Mail delivery to get more expensive with 8% fuel surcharge

The U.S. Postal Service announced Thursday it is seeking regulatory approval for an 8% price increase on several package shipping services, a temporary adjustment the agency says is needed to offset rising transportation costs.

The increase, approved by the USPS Board of Governors on March 24, would affect base postage prices for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. First-Class Stamps and all other products would not be affected.

Pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, the higher rates would take effect at midnight Central time April 26 and remain in place through midnight Central time Jan. 17, 2027.

The Postal Service framed the increase as a market-driven measure, noting that transportation costs have risen industry-wide and that competitors have responded with surcharges. The agency said its adjustment amounts to less than one-third of what rivals charge for fuel surcharges alone.

“Even with this change, the Postal Service continues to offer great value in shipping with some of the lowest rates in the industrialized world,” the agency said in a filing with the PRC.

Officials described the temporary increase as a bridge to a permanent pricing mechanism that better reflects market conditions for competitive products — a structure they say is necessary to sustain the agency’s universal service obligation long-term.

The PRC must review the proposed change before it can take effect. Complete price filings are available on the PRC website at prc.arkcase.com. Price tables are also posted on the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com.