Shipping Costs at the Post Office Just Went Up
The USPS has raised shipping rates and lowered its 2025 on-time mail delivery targets. Find out how these changes impact your costs and services.


The U.S. Postal Service has raised rates on shipping packages, making sending Priority Mail more expensive. However, the cost of Mailing Services is unchanged, meaning the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp will remain $0.73, for now.
The rate increases will support ongoing $40 billion investments in the Postal Service's network. These investments are part of the USPS's 10-year plan, Delivering for America, that is meant to put the service on solid financial footing. Services impacted by the rate increases, categorized as Shipping Services, include Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express.
Mailing Services price increases, including First-Class stamps, are based on the consumer price index (CPI), but prices for Shipping Services are primarily adjusted according to market conditions.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
1. Shipping packages will be more expensive
Shipping costs went up on January 19. These hikes were approved by the USPS Board of Governors in November of 2024.
- Priority Mail rates are up 3.2%. With rates stating at $10.10 for Flat Rate Envelopes, $10.65, for USPS Flat Rate Mailing Box, and $9.35 when using your own box by weight/zone
- Priority Mail Express up 3.2%, basic fee is $31.40
- USPS Ground Advantage up 3.9% with rates starting at $5.25
2. USPS is lowering its on-time mail delivery targets
The USPS will aim to deliver 87% of first-class two-day mail and 80% of three-to-five-day mail on time in 2025, down from its 2024 goals of 93% and 90%, respectively.
This slow down in delivery times is a result of implementing changes that are part of the 10-year Delivering for America plan. In response to questions regarding concerns about delays in delivery times, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress some hiccups along the way were expected, noting “the first rockets that went to the moon blew up,” as reported by Government Executive.com.
A pilot program of USPS’ Regional Transportation Optimization plan requires mail to sit overnight at post offices instead of being collected each evening for transportation to a processing center. The program began in 2021 and is being expanded to include facilities more than 50 miles from the Postal Service’s new Regional Processing and Distribution Centers.
3. New stamp designs
New design | Release date: | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
Keith Haring, artist | First Day of Issue January 17 | A new addition to the Love stamp series features Haring's untitled 1985 illustration featuring a large red heart with radiating large black lines. |
Allen Toussaint, musician | First Day of Issue: January 30 | Part of the Black Heritage series, this stamp honors the six-decade career of a multi-talented musician that helped to shape the unique blend of rhythm and blues in New Orleans. |
Nature photos of the Appalachian Trail | First Day of Issue: February 28 | These stamps include photographic views from each of the 14 states along the Maine-to-Georgia trail with an additional stamp showing stretches of trail through dense forest. |
Betty White, actress | First Day of Issue: March 27 | The iconic actress and animal ally's stamp features a digitally created portrait against a violet-colored background. |
If Betty White or nature photography isn't you thing, there will be stamp series honoring battlefields of the American Revolution and celebrating the rich cultural traditions of Native Americans with the new Powwows: Celebrating American Culture. There are two more nods to popular culture in the works with stamps series featuring details from the beloved picture book Goodnight Moon and collection featuring characters from SpongeBob SquarePants. You can check for the release dates of these series here on the UPSP site.
First-Class Forever Stamp prices to hold steady
The cost of a First-Class Forever Stamp will remain unchanged at $0.73. The price rose twice in 2024, to $0.68 from $0.66 in January, and to $0.73 from $0.68 in July. Postmaster General DeJoy has said that USPS will not propose another price increase until July 2025.
Related Content
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the University at Buffalo.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit New Highs on Retail Sales Revival
Strong consumer spending and solid earnings for AI chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing boosted the broad market.
-
Higher Summer Costs: Tariffs Fuel Inflation in June
Tariffs Your summer holiday just got more expensive, and tariffs are partially to blame, economists say.
-
3 Things Dave Ramsey Says to Stop Buying — and 2 That Are Worth It
Debt-free living starts with smart choices. Here's what Ramsey says to avoid and where your money is well spent.
-
Five Big Beautiful Bill Changes and How Wealthy Retirees Can Benefit
Here's how wealthy retirees can plan for the changes in the new tax legislation, including what it means for tax rates, the SALT cap, charitable giving, estate taxes and other deductions and credits.
-
This is the Best CD to Get Amid Rate Uncertainty
This CD helps you earn more than 4%, with quick access to your cash if you need it.
-
Is It Time to Cut the Cord on Your Landline?
With rising costs and evolving technology, many are rethinking their home phone service. Here's how to decide if it's time to let go.
-
Can AI Help With Your Finances?
ChatGPT and other artificial-intelligence tools will streamline certain tasks, but don't count on them to get everything right.
-
Neglecting Car Maintenance Could Cost You More Than a Repair, Especially in the Summer
Worn, underinflated tires and other degraded car parts can fail in extreme heat, causing accidents. If your employer is ignoring needed repairs on company cars, there's something employees can do.
-
'Drivers License': A Wealth Strategist Helps Gen Z Hit the Road
From student loan debt to a changing job market, this generation has some potholes to navigate. But with those challenges come opportunities.
-
Financial Pros Provide a Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth in 10 Years
Building wealth over 10 years requires understanding your current financial situation, budgeting effectively, eliminating high-interest debt and increasing both your income and financial literacy.