Find out about the new charges

Published on 03 Aug 2006

The Royal Mail is changing the way it deals with letter postage, with a significant impact on the voluntary and community sector. Should NICVA members in Northern Ireland be concerned?

post box If your organisation sends regular mail-outs to members or other organisations, you need to know about changes taking place to the way in which letters will now be charged by Royal Mail. The changes have been controversial, and charities need to take action now to assess the potential impact.

On 21 August, the Royal Mail will move from a weights-based charging model to one which relies primarily on the size and thickness of a mailing; they're calling the amendments 'Pricing in Proportion', arguing that the new charges more closely reflect the costs involved in delivering mail than before, and are therefore fairer.

Royal Mail claim that more than 80% of letter post will either remain the same price as before, or will fall in price due to the changes announced by the service. Some in the industry have disagreed, most notably Postwatch, the postal industry regulator, which states on its website:

Postwatch understands there will be ‘winners and losers’ financially due to these changes.

There will be no specific mitigation for small and medium enterprises nor will there be any legal requirement on Royal Mail to provide mitigation as a result of the impact the changes may have on some businesses.

A full report is available on the Postwatch website.

The Royal Mail has prepared a PDF document, detailing some of the new charges for cuboid and non-cuboid packages.

PiP examples (PDF, 60.3KB)

A standard letter is now defined as one with the following dimensions:

Thickness:< 5mm
Length:< 240mm
Width: <165mm
Weight: < 100g (up from 60g)
Price of postage: 32p

A large letter is now defined as one with the following dimensions:

Thickness: <25mm
Length: <353mm
Width: <250mm

Price is finally determined by the mass

<100g = 44p
<250g = 65p
<500g = 90p
<750g = 131p

A consignment is a parcel if it exceeds any of the dimensions for a large letter.

Cost is determined by mass:

<100g= 100p
<250g= 127p
<500g= 170p
<750g= 220p
<1kg= 270p
<1.25kg= 474p
each additional 250g= +85p

For information, advice or answers to your questions, please visit www.royalmail.com/size or call the dedicated customer service team on 0845 611 3113.