The United States Postal Service (USPS) has released its new postage rates, effective July 10, 2022. As we’ve reported to you previously, moving forward, the USPS will be increasing postal rates twice per year in January and July.

These changes taking effect in July will result in an increase of approximately 6.5% for First Class mail which, like most things at this time, is a significant increase.

We recommend that you analyze the impact of these changes on your policyholder communications now. These increases, especially when they are significant, can have a big impact on your policyholder communication mailings expenses year-over-year.

Being aware of these changes and applying a thorough analysis will help you more accurately estimate your budget, preventing potential issues later in the year. A timely analysis can also help you find ways to offset exposure or discover new savings opportunities.

To help you start your 2022 analysis, below are some highlights we find to be most pertinent to you:

Metered Single-Piece letters are increasing 7% in July to $.57. The AADC rate and Mixed AADC for #10s and 6 x 9’s are increasing $.03 to $.491 and $.515, respectively.

Reviewing the changes in flats, the larger the package, the larger the increase. In addition to the flats postage rates changing, there will most likely be an increase in the Presort Fees for flats which is yet to be determined at this time.

Parcel Select Ground charges weighing 1 pound or less will increase, and 2 to 6 lb. packages will have a decrease of approximately 5%.

The Certificate of Mailing fee will increase to $0.50, from $0.47 in 2021.

Certified Mail costs will also increase in 2022, going from $3.75 in 2021 to $4.00 in 2022. Electronic Return Receipts will rise by $.15 to $2.00.

If you’re a MassPrinting client and have questions about the changes to the 2022 postal rates and how they impact your policyholder communications, feel free to contact us! We’re happy to walk through the changes with you.