An approved A$0.15 rise in the Basic Postage Rate took the standard letter to A$1.85 from 1 September 2026, following a A$0.20 rise in July 2025. The letters service lost A$63.2m in FY2026 as volumes fell 14.7% to 1.42 billion items.
Key dates
- Done1 Sep 2026
Basic Postage Rate rises from A$1.70 to A$1.85 SMBtech
Every date of this rule, with what it means for a parcel and what to prepare. If a date moves, your calendar moves with it.
Free, no sign-up, nothing tracked. One link can be shared with your compliance, operations and commercial teams so everyone works from the same dates. Information, not legal advice.
Check which other rules apply to your route →
Who it hits
What to prepare
- Move paper notices, invoices and returns slips to digital channels where possible
- Expect letter pricing to remain a recurring cost line rather than a one-off
Our reading
Sources
- Australia Post Reports Underlying Loss Of $108 Million As Property Sales Prop Up Bottom Line · SMBtech · 2026-08-29
- Australia Post Reports Loss, Uses Property Sales for Investment · Mirage News · 2026-08-28
- Australia Post price hikes: Domestic, international parcels and other services to go up from July 1 · The Nightly · 2026-05-28
Related rules
- 1 Nov 2026Canada Post starts ending door-to-door delivery from October
Conversions in Etobicoke, Moncton and Riverview (month only)
Canada · Adopted - 27 Nov 2026UK: Ofcom proposes to extend the Second Class stamp cap to March 2028
Consultation on the interim review closes at 5pm
United Kingdom (Ofcom) · Consultation - 1 Dec 2026UK universal postal service: Royal Mail under Ofcom investigation
New delivery model expected to be fully implemented by Christmas 2026 (month only)
United Kingdom · In force - 1 Dec 2026UK: Ofcom checks parcel firms against its complaints and accessibility rules
Ofcom post monitoring report for 2025-26 expected in Q3 2026/27 (month only)
United Kingdom (Ofcom) · In force - 1 Jan 2027USPS: temporary peak prices, density pricing delayed, cash tight in 2027
Earliest window for a CPI-only market-dominant price change (month only; we found no filing as of 1 October)
United States · In force - 1 Jan 2027UPU's 2026-2030 pay system moves small packets to per-item rates
Small packets move to per-item remuneration (year only; month not stated)
Universal Postal Union · In force
Information, not legal advice. Dates come from official texts or quality legal and trade press, and slip often: always check the current text before acting. Back to the full radar.