PRC Approves First-Class Mail Price Adjustments

New Prices are Scheduled to Take Effect April 26, 2015

Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) affirmed a proposal by the Postal Service to increase the postage rates for certain Competitive products and related classification changesOn February 24, 2015, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued Order No. 2365 on Price Adjustments for First-Class Mail finding the Postal Service pricing proposals to be consistent with the Consumer Price Index based price cap under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.
The following actions affect domestic mail:
The Postal Service will maintain the price of the First-Class Mail stamp, which includes the Forever stamp, at $0.49.
The single-piece additional ounce for letters will increase to $0.22.
The price of postcards will increase to $0.35.

Changes to prices for international mail include:
Outbound Single-Piece First-Class Mail International Letters (first ounce) will increase to $1.20.
Non-machinable Outbound Single-Piece First-Class Mail International Letters (first ounce) will increase to $1.42.
Outbound Single-Piece First-Class Mail International Postcards will increase to $1.20.
Outbound Single-Piece First-Class Mail International Large Envelopes (Flats) (first ounce) will increase to $2.38.

All PRC documents pertaining to price changes for 2015 are located at www.prc.gov, under Docket No. R2015-4.

On February 25, 2015, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) affirmed a proposal by the Postal Service to increase the postage rates for certain Competitive products and related classification changes.

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires that rates for Competitive products must produce sufficient revenues to ensure they are not subsidized by Market Dominant products. Each Competitive product must cover its attributable costs. In addition, Competitive products, as a group, must pay an appropriate share of institutional costs, currently set at 5.5 percent. The Commission determined that the proposed domestic and international Competitive products price increases appear to satisfy these requirements.


Commission Order No. 2366 outlines its review of the Postal Service’s request for Competitive product rate increases and associated mail classification changes.