USPS Announces 2025 Postage Rate Increase Effective July 13

The USPS is at it again—new postage rates are scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, July 13, 2025. These rate increases impact First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, and Nonprofit Mail, among others. While the changes may affect your mailing budgets, they also present an opportunity to evaluate your strategy and optimize for better performance.

Here’s what you need to know:

Key First-Class Mail Rate Changes

• 1 oz. stamped letter: Increasing from $0.73 to $0.78
• 1 oz. metered letter: Increasing from $0.69 to $0.74
• Postcards: Increasing from $0.56 to $0.62
• Flats (1 oz.): Increasing from $1.50 to $1.65

These adjustments are part of the USPS’s ongoing Delivering for America plan to maintain service levels while addressing financial sustainability.

2025 USPS Marketing Mail Rates

Average increase across the Marketing Mail class: 7.385%

Actual rates vary depending on format, sortation, and entry level. Here are some commonly used commercial Marketing Mail rates effective July 13, 2025:

Marketing Mail – Commercial (4 oz. or less)

• Automation Letters – 5-Digit, DSCF Entry: $0.355
• Automation Flats – 5-Digit, DSCF Entry: $0.732
• Carrier Route Flats – DDU Entry: $0.452
• Saturation Flats – DDU Entry: $0.242

2025 USPS Nonprofit Mail Rates

Nonprofits continue to benefit from deeply discounted rates, which must average no more than 60% of the corresponding commercial Marketing Mail rates.

Marketing Mail – Nonprofit

• Automation Letters – 5-Digit, DSCF Entry: $0.162
• Automation Flats – 5-Digit, DSCF Entry: $0.465
• Carrier Route Flats – DDU Entry: $0.366
• Saturation Flats – DDU Entry: $0.132

These rates allow nonprofits to continue cost-effective donor outreach and engagement through direct mail.

An Industry Perspective

Leo Raymond of Mailers Hub had this reaction to the announced rates: Under DeJoy, the objective was primarily to increase revenue and reduce costs, all in the hope of making the USPS financially self-sufficient.  Along the way, service – the presumed purpose of the USPS – was sacrificed as transportation was slashed, evening collections were eliminated, and service standards were relaxed. 

The loss of hard-copy mail because of double-digit rate increases was dismissed as inevitable, and the PMG had no interest in foregoing revenue to preserve volume.  The problem is the underlying premise: that the Postal Service with 31,000 retail facilities – most of which don’t cover their costs – and an obligation to deliver to ever more delivery points six days a week could be self-supporting when there’s ever less mail to fund the costs; the trend lines are going in the wrong direction. 

Imposing another above-CPI cost increase on commercial mailers and their clients may yield more short-term revenue but will neither support the continued use of hard-copy mail nor ensure the vaporous goal of Postal Service financial self-sustainability is attained. 

The current rate proposal reflects DeJoy’s goal of maximizing the volume in the postal processing system and filling trucks by discouraging worksharing and destination entry, while producing increased revenue that’s much less than what the percentage increase would suggest. 

On the upside, commercial mailers and their clients can use the opportunities still present – promotions, incentives, worksharing – and prudent practices of address list management, mailpiece design, and production efficiency to still realize the value of hard-copy direct mail, but the USPS isn’t making it any easier.

How to Save Despite the Increase

Don’t let the postage bump derail your marketing efforts. Instead, use it as a catalyst to refine your approach:

• Clean your mailing lists to reduce waste and improve deliverability
• Target more precisely to ensure your message reaches the right audience
• Take advantage of USPS promotions to earn discounts for using tactics like tactile finishes, retargeting, and Informed Delivery
• Leverage automation and presort levels to qualify for lower postage

Final Thoughts

Even with rising postage rates, direct mail remains a top performer when it comes to ROI—averaging over 112%, higher than digital channels like email, paid search, and social media. A smartly executed direct mail campaign can more than make up for increased postage costs.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.