Nonprofit mailers can exhale when it comes to postal rates for 2026, but just for the first half of the year.

Prices for Market Dominant products, which includes First-Class Mail, will remain at current rates for at least the first half of 2026, the U.S. Postal Service announced. The price of a stamp to mail a one ounce, single-piece First-Class letter will not increase during the period.

This is a unique move for the USPS, which has had large price increases between January 2021 and January 2026. It was 51.5% for marketing mail, 52% for first class and 67.3% for periodicals.

That means the nonprofit rates will also remain at current levels, according to Stephen Kearney, executive director, the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

“This important decision by the new Postmaster General David Steiner, and the USPS Governors, will help many nonprofit organizations mail more than they would have been able to otherwise,” Kearney told The NonProfit Times. “As a result, many will raise more funds, sign up more members, and start more subscriptions. Of course, the goal of all this is to enhance the critical missions of nonprofits throughout the U.S.”

Kearney explained that the largest test will come in April 2026 when the USPS usually files its July rate plans. “Unless the Postal Regulatory Commission changes its rules, the USPS will have about 5% rate authority for letters and 7% plus for magazines and large envelopes. The estimated authority is based on a projected 3% Consumer Price Index, a 2% ‘mail density’ reward for lower volume, and a 2% surcharge for ‘non-compensatory’ postal products,” said Kearney.

The recommendation by Steiner to hold the rates steady was accepted by the USPS board of governors. “We continually strive to balance our pricing approach both to meet the revenue needs of the Postal Service and to deliver affordable offerings that reflect market conditions,” Steiner said via a statement. “We have therefore decided at this time to forgo a price change for First-Class Mail postage and other Market Dominant services until mid-year 2026.”

The Postal Service continues to work on its strategic 10-year plan, the so-called Delivering for America plan, and executing on its mission “to provide a nationwide, integrated network for the delivery of mail and packages at least six days a week in a cost-effective and financially sustainable manner over the long term, just as the U.S. Congress intended and the law requires,” according to the announcement from the USPS.