPS Marketing Mail remains the most cost-effective option for direct mail campaigns despite modest rate increases.
Maintaining clean mailing lists, efficient mailpiece design, and optimized presort strategies remains the best way to control postage costs.
Need help understanding how these new rates affect your next mailing? Contact Action Mail for a customized postage analysis and recommendations to help keep your mailing costs as low as possible.