Postage Rates
USPS® Notice 123 – Effective since January 21, 2024
The Postal Service’s Notice 123 is a summary of all the postage rates you need to know. The real question is “but do I really need to know all the postage rates?”. This is our single page summary guide. It is not everything, but probably gets you 90% of what you will need of current First-Class rates without digging through needless detail.
2024 PRIORITY MAIL RATES
Priority Mail Express® Flat Rates (as of Jan 2024)
USPS Priority Mail Express® Flat Rate Envelope, Legal Envelope or Padded Envelope:
Retail Cost (at the Post Office Window): $30.45
Discounted Commercial Cost (if you use an online service such as the USPS®’s Click ‘N Ship® service: $26.35
- Guaranteed “Next Day” to “Two Day” service delivery by 6:00 pm either day.
- Tracking with proof of recorded delivery signature (if arranged upon purchase).
- Sunday/Holiday Delivery available for an additional $12.50.
Check here for more details: Priority Mail Express®
Priority Mail Flat Rates (as of Jan 2024)
Retail Flat Rate Costs (at the Post Office Window):
| Retail Flat Rate Costs (at the Post Office Window): | |
|---|---|
| Flat Rate Envelopes: | $9.85 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope: | $10.15 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope: | $10.60 |
| Small Flat Rate Box: | $10.40 |
| Medium Flat Rate Box (2 shapes): | $18.40 |
| Large Flat Rate Box: | $21.85 |
| APO/FPO/DPO Large Flat Rate Box: | $20.15 |
Discounted Commercial Flat Rates Costs (if you use an online service such as the USPS®’s Click ‘N Ship® service)
| Flat Rate Envelopes: | $8.50 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope: | $8.80 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope: | $9.30 |
| Small Flat Rate Box: | $9.05 |
| Medium Flat Rate Box (2 shapes): | $16.00 |
| Large Flat Rate Box: | $21.85 |
| APO/FPO/DPO Large Flat Rate Box: | $20.15 |
2024 FIRST CLASS SINGLE PIECE MAIL RATES
These are 2024 First-Class Postage Rates for the most common single mailpieces (that is, FCM postage for single pieces of mail that you, yourself, would take yourself to any post office). If you would like to see a more complete list, here’s the USPS link to the current “Notice 123” which provides all the First-Class mailing rates
First Class Mail LETTER Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| 1oz | 2oz | 3oz | 3.5oz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letters (Stamps): | 68¢ | 92¢ | $1.16 | $1.40 |
| Letters (Metered): | 64¢ | 88¢ | $1.12 | $1.36 |
| Additional Ounce (Stamp) | 24¢ | |||
| FCM Postcard (Stamp) | 53¢ |
It might help to know that “Flats” are a specific class of mail that often (but not always) includes 9” x 12” large envelopes, magazines, newsletters, annual reports, product catalogs, oversized postcards exceeding 6.125” x 11.5” in size, 9” x 9’ square envelopes, etc. These are the single-piece FCM rates that you could expect to pay in 2024:
First Class Mail FLAT Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| 1oz | 2oz | 3oz | 4oz | etc., | etc., | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flats (Stamped or Metered): | $1.39 | $1.63 | $1.87 | $2.11 | … | … |
2024 FIRST CLASS AUTOMATION PRESORT MAIL RATES
At Cornerstone Services, our First-Class mailings are either at the automation presort rate level (500ct and over) or occasionally at the metered machinable rate levels (i.e. volumes between 200ct but under 500ct). Single piece rates above are for your reference only as we no longer undertake fulfillment work with single-piece stamped mail, but we often use First-Class precancelled stamps for mailings over 500ct pieces.
Here are the 2024 FIRST CLASS MAIL COMMERCIAL LETTER Rates that you could expect to see from us if we helped you with an automation First-Class Letter-size envelope or FCM oversized postcard mailing:
FCM Automation LETTER Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| 1oz | 2oz | 3oz | 3.5oz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class Auto Letters (5-Digit): | 50.7¢ | 50.7¢ | 50.7¢ | 50.7¢ |
| First-Class Auto Letters (AADC): | 54.7¢ | 54.7¢ | 54.7¢ | 54.7¢ |
| First-Class Auto Letters (Mixed AADC): | 57.1¢ | 57.1¢ | 57.1¢ | 57.1¢ |
In case you are wondering what the “5-Digit”, “AADC” and “Mixed AADC” rate tiers mean, here’s an informal explanation:
5-Digit means that your address list, as processed by us, has at least 150ct addresses going to the same 5-digit ZIP Code (such as “12601” in Poughkeepsie, “10941” in Middletown or “10601” in White Plains). So, if you have 150ct envelopes going to, let’s say, New York, NY 10075, then you earn the rate 50.7¢ level for those mailpieces.
Obtaining the AADC rate means that although you don’t have 5-Digit concentration for some of your mail, you nonetheless have at least 150 mailpieces that share a common postal distribution center. Example, the “AADC” area for the Westchester NY District also includes some Western CT ZIP Codes. If your automation presort mailing with us has 150ct oversized FMC cards with the New York Westchester District ZIP Codes that begin with “105” through “109”, including Connecticut ZIP Codes that begin with “066”, “068” or “069”, you would have sufficient AADC concentration to earn the 54.7¢ rate for those FCM pieces of mail.
If you don’t have sufficient concentration for either 5-Digit or AADC rate tiers, there is the “Mixed AADC” (also “MAADC”) for the rest of your automation-verified addresses. Not surprisingly, the Mixed AADC is rather a mixed bag of everything left over that qualifies for automation rates but doesn’t have great concentration around the United States and its territories. The good news is that you still get an automation rate discount, and, there are no minimum requirements for this rate level. Example: you have 5 letters going to Alaska, 12 to Florida, 3 to North Dakota, 1 to Guam and 1 APO-destination, etc… you get the idea. You’ve got a little bit of everything going everywhere.
FCM Automation POSTCARD Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| 1oz | |
|---|---|
| First-Class Auto Postcard (5-Digit): | 35.7¢ |
| First-Class Auto Postcard (AADC): | 37.8¢ |
| First-Class Auto Postcard (Mixed AADC): | 39.0¢ |
| FCM Postcard (Machinable) | 40.6¢ |
These are not all the possible FCM automation presort flat rates below, yet most of what we see in our automation flat rate mailings (typically not above 6 ounces) will fall into one of these pricing categories:
FCM Automation FLAT Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| 1oz | 2oz | 3oz | 4oz | 5oz | 6oz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class Auto FLATS (5-Digit): | 84.1¢ | $1.081 | $1.321 | $1.561 | $1.801 | $2.041 |
| First-Class Auto FLATS (3-Digit): | $1.047 | $1.287 | $1.527 | $1.767 | $2.007 | $2.247 |
| First-Class Auto FLATS (ADC): | $1.108 | $1.348 | $1.588 | $1.828 | $2.068 | $2.308 |
| First-Class Auto FLATS (Mixed ADC): | $1.244 | $1.484 | $1.724 | $1.964 | $2.204 | $2.444 |
| First-Class Machinable FLATS: | $1.30 | $1.54 | $1.78 | $2.02 | $2.26 | $2.50 |
2024 COMMERCIAL BULK MAIL AUTOMATION RATES
Technically, the USPS called this rate class “Marketing Mail”, but whether you call it that, or “3rd class mail” or “Standard A rate mail”, at the end of the day, it’s generally called “bulk” mail by most normal people. We do, however, distinguish regular bulk mail between “commercial” and non-profit”, and the non-profit rates are below.
At Cornerstone Services, we only handle and present automation presort mail with 200ct or more qualifying (ZIP+4 verifiable) addresses. We have options for both postal permit imprint and precancelled bulk-mail stamps. Similar to First-Class mail, we don’t send presort only, non-automation bulk-rate mailings.
Here are the 2024 COMMERCIAL BULK MAIL LETTER Rates that you could expect to see from us if we helped you with an automation Bulk Mail Letter-size #10 envelope or oversized postcard. This is not a complete list but is intended for our customers, and probably others, to understand the most common rate tiers that we may avail for them.
We’re also going to assume that your letter is 3.5 ounces or less because that 95%+ of what we send. While there is a whole formula for figuring out non-automation “per pound” piece rates for commercial letter-rate bulk mail, we generally don’t offer that and are not going to detail that for general purposes of simplicity (you’re welcome).
Bulk Mail Automation Letter Rates (as of Jan 2024)
Again, these rates apply to Marketing Mail Letters not weighing over 3.5 ounces.
You will see the term “SCF” below. This refers to a USPS “Sectional Center Facility”. In the Hudson Valley, NY area, for example, SCF rates are obtained by (a) our presenting your mail at the Mid-Hudson SCF district Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) location in Newburgh NY at Stewart Air Force Base and (b) your having automation qualifying 5-Digit ZIP Code numbers in your mailing that begin with “124”, “125”, “126” or “127”.
If you’d like to see a more complete up-to-date SCF list to guide you in other parts of the United States, try this link to a Wikipedia page. I’m sending you to a Wikipedia page which while technically not complete is at least transparent and doesn’t require a log-in to the USPS site and is rather easily readable.
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk Mail Automation Letters (Saturation Carrier Route): | 22.9¢ | 19.4¢ |
| Bulk Mail Auto Letters (5-Digit): | 33.0¢ | 29.5¢ |
| Bulk Mail Auto Letters (AADC): | 36.5¢ | 33.0¢ |
| Bulk Mail Auto Letters (Mixed AADC): | 38.5¢ | N/A |
Non-Profit Bulk Mail at Automation Letter Rates (as of Jan 2024)
(Here again, these rates apply to physical standards regarding Marketing Mail Letters that do not weigh over 3.5 ounces.)
Keeping this simple: the easiest way to understand the Non-Profit bulk mail rates is to know that this is the same service class as commercial bulk mail, except that the rates are lower. Deliverability is exactly the same. As long as your organization is qualified to present not-for-profit mail, then we should be able to attain the following rates for you much of the time:
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Profit Mail Automation Letters (Saturation Carrier Route): | 14.7¢ | 11.2¢ |
| Non-Profit Auto Letters (5-Digit): | 17.3¢ | 13.8¢ |
| Non-Profit Auto Letters (AADC): | 20.8¢ | 17.3¢ |
| Non-Profit Mail Auto Letters (Mixed AADC): | 22.8¢ | N/A |
Bulk Mail EDDM/Saturation FLAT Rates (as of Jan 2024)
For mailpieces that qualify for the EDDM Flat-rate size (and which have other qualifying characteristics) the EDDM rate class, with saturation carrier route consideration, is the most cost effective way to send direct mail with a significant amount of marketing content. If you would like to know more about EDDM Simplified Address rate mailing, there is a sister website which focuses solely on EDDM Mail, DoneRightMail.com.
Cornerstone presents both automation addressed and non-automation “simplified addressed” flat-rate saturation mailings. In some cases, we’re able to get yet another discount rate for our customers called “DDU” rates whereby CRST delivers the mailing directly to the USPS local post office vs. leaving mail at the regional BMEU (such as at the Newburgh NY BMEU at Stewart Airport). Therefore, we’re including the DDU rate option here as well:
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | Yes! DDU Secondary Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk Mail EDDM Carrier Route Saturation & Automation CRRT Saturation FLATS: | 30.5¢ | 21.4¢ | 20.1¢ |
Automation Commercial Bulk FLAT Rates (as of Jan 2024)
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk Mail Automation FLATS (5-Digit): | 63.9¢ | 54.8¢ |
| Bulk Mail Automation FLATS (3-Digit): | 81.6¢ | 72.5¢ |
| Bulk Mail Automation FLATS (ADC): | 92.3¢ | 83.2¢ |
| Bulk Mail Automation FLATS (Mixed ADC): | $1.006 | N/A |
Automation Non-Profit Bulk FLAT Rates (as of Jan 2024)
As stated above, Non-Profit bulk flat-rate mail has the same service class as commercial bulk mail, except that the rates are lower. Handling and Delivery is the same. As long as your organization is qualified to present not-for-profit mail, then we should be able to attain the following rates for you much of the time:
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | Yes! DDU Secondary Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Profit Bulk Mail EDDMC arrier Route Saturation & Auto CRRT Saturation FLATS: | 21.4¢ | 12.3¢ | 11.0¢ |
| No Local (SCF) Entry Discount | Yes! (SCF) Local Entry Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Profit Automation FLATS (5-Digit): | 40.0¢ | 30.9¢ |
| Non-Profit Automation FLATS (3-Digit): | 55.7¢ | 48.6¢ |
| Non-Profit Automation FLATS (ADC): | 68.4¢ | 59.3¢ |
| Non-Profit Automation FLATS (Mixed ADC): | 76.7¢ | N/A |