STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — You’ll soon have to pay more to mail a letter — the United States Postal Service (USPS) is raising the cost of its Forever First-Class stamps next year.
Starting Jan. 21, 2024, the cost of a Forever stamp, or mailing a one-ounce letter, will increase by 2 cents. That means that a first-class mail forever stamp will cost 68 cents, 2 cents higher than the current price of 66 cents.
Metered one-ounce letters will increase from 63 cents to 64 cents.
Domestic postcards will cost 53 cents, up from 51 cents — while international postcards will increase to $1.55 from $1.50. International letters (one ounce) will also go up in price to $1.55 from $1.50.
There will be no change to the additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents.
USPS is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products, including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees, and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.
The proposed prices, approved by the governors of USPS, will raise the First-Class Mail prices by approximately 2%, according to the postal service.
The last time the price of stamps increased was in July.
View the full price changes at usps.com.
The increases are due to inflationary pressures on operating expenses, as well as the effects of a previously defective pricing model. The Postal Service stated that these price adjustments are necessary to provide much-needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan. According to USPS, its prices remain among the most affordable in the world.
The Postal Regulatory Commission will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect.
USPS receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply