4-cent increase in postage to take effect Sunday

NASHVILLE — A 4-cent increase to the price of postage is set to take effect Sunday, raising the cost of most mail from 78 to 82 cents. The hike represents an average 4.8% increase for mailing services. The price of domestic postcards will increase from 61 to 65 cents, while international post cards will go up 5 cents to $1.75. The certified mail fee will increase 25 cents from $5.30 to $5.55. Newspapers and magazines will also see an increase in postage costs, rising an average of 6.8%. Rates for postage sent outside the county will be increased by 6.5%, while postage sent within the county will increase by 9.3%. The price of advertising and promotional mail will go up only 4.8%. The rate hikes will be the U.S. Postal Service's eighth increase in five years to the price of the First-Class Mail Forever stamp — USPS' most common mail stamp. Last year, the postal service increased the price of the Forever stamp by 6.8%, from 73 cents. The price has doubled since 2006. USPS attributed the rate hikes to its financial struggles. "In the midst of the severe financial crisis facing the Postal Service and continued rising operational costs, the Postal Service is using all available tools, including available regulatory pricing authority, to ensure we can continue to fulfill our universal service obligation and serve the American public," USPS said in a release. As people have become more reliant on digital alternatives, USPS revenue has plummeted. Net losses were $9 billion in 2025, and the postal service has already seen $2 billion in losses in the first quarter of this year. The USPS doesn't fund its operational expenses with tax dollars, typically relying on the sale of postage, services and products. However, Congress has stepped multiple times in recent years to provide billions in aid to the quasi-governmental entity. The USPS expects to raise the price of postage further down the line. Postmaster General David Steiner testified to a congressional committee that the postal service would need to raise the price of Forever stamps to around 90 cents to stanch the losses. In a statement to Six Rivers Media, U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., said the rate hikes aren't working. She blamed the postal carrier's losses on labor costs and "duplicative technology investments that compete with the private sector." In April, the USPS announced plans to suspend employer payments to a federal pension plan in an attempt to conserve funds. Steiner also told the committee that without Congress' help, USPS will run out of cash within the year. He's asked Congress to expand USPS' borrowing authority past the $15 billion cap that was set in the 1990s — a move Harshbarger says won't work without some structural reforms to the postal service. "USPS promised to break even by 2023, and instead has lost $31 billion over the past six years, including $25 billion in just the last three years," Harshbarger said. "Before Congress even considers expanding USPS's borrowing authority, the Postal Service must show hardworking taxpayers it's serious about structural reform rather than asking for another blank check."