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USPS July 13, 2025 Rate Change

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.