The United States Postal Service wants to increase pricing on a range of products – hikes that, if approved, would take effect July 9, according to an April 10 announcement from the organization.

USPS aims to raise the rates on first-class mail, marketing mail and package services by an average of 5.4%, a filing shows. Periodical mailings would increase by an average of 8.1%.

The Postal Service is also seeking to raise prices by an average of 5.4% for special services products that include certified mail, post office box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.

Promotional products companies that use USPS stand to be impacted by the fee hikes and will have to account for any increases, should they take effect.

First-class mail includes parcels and envelopes that weigh under 16 ounces. Marketing mail can include flyers, circulars, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs and certain small parcels.

“As operating expenses fueled by inflation continue to rise and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan,” the Postal Service said in a statement.

Under the USPS proposal, specific increases would include upping the price to mail a 1-ounce letter from 63 cents to 66 cents. Metered 1-ounce letters would jump from 60 cents to 63 cents. Domestic postcards would increase from 48 cents to 51 cents.

The USPS board of governors has already approved the increases. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) now needs to approve them before they can go on the books. It’s anticipated that that PRC approval will occur.

The Postal Service has aggressively increased prices in recent years. For instance, there was a 4.2% average increase on first-class mail products in January 2023. If the latest round of increases is approved, stamp prices will have risen by 32% since 2019. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said the increases are needed to put USPS on the path to financial sustainability.

In February, the Postal Service reported that revenue for the final three months of 2022 was $21.5 billion, up $206 million, or 1%, on a volume decline of 1.7 billion pieces, or 4.8%. Increased pricing contributed to the revenue rise despite the volume decline. Still, USPS experienced a net loss for the quarter of $1 billion. Since 2007, the Postal Service has reported net losses of more than $90 billion.

Last year, President Joe Biden signed legislation that devotes about $50 billion in financial relief to USPS over a decade.