USPS Mail Discounts Get a Regulatory Tune-Up
Published Date: 6/17/2025
Notice
Summary
The Postal Service is shaking things up with new changes to First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, and Periodicals. These changes will tweak discounts—some will be updated, some removed, and some brand new ones added. If you use or work with these mail services, get ready to weigh in by July 11, 2025, because these updates could affect your mailing costs and options.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 5 mixed.
Zoned pricing for USPS Marketing Mail
The Postal Service filed on June 11, 2025 a proposal to introduce zoned pricing for presorted USPS Marketing Mail letters, flats, and parcels entered at origin for all USPS Marketing Mail products except Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)–Retail. This change would alter how much some mailers pay depending on the zone of entry and geographic pricing, and the Commission is accepting comments on the proposal through July 11, 2025.
Periodicals aligned with Marketing Mail pricing
The Postal Service proposes to align Outside-County Periodicals prices with USPS Marketing Mail by introducing zoned prices for mail entered at origin, eliminating bundle and container prices, and creating simplified container discounts. This proposal was filed June 11, 2025 and is open for comment until July 11, 2025.
Eliminate ADC presort rates; relabel sort levels
The Postal Service proposes to eliminate area distribution center (ADC) presort rates for First‑Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, and Periodicals and to relabel rate table categories by substituting terms like "3-Digit" for "ADC," "AADC," and "SCF," and "Mixed" for "Mixed ADC" and "Mixed AADC." The proposal was filed on June 11, 2025 and is subject to public comment through July 11, 2025.
Remove NDC presort discounts for Marketing Mail Parcels
Because the Postal Service no longer intends to process mail in network distribution centers (NDCs), it proposes to eliminate presort discounts for USPS Marketing Mail Parcels entered at the NDC and to replace the NDC presort benchmark with the next less fine level of sortation. The Postal Service also proposes new "aggregate" unit costs for parcel presort comparisons. The filing date was June 11, 2025 and comments are due July 11, 2025.
Workshare discount benchmarks revised across classes
The Postal Service states that its proposed MCS and analytic changes will change workshare discounts for First‑Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, and Periodicals by changing benchmarks for some discounts, eliminating others, and creating new workshare discounts. The Postal Service filed these proposals on June 11, 2025 and the Commission set a public comment deadline of July 11, 2025.
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Related Federal Register Documents
2025-10758, System for Regulating Rates and Classes for Market Dominant Products
The Postal Regulatory Commission is proposing changes to how it controls prices for popular mail services from 2025 to 2030. They want to limit price changes to once a year and make sure discounts match actual cost savings, which should make pricing fairer and easier to manage. These updates affect businesses and everyday mail users, with public comments open until July 14, 2025.
2025-03042, Market Dominant Postal Products
Starting March 28, 2025, the Postal Regulatory Commission is updating rules about discounts and promotions for popular mail services like First-Class and Marketing Mail. These changes affect mailers who use these services by clarifying how discounts count toward price limits, helping the Postal Service manage rates better. If you send mail regularly, these updates could impact your costs and the timing of discounts.
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