--- title: In a Break With Tradition, the USPS Isn't Hiking Stamp Prices This Month description: The Postal Service is not increasing stamp prices like usual in January 2025. But it is pushing to raise shipping costs on Jan. 19. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter at Money who frequently writes about news and trends related to car buying, auto insurance and gas prices. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 597 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 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: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - 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: '2025-01-03T20:00:06.000Z' modified: '2025-01-03T20:00:06.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - News word_count: 453 canonical: https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/ 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/). ![USPS package and stamped envelope with dollar signs on them](https://img.money.com/2025/01/News-Stamp-Shipping-Price.jpg) After five straight semiannual price hikes, the U.S. Postal Service is finally holding stamp prices steady this January. For more than 15 years, the USPS has been losing money even though it’s supposed to sustain itself financially without taxpayer funds. To offset inflation and limit the agency's losses, officials have recently enacted a series of aggressive price hikes that have left Americans grumbling. The most recent stamp price change, in July, lifted the cost of a "Forever" stamp to 73 cents. The price is now 33% higher than it was in 2021, when stamps cost 55 cents. The Postal Service broke with tradition when it announced last fall that there would not be another price increase to kick off 2025. The agency said its prior adjustments had boosted revenue and expressed hope that cooling inflation would help stabilize costs. "Our strategies are working, and projected inflation is declining,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a September [news release](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/0920-usps-announces-no-stamp-price-changes-for-january-2025.htm). "Therefore, we will wait until at least July before proposing any increases for market dominant services." Despite DeJoy's upbeat tone about improving conditions, the Postal Service lost $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 and said it expects to lose money again in 2025. ## If you owe over $10,000 in debt, a Debt Relief Program may be able to help get you back on your feet more quickly. ### Select your state to begin applying for Accredited's debt relief program. [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u3792545ce33?ap_referrer=%2Fusps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025%2F) ## Stamp prices remain flat, shipping costs could rise The size of the [last stamp price change](https://money.com/stamp-prices-increase-2024-usps/) likely factored into the decision to hold off on increases in January amid criticism about the mounting cost of postage. The cost of a "Forever" stamp went up 5 cents in July, which tied a 2019 hike as the largest stamp price increase ever. (These stamps cover the postage to mail a 1-ounce letter within the U.S., regardless of any future price increases.) But the break from price increases will likely be short-lived. In a September filing, the Postal Service said it [expects](https://prc.arkcase.com/api/prc-dockets/filing/downloadFile?fileId=207868&inline=true) to return to a twice-a-year cadence of price increases in 2026 and 2027. While stamp prices are remaining flat for now, the Postal Service is pushing to increase shipping costs on Jan. 19. If the Postal Regulatory Commission approves proposed changes, shipping prices will rise 3.2% for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express services and 3.9% for USPS Ground Advantage services. High-volume shippers who use Parcel Select services would also see a 9.2% increase. Why are shipping costs going up if stamp prices are not? In a November [release](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/1115-usps-recommends-new-competitive-prices-for-2025.htm), the Postal Service explained that stamp prices are mainly based on the consumer price index, a measure of inflation, while other shipping prices "are primarily adjusted according to market conditions." ## Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/25ba9f4e5d78?bidid=4031493538&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=662520285&ptoken=1e9e863ca3890ddb19d7cb0183d3c82e) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/23879/medium_3847e650-29eb-411b-9b8c-05deb0d02cbc.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/55355e30a0f8?bidid=4031493542&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=662520285&ptoken=e9f7dfd668f9b844ba3c7d92792d2b58) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15565/medium_832cc4b7-74f8-4735-8fe1-6917816cbe8d.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/96e93ddbbb5f?bidid=4031493534&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=662520285&ptoken=3c251018d313729b52f47e0a4233c197) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22445/medium_ba73f26a-1e1e-4e49-9739-df1298783de6.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/3fb903881b6d?bidid=4031493554&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=662520285&ptoken=af6a3ad43cc40deef54b61ec5f0a909d) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/9246/medium_94931930-28cf-46b5-b09d-683979caec81.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/280292e24b6a?bidid=4031493546&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=662520285&ptoken=f8e6b5bcd1a7e60aef0cc7c30dfcb278) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Fusps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/tag/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In a Break With Tradition, the USPS Isn't Hiking Stamp Prices This Month" } ] }, { "@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/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/", "name": "In a Break With Tradition, the USPS Isn't Hiking Stamp Prices This Month", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-01-03T20:00:06.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/usps-stamp-prices-shipping-costs-2025/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-01-03T20:00:06.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "In a Break With Tradition, the USPS Isn't Hiking Stamp Prices This Month", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/01/News-Stamp-Shipping-Price.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Stamp-Shipping-Price" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter at Money who frequently writes about news and trends related to car buying, auto insurance and gas prices.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2023/02/peter.png?w=350&h=430&crop=1", "email": "peter.grieve@money.com", "jobTitle": "Lead News Reporter", "alumniOf": "University of Chicago, BA Political Science", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/pete_grieve", "https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138", "https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2025-01-03T20:00:06.000Z", "description": "The Postal Service is not increasing stamp prices like usual in January 2025. 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