--- title: Stamp Prices Won't Rise This Month, but These USPS Shipping Costs Will description: In a break with tradition, the U.S. Postal Service will not increase stamp prices in January 2026. But it is hiking certain shipping rates. authors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2026-01-07T12:39:15.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 620 canonical: https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Close-up of a hand placing a stamp with the United States flag on a white envelope.](https://img.money.com/2021/08/News-Stamp-Price-Increase1.jpg) Unlike in other years, the United States Postal Service, or USPS, has decided not to hike the price of the ubiquitous Forever stamp in January 2026, offering a rare bit of good news for everyday mailers. But while the 78-cent cost of a 1-ounce First-Class Mail stamp will remain unchanged, other postage and shipping rates *are* set to climb this month. And that could potentially squeeze households and small businesses already grappling with rising costs. In September, USPS leadership confirmed that the Postal Service’s governors had accepted Postmaster General David Steiner’s [recommendation](https://money.com/stamp-price-increase-2025/) to forgo a price increase for Forever stamps and other market-dominant mailing products in January. This is noteworthy because the Postal Service hiked stamp prices in five consecutive Januarys from 2020 to 2024. (Last year, the agency [broke](https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/) with that "tradition" but did impose a price [increase](https://money.com/stamp-price-increase-2025/) in July.) The decision not to raise stamp prices this month ties into the agency's ongoing Delivering for America plan, a 10-year strategy aimed at modernizing operations, controlling costs and stabilizing finances. ***Gold offer: [Sign up with American Hartford Gold today and get a free investor kit, plus receive up to $20,000 in free silver on qualifying purchases](https://money.com/pr/u3ef79664b8e).*** “We continually strive to balance our pricing approach both to meet the revenue needs of the Postal Service and to deliver affordable offerings that reflect market conditions,” Steiner said in [the USPS announcement](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0924-usps-announces-no-stamp-price-changes-for-january-2026.pdf). The pause on stamp price hikes will be welcome news for households, nonprofits and anyone who still relies on physical mail for bills, correspondence or seasonal cards. Postage costs for letters have climbed sharply over the past several years, with multiple increases annually, making even modest reprieves notable for consumers. When Forever stamps were introduced in 2007, they cost only 41 cents apiece — more than 62% less than the current cost. ## Other Postal Service price increases in 2026 The reprieve on Forever stamps tells only part of the story. Starting Jan. 18, the USPS is increasing rates for a handful of shipping and competitive services. These changes affect Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. According to [filings](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/1114-usps-recommends-new-competitive-prices-for-2026.pdf) with the Postal Regulatory Commission, Priority Mail rates are expected to rise by approximately 6.6%, while Priority Mail Express will increase by 5.1%. The cost of USPS Ground Advantage shipments will climb 7.8%. Parcel Select rates will get a roughly 6% boost. ***Extra money: [See how you can get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new active SoFi invest account](https://money.com/pr/x00f9061e638).*** The Postal Service said the increases are designed to reflect market conditions and rising transportation and labor costs while keeping the agency competitive with private carriers. Unlike letter mail, package delivery operates in a competitive market, giving the USPS more flexibility — and incentive — to adjust prices. The agency has emphasized that it receives no taxpayer funding for operations and must cover expenses through postage and service revenue. The USPS has reported improvements in operational efficiency in recent years but continues to face [long-term financial pressures](https://money.com/trump-usps-stamps/) tied to delivery obligations, infrastructure upgrades and workforce costs. For consumers, the takeaway is mixed. Mailing a letter in early 2026 won’t cost more than it did in December — at least, for now. But anyone shipping packages, whether for a small business or personal reasons, should expect higher prices. The Postal Service typically reviews stamp prices again midyear, meaning additional changes could still arrive later in 2026. ***Deal of the week: [Get an AARP subscription for just $15 for the first year](https://money.com/pr/q11022f27ca6?data-trk-company=aarp-review&data-trk-imp=true&data-trk-pcu-type=direct_link&data-trk-pcu-uuid=q11022f27ca6&encoded_id=).*** ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/tag/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Stamp Prices Won't Rise This Month, but These USPS Shipping Costs Will" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/", "name": "Stamp Prices Won't Rise This Month, but These USPS Shipping Costs Will", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-01-07T12:39:15.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Stamp Prices Won't Rise This Month, but These USPS Shipping Costs Will", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2021/08/News-Stamp-Price-Increase1.jpg", "width": 3661, "height": 2440, "caption": "News-Stamp-Price-Increase" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katherine Peach", "url": "https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/#author", "description": "Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. 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