The U.S. Postal Service wants to raise package prices on Jan. 17, 2027, after the holiday shipping season. Its proposal calls for an average increase of 5.9% on four domestic services and would replace a temporary 8% transportation charge with an ongoing 11% fuel surcharge. The price of a First-Class Forever stamp would stay at 82 cents under this filing.
The Postal Service filed its proposal with the Postal Regulatory Commission on Nov. 12. The Postal Service’s governors approved the changes this week. Jan. 17 is the proposed start date, and the rates are subject to regulatory review.
Which shipments would cost more
The 5.9% average covers Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. The first three are familiar options at the post office and online. Parcel Select is primarily used by businesses that send packages in volume. The headline percentage is an average across those services. The price of an individual shipment depends on the service, the package and where it is going.
International customers face a different proposal. The Postal Service plans an average increase of 7.9% across Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, First-Class Package International Service and International Priority Airmail. It is also changing which countries are grouped together for pricing. The proposed domestic fuel surcharge does not extend to international services under this filing. Check the rate for the actual destination and service, especially if you send regularly to one country.
The filing leaves the 82-cent Forever stamp alone. USPS also says prices for competitive P.O. boxes would stay the same in January. It proposes separate changes for some other services, including premium forwarding and address enhancement.
How the fuel surcharge would change
The Postal Service announced a temporary 8% transportation charge in March, and it took effect April 26. The January proposal would make that charge ongoing and raise it by 3 percentage points to 11%. USPS says it will look at fuel prices from the first half of 2027 and reevaluate the surcharge in July.
On a hypothetical $10 base charge, 8% would be 80 cents and 11% would be $1.10, a difference of 30 cents. That calculation holds the base rate constant to show what the change in the surcharge alone would do. The temporary charge is already part of what those shippers pay today. Use the actual before-and-after price for the same shipment to see what changes.
How to check a January shipping budget
A label you buy in November can reflect the separate holiday price schedule that began Oct. 4. For example, under that schedule, a retail Ground Advantage package weighing up to 3 pounds carries an additional 50 cents for zones 1 through 4 and 75 cents for zones 5 through 9. Both are holiday adjustments. The January filing proposes a different set of prices, so a November receipt is a poor starting point for multiplying by the headline increase.
If you pay for labels through an online store or a shipping platform, compare the same service, package dimensions, weight and destination in the tool you use to buy postage. A business that charges customers a flat shipping fee can start with the orders that travel farthest or use its heaviest box. Packaging can make a difference. USPS prices Priority Mail Flat Rate by the Postal Service box or envelope you use. A Priority Mail shipment in your own box is generally priced by weight and zone, and a large, light parcel can be charged by dimensional weight. For a heavy order that fits in a Flat Rate box, compare that price with the quote for your own packaging.
The USPS postage calculator gives retail quotes. USPS posts rate material through Postal Explorer, and the proposed changes are identified as docket CP2027-1 on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s filings portal.
