Postal Service Tweaks Competitive Product Rates Temporarily
Published Date: 8/28/2026
Notice
Summary
This notice sets forth time-limited changes in rates of general applicability for competitive products.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 5 costs, 0 mixed.
Temporary postal rate increase window
You will see time-limited price changes for certain USPS competitive shipping services starting at 12:00 a.m. CDT on October 4, 2026, and reverting at 12:00 a.m. CST on January 17, 2027. The notice instructs USPS management to implement and then roll back these temporary prices on those dates.
Priority Mail Express 6% increase
If you send packages using Priority Mail Express, prices will increase by 6.0 percent on average beginning 12:00 a.m. CDT on October 4, 2026. Both Retail and Commercial price categories keep their current structure and will each increase by about 6.0 percent on average.
Priority Mail 6% increase
If you send packages using Priority Mail, expect prices to increase by 6.0 percent on average starting at 12:00 a.m. CDT on October 4, 2026. Both Retail and Commercial zoned price categories remain and will each rise by about 6.0 percent on average.
USPS Ground Advantage 6% increase
If you use USPS Ground Advantage, prices will increase by 6.0 percent on average starting 12:00 a.m. CDT on October 4, 2026. The existing zoned Retail and Commercial price categories remain and will each average a 6.0 percent rise.
Parcel Select overall 6% increase
Parcel Select prices will increase overall by 6.0 percent starting at 12:00 a.m. CDT on October 4, 2026, but the notice says different percentages will be allocated across weight classes. Prices will revert at 12:00 a.m. CST on January 17, 2027.
No change for Special Services or International
The Governors stated that no price changes are being made to Special Services or International competitive products for the October 4, 2026 effective period. If you use those services, your prices will not change during this time window.
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