On the last possible day to do so, the USPS has submitted a 2015 postage rate increase request to The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Any increases granted would go into effect on April 26 of this year.
Here’s a summary of the proposed rate changes and the impact, if approved by the PRC, for both commercial and nonprofit mailers:
Nonprofits would see an increase of about 2% on Automated Letter mail while Flats would incur an increase of about 5%.
Commercial mailers would experience an increase of approximately 2% for Standard Letter rate mail and about 2.5% for Presort First Class, with the biggest increase in Flats and Parcels, about 5% and 10% respectively.
In addition, those who mail catalogs, magazines and other flats will have to deal with new rules for preparing their mail to make it easier for the Post Office to handle, but will be afforded incentives for that preparation.
All of these proposed increases and regulation changes continue to increase the complexity of mailing today and further highlight the importance of postal optimization and the use of the Full Service IMb.
You can rely on your MailSmart Logistics professionals to ensure compliance and to obtain the best rates. In addition, we help mailers of all sizes take advantage of USPS Address Correction Services to help keep their databases squeaky clean and we track both outbound and return mail so you can monitor the delivery of both your mailing, and your bottom line, like a hawk!
If you have any questions about the proposed rate increases, how the new regulations might impact your organization or Full Service IMb, please give us a call at 443-539-2640 or drop us a line, and we’d be happy to help.
