USPS July 13, 2025 Rate Change — What Mailers Need to Know

USPS will implement new mailing rates effective Sunday, July 13, 2025, with average increases of ~7.4% across all Market Dominant products. However, the impact varies widely depending on mail class, sort level, and entry point. Below is a summary from the perspective of high-volume mailers:

1. First-Class Mail — Retail and Metered

Single-piece Forever stamp rises from $0.73 to $0.78
Metered 1-oz letters increase from $0.69 to $0.74
Additional ounce goes from $0.28 to $0.29

Impact for Mailers:

Retail First-Class Mailers will feel a 6.8%–7.2% increase.
Metered accounts (typically small businesses) see a similar increase.
This mailstream remains expensive for volume use — budget-conscious mailers may consider shifting transactional or outreach pieces to presort or Marketing Mail where possible.

2. Presorted First-Class Mail

Average increase: 7.6%
Automation letters and flats see base price increases of 7.7–8.7%
Discounts still apply, but SCF/NDC incentives have been reduced or removed
Mailers can use promotions to offset some of the impact

Impact for Mailers:

Presort mail remains the go-to for time-sensitive, personal, or statement mail, but mailers should budget for a higher cost per piece — especially for 2-oz letters and flats.
CASS/NCOA compliance and proper sortation remain critical for maximizing discounts and avoiding undeliverables.

3. Marketing Mail (Commercial & Nonprofit)

Commercial Marketing Mail sees up to 10.4% base rate increases, though average net increase is ~7.4%
Nonprofit Marketing Mail still benefits from a 40%+ discount vs. commercial rates but is also impacted
NDC discounts eliminated; SCF discounts reduced by 30%
Saturation letters and flats (e.g., EDDM) also face higher costs

Impact for Mailers:

Budget pressure for high-volume marketing campaigns, particularly those using destination-entry drop shipping.
SCF drops now offer less savings, and NDC entry no longer helps — logistics strategies may need to shift.
Saturation mailers (e.g., grocery, retail) will see significant per-piece cost increases — reconsider targeting strategy or test smaller lists.

Strategic Considerations for Mailers

Reoptimize Drop Entry: SCF drops are still valuable but not as much as before; consider distribution modeling to find new cost-effective entry points.
Review List Hygiene: Avoid wasted postage on bad addresses — maximize ROI with address updates (CASS/NCOA) and suppression strategies.
Reevaluate Format Mix: Some mailers may consider shifting from flats to letter-size or testing EDDM as saturation discounts shrink.

Final Takeaways

Presort mail remains the best value for transactional mail, but costs are rising.
Marketing Mail is getting more expensive—especially for saturation and destination-entry strategies.
Mailers must actively manage logistics, data quality, and creative formats to keep postage efficient.
Nonprofits remain protected to a degree, but must be aware of the evolving structure of discounts.

Let me know if you’d like a custom breakdown for your specific mailing.