Resources
Current USPS postage rates
USPS changes its prices a few times a year, on no fixed schedule. Every table below is generated from a single file of prices taken from USPS Notice 123, the Postal Service's published price list, and from FP's rate-change cheat sheet for the parcel and international rows. The date the prices took effect and the date we last checked them are printed with them.
Two things have held through recent changes: USPS has priced metered letters below stamped ones, and a PostBase meter takes the new prices by download. The rest of this page explains what a change actually means for you.
Effective July 12, 2026. Based on USPS rates effective July 12, 2026. Source: USPS Notice 123; the Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage and international prices are from FP's rate-change cheat sheet. Last checked September 1, 2026.
| Format (single piece) | Rate |
|---|---|
| Letter, metered, up to 1 oz | $0.78 |
| Letter, stamped, up to 1 oz | $0.82 |
| Letter, each additional ounce | $0.29 |
| Postcard | $0.65 |
| Large envelope (flat), up to 1 oz | $1.69 |
| Non-machinable surcharge | $0.49 |
| International postcard | $1.75 |
| International letter, up to 1 oz | $1.75 |
Metered mail is priced below stamped mail. That gap is the whole reason a postage meter pays for itself on letters alone.
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Certified Mail | $5.55 |
| Return Receipt, green card | $4.65 |
| Return Receipt, electronic | $2.91 |
| Certified Mail, Restricted Delivery | $14.35 |
| Certified Mail, Adult Signature Required | $14.35 |
| Registered Mail, starting price | $20.90 |
| Product | Retail | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Rate Envelope | $12.90 | $11.12 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope | $13.25 | $11.66 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope | $14.00 | $11.99 |
| Small Flat Rate Box | $13.65 | $12.10 |
| Medium Flat Rate Box | $24.80 | $21.17 |
| Large Flat Rate Box | $34.00 | $31.00 |
| 1 lb package, Zone 1 | $11.00 | $9.04 |
| 1 lb package, Zone 4 | $11.90 | $10.40 |
| 5 lb package, Zone 1 | $14.30 | $11.39 |
| 5 lb package, Zone 4 | $17.50 | $15.72 |
Commercial pricing is what FP Parcel Shipping customers pay. The difference is the point.
| Product | Retail | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Rate Envelope | $35.90 | $31.11 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope | $36.20 | $31.43 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope | $36.90 | $31.70 |
| Weight, Zone 1 | Retail | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| 1–8 oz | $7.90 | $6.93 |
| 9–15.99 oz | $9.55 | $6.93 |
USPS now charges commercial Ground Advantage a single price per zone for anything under a pound. Retail still uses ounce tiers.
What a rate change means if you own a meter
Not much. When USPS publishes new prices, FP builds the rate tables for the meter and lets customers know by email or letter when they are ready. The PostBase prompts you to download them, or you run a remote-services connection from the meter and they load. No rate card, no chip, and no charge for the update.
Scales and software follow. A scale connected to a PostBase rates from the meter's tables, so it is current when the meter is. A stand-alone scale carries its own table and is updated separately; ask us. MailONE takes its own update from FP, and FP Parcel Shipping is an online application, so its pricing updates with nothing to install.
One caution. When a change restructures a class of mail, the shortcut keys on the meter reset to new defaults and any custom presets have to be re-entered. If you rely on custom shortcuts, the meter's configuration can be backed up to a PC with RemoteONE before the update and restored after it. The software is on the forms page, or call us and we will walk you through it.
Retail, metered and commercial: three prices for the same piece
USPS publishes more than one price for most products. Retail is what you pay at the counter or with a stamp. Metered is the price a postage meter prints on First-Class letters, and USPS sets it below the stamp. Commercial is the price for parcels shipped with an approved label that carries an Intelligent Mail package barcode, and it is lower than retail.
Who gets commercial pricing: FP Parcel Shipping customers, because the application produces that label with tracking and qualifies each shipment for USPS commercial pricing and cubic rates. MailONE with a PostBase also supports commercial based pricing. A meter on its own prints the metered letter rate; it does not get commercial parcel rates unless the label comes from software that prints the barcode.
Larger parcels can also be priced on dimensional weight rather than actual weight, whichever is greater. FP Parcel Shipping and the PostBase rate wizard ask for the dimensions when they matter, so you are not left doing the arithmetic.
What to do when rates change
Mostly nothing. Accept the download when the meter offers it. If you use MailONE, install its update from FP. Check the shortcut keys you use most, because a restructured class can reset them. Then carry on.
If the meter has not prompted a week after the effective date, or you want to be sure a Certified Mail or presort price came across, call us and we will confirm the tables on your machine.
- Accept the rate download when the meter offers it, or run a remote-services connection.
- Update MailONE if you use it.
- Check any custom shortcuts and presets.
Brochures, downloads and links
Questions we get asked
Why is metered mail cheaper than a stamp?
USPS prices metered First-Class letters below stamped ones and has kept that gap through every recent change. A meter also prints exact postage, so a heavier piece is not rounded up to the next stamp.
Do I need to order a rate card or a chip?
No. PostBase meters take the update by download at no charge. Rate cards were for FP's earlier meter lines, which USPS has since retired along with every other non-IMI meter.
Where do the numbers on this page come from?
The First-Class Mail and extra-services prices are from USPS Notice 123, the Postal Service's official price list. The Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage and international prices are from FP's rate-change cheat sheet. One file on this site holds every figure, and the page prints when the prices took effect and when we last checked them. If the figures go too long without being checked, the page stops showing them and asks you to call instead.
Related
Still paying the stamp rate?
A meter prints the metered rate on every piece and downloads each USPS price change on its own. Tell us your monthly volume and we will quote one.