Letter postage 2027: Standard letters could cost 1.14 euros

Deutsche Post should be allowed to significantly increase its prices at the turn of the year. The Federal Network Agency published a draft according to which the postage for letters to private customers could increase by an average of 20.35 percent from January 2027.

It would be the largest price increase approved to date. Higher prices are also planned for packages.

A standard letter could cost 1.14 euros

However, it is not yet clear how expensive the individual types of letters will be. Deutsche Post will decide this later itself. If it applied the proposed increase scope equally to all types of letters, a standard letter could cost 1.14 euros in the future.

Currently it is 95 cents. However, prices of 1.10 or 1.15 euros are also conceivable, as the post office has so far often adjusted its prices in five cent increments.

Packages can also become more expensive

This would mean that the postage for a standard letter would exceed the one euro mark for the first time. The price has roughly doubled since 2012. Back then, shipping cost 55 cents.

Packages for private customers could also become more expensive - by an average of 10.72 percent. The Federal Network Agency provides the same scope for increases for letters to business customers as for private customers: 20.35 percent.

Fewer and fewer letters are being sent

A key reason for the planned increase is the declining volume of letters. While 16.9 billion letters were sent in Germany in 2005, in 2025 there were only just under 9.4 billion. More and more companies and consumers are communicating digitally.

However, delivery costs remain high. The postal service must continue to maintain a dense network of branches, mailboxes and delivery staff.

“If the costs have to be spread over fewer letters due to increasing digitalization, among other things, the prices will rise,” explained the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller. The authority's proposal remained below the price adjustments requested by the postal service.

Post promises balanced pricing

In an initial reaction, Deutsche Post pointed to significantly increased costs for wages, energy and materials. At the same time, the group admitted that excessive price increases could burden customers and further accelerate the decline in letter volumes.

“We will therefore use the leeway granted by the Federal Network Agency responsibly,” the post said. The aim is balanced pricing that takes both economic efficiency and the interests of customers into account.

Decision is still pending

The postage increase has not yet been decided. First, companies and associations can comment on the Federal Network Agency's draft. The authority then determines the final scope for increases. Deutsche Post then decides how to distribute this among the individual types of letters and parcels. The specific prices must in turn be approved by the Federal Network Agency.

The new postage prices should apply from January 2027 and last for two years. Compared to other European countries, sending letters in Germany is still relatively cheap. In Austria a standard letter costs one euro, in the Netherlands 1.40 euros and in France 1.52 euros. Postage there is expected to rise to 1.67 euros at the turn of the year.