The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced new postage rates for 2019, including a higher price for Forever stamps, as well as certified and Priority mail price increases. No need to worry, as the name of the product indicates, any Forever stamps you already have on hand remain valid.
Effective as of Jan. 27, the cost of sending a normal-sized one-ounce letter with a Forever stamp is now 55 cents, up from 50 cents. And a small flat rate box will now cost $7.90, up from $7.20, with other Priority and flat rates going up accordingly. Certified mail now costs $3.50 per piece, up from $3.45.
While these USPS postage rate increases are the biggest price jump yet, it’s worth noting that the U.S. Postal Service has one of the lowest letter rates in the industrialized world. The USPS is an independent organization under the federal government’s executive branch, and does not receive any tax dollars for operating expenses across its nationwide network. The price hikes will offset a nearly $4 billion loss the service sustained in 2018, according to NBC News. The Postal Service, which employee 7.5 million people, is sustained by the cost of package deliveries as well as stamps sold through its massive retail network and other vendors.