From higher prices to new stamp designs, here’s what you need to know
By Cameron Huddleston, Updated March 26, 2026 AARP Published January 15, 2026 / Updated March 26, 2026
Whether you’re sending a care package to your granddaughter, waiting for an important delivery or selecting stamps for a special occasion, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) likely plays a role in your life.
Each year, the Postal Service makes changes to its offerings and prices. Here’s a look at what to expect this year.
1. You’ll pay more for shipping
On Jan. 18, the price of several postal services increased. On March 25, the USPS announced an additional 8 percent increase in shipping prices to offset rising transportation costs. The temporary increase will be in effect April 26 through Jan. 17, 2027.
- Priority Mail prices rose by 6.6 percent on average. With this option, packages typically arrive in two to three business days. Prices start at $10.20 for packages that weigh 1 pound or less but will start at $11 with the temporary 8 percent increase. The price hikes apply to packages weighing 2 pounds or more.
- Priority Mail Express prices increased by 5.1 percent. Prices now start at $33 for this speedier shipping service, which provides delivery in one to three days and includes a money-back guarantee. With the temporary 8 percent increase, prices will start at $35.65
- USPS Ground Advantage prices jumped 7.8 percent. Ground Advantage delivery, which takes two to five business days, now starts at $7.30. The 8 percent increase will bring the starting rate to $7.90.
2. Forever stamp prices are expected to go up — again
A first-class mail Forever stamp, which covers the cost to mail a 1-ounce letter, rose from 73 cents to 78 cents in July 2025. The USPS announced two months later that it plans to raise prices again in mid-2026 but did not specify the amount.
3. New stamp designs celebrate art, pop culture icons, symbols of America and outer space
The Postal Service rolls out new stamp designs every year. Its 2026 lineup includes images of:
- James Yang artwork. This addition to the Postal Service’s popular Love series showcases Yang’s colorful illustrations of two birds and hearts. Released Jan. 13.
- Muhammad Ali. Two stamps feature a 1974 Associated Press photo of the three-time world heavyweight champion and cultural icon, with the name “ALI” alternating top to bottom and in red and black. Released Jan. 15.
- Colorado’s statehood. The USPS will honor the 38th state on its 150th anniversary of joining the U.S. with a stamp that features Jagged Mountain in the Rockies. Released Jan. 24.
- Writer Phillis Wheatley. This stamp will commemorate the first author of African descent in the American Colonies, known as the “mother of African American literature,” by featuring her portrait as part of the Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp series. Released Jan. 29.
- Lunar New Year. The USPS will mark the Year of the Horse with the seventh stamp in its Lunar New Year series, which began in 2020. Released Feb. 3.
- Actor Bruce Lee. The martial artist who became the first Asian leading man in American movies will be celebrated on this stamp, which features a picture of Lee executing his iconic flying kick. Released Feb. 18.
- Folk artist Harriet Powers. This series of four stamps will feature images of a quilt completed in 1898 by Powers, whose works are considered masterworks of American folk art. Released Feb. 28.
- Lowriders. A series of five stamps will feature cars customized to ride low, a style with roots in 1940s working-class Mexican American communities of the Southwest. Released March 13.
- Deep space. Two new stamps will feature images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. One features the Crab Nebula, which is 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. The other is a composite image from the Webb and Hubble space telescopes of two galaxies 80 million light-years from Earth. Release date to be announced.
4. Your mail may take longer to be postmarked
The postmarks on your letters and packages may no longer reflect when you mailed them.
In late 2025, the USPS announced that, going forward, date stamps in postmarks would indicate when mail is received at processing facilities, not when it’s collected by a mail carrier or dropped off at a post office. As a result of adjustments to transportation operations, some mail might not arrive at a processing facility the same day it was sent.
That means mail that must be postmarked by a certain date, such as tax returns and mail-in ballots, could be marked as late if you wait until the last minute to send it. You’ll need to get it in your mailbox sooner, or take it to a post office to request a manual postmark that aligns with the date you send it.
5. You might not receive exact change when paying with cash
Following the 1-cent coin’s retirement in 2025, the USPS is rounding to the nearest nickel when pennies aren’t available and customers are owed change on cash transactions.
Change amounts ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents are rounded down. Amounts ending in 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents are rounded up. If the total is less than a nickel, the amount owed is rounded up to 5 cents.
The new rounding policy, which was implemented on Dec. 12, 2025, does not apply to check, debit or credit card transactions.
Cameron Huddleston is an award-winning personal finance journalist and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger.com, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Forbes Advisor, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider and many more online and print publications.
