USPS Holiday Price Increase 2025: New Shipping Rates and Deadlines

The USPS holiday price increase for 2025 is now official. The U.S. Postal Service is adjusting its prices for the 2025 holiday season to help cover extra handling and transportation costs during its busiest months. 

The change was approved by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors on August 7 and will affect several major shipping services.

The increases apply to:

• Priority Mail Express

• Priority Mail

• USPS Ground Advantage

• Parcel Select

All other services, including First-Class Mail, will remain unchanged. Even with these USPS price hikes, the agency says it still offers some of the lowest mailing rates in the world.

This update is part of USPS’s Delivering for America plan, a ten-year strategy focused on modernization, efficiency, and long-term financial stability.

How Much USPS Shipping Rates 2025 Are Rising

Shipping prices are based on weight, distance, and zone, ranging from 1 to 9. 

Rates will rise for most domestic packages, with the largest increases applying to heavier parcels that travel farther. 

The USPS Shipping Rates 2025 chart shows that heavier boxes and longer distances will see the sharpest changes.

Priority Mail and Ground Advantage (Zones 1 - 4)

• 0 - 3 lbs: increase of $0.40

• 4 - 10 lbs: increase of $0.60

• 11 - 25 lbs: increase of $0.95

• 26 - 70 lbs and oversized: an increase of $3.00

Priority Mail (Zones 5 - 9)

• 0 - 3 lbs: increase of $0.90

• 4 - 10 lbs: increase of $1.45

• 11 - 25 lbs: increase of $3.25

• 26 - 70 lbs: an increase of $7.00

Priority Mail Express

• 0 - 3 lbs: increase of $1.10 for Zones 1 - 4 and $2.00 for Zones 5 - 9

• 4 - 10 lbs: increase of $2.00 for Zones 1 - 4 and $4.85 for Zones 5 - 9

• 11 - 25 lbs: increase of $3.90 for Zones 1 - 4 and $9.00 for Zones 5 - 9

• 26 - 70 lbs: increase of $9.75 for Zones 1 - 4 and $16.00 for Zones 5 - 9

Flat Rate Products

• Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Boxes: increase of $1.45

• Other Flat Rate items: an increase of $0.90

• Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelopes: an increase of $2.00

Commercial shippers will also see moderate increases, especially for heavier or oversized shipments.

USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines

To help us plan ahead, we can now view the USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines for holiday deliveries.

For the contiguous United States:

• Ground Advantage: December 17

• First-Class Mail: December 17

• Priority Mail: December 18

• Priority Mail Express: December 20

For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories:

• Ground Advantage: December 16

• First-Class Mail: December 17

• Priority Mail: December 18

• Priority Mail Express: December 20

If you need to send packages to military or international addresses, be sure to check USPS’s holiday page for earlier deadlines and destination-specific rules.

Why It Matters

The Postal Service says these temporary price adjustments will help fund the seasonal surge in shipping by covering costs for overtime, extra equipment, and temporary staff. 

The annual USPS price hikes also make it possible to maintain reliable holiday mail delivery in 2025 across the country, even as package volumes spike.

While shipping may cost a bit more this winter, the goal remains the same: ensuring our gifts, cards, and letters arrive safely and on time.

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