Postal Regulatory Commission denies USPS January rate hike request

Aug 21, 2026

Today, the PRC issued an order denying the USPS petition for a waiver to raise rates in January 2027. The denial was based on procedural issues and would allow USPS to pursue a formal rulemaking but it did indicate that the USPS motion was not in the public interest.

NNA member alert
Contact: Lynne Lance, lynne@nna.org

Today, the PRC issued an order denying the USPS petition for a waiver to raise rates in January 2027. The denial was based on procedural issues and would allow USPS to pursue a formal rulemaking but it did indicate that the USPS motion was not in the public interest.

The order may be found here.

The ultimate impact of this order remains uncertain. USPS can still seek a January increase based on its available Consumer Price Index (CPI) authority; however, it cannot use estimated and incomplete FY 2026 data to add “density” rate authority to that increase prior to July 2027.

USPS could still raise Market Dominant rates in January, but the increase would likely be smaller than the approximately 4.5% increase it had been considering with both CPI and estimated density authority.

This is an important win for rate predictability and sound ratemaking. The proposal could have subjected newspaper publishers to another above-inflation increase only six months after the July adjustment — based partly on forecasted and unaudited data. It is also favorable that the Public Representative in the proceeding was willing to challenge the USPS request.