Royal Mail's Business Mail Price Rise Is On Hold: What's Actually Happening Right Now
If you've seen headlines about Royal Mail putting business mail prices up by as much as a third from 5 October, here's the update: that increase is not going ahead as planned, at least not yet. Ofcom stepped in five days ago and the price rise is currently suspended while it investigates.
Here's exactly where things stand, what's still definitely happening regardless, and what's worth doing while this gets resolved.
What Royal Mail originally announced
On 23 July 2026, Royal Mail told its wholesale customers it would be raising Access Letters prices, the wholesale tariff used by mailing houses and access operators, by an average of 25% from 5 October 2026. Individual products would move by very different amounts:
Access Letters average
The overall portfolio average increase Royal Mail announced.
Business Mail Economy
The steepest reported rise, for a 100g Business Mail Economy letter.
Advertising Mail
A comparatively smaller average rise for advertising mail products.
Why it's now on hold
The scale of the increase caused an immediate backlash. The Mail Competition Forum, representing 17 access operators including names like Whistl and Citipost, referred the dispute to Ofcom, arguing the rise wasn't justified.
On 4 September 2026, Ofcom confirmed it had accepted the dispute for resolution, and under the terms of Royal Mail's own contracts, that automatically suspends the price increase while Ofcom investigates.
Ofcom will decide whether the proposed rise counts as "fair and reasonable" under its access rules, and has said it intends to issue a decision within four months of accepting the dispute, so realistically some point around January 2027. Until then, the increase Royal Mail announced for 5 October does not take effect.
Worth being clear about what this isn't: it's a dispute resolution process, not a finding against Royal Mail, and it doesn't guarantee the increase gets blocked permanently. Ofcom could still approve it, in full or in part, once its review concludes.
What's still definitely happening
The suspended dispute is specifically about the wholesale Access Letters tariff. A few things sit outside it and remain unaffected either way:
- First and Second Class stamp prices are not changing on 5 October, and were never part of this dispute.
- Mailmark franking prices aren't changing on any format either. Because Royal Mail is still raising stamp prices for parcels and tracked services, and the franked price stays where it is, franking machine users still gain a new parcel saving from 5 October regardless of how the Access Letters dispute resolves. If you're already set up with Mailmark and Mailsort for your letters, this part is unaffected.
What we don't know for certain
Royal Mail has also said that some surcharges and correction charges are changing from 5 October 2026, and that business customer collection capacity will be limited during November and December 2026. We haven't found anything confirming whether either of these sits inside the suspended dispute or outside it. Rather than guess, we'd treat both as still scheduled until we see otherwise, and we'll update this page as soon as that's clearer.
What to do while this is unresolved
- Don't rebuild your budgets around the 25-36% figures yet: they're suspended, not cancelled, so it's too early to assume either outcome.
- Don't assume it's gone away either: Ofcom could still approve some or all of the increase once its review concludes, likely within the next four months.
- Check in with your mailing provider before 5 October regardless: ask them directly what they currently expect to charge you, and how they'll handle it if Ofcom's decision lands mid-contract.
- Keep an eye on the correction charge and surcharge changes separately: since we can't confirm these are covered by the suspension, it's safer to check they're not quietly still going ahead.
- Still forecast your December volumes early if you're expecting a Christmas spike, that planning is worth doing whatever happens with the pricing dispute.
How we're handling this at Mailings Direct
Postage is a pass-through cost here, we don't mark it up, so whatever Ofcom eventually decides, our invoices will reflect exactly that and nothing more. Right now, that means we're not charging anyone as if the increase has happened, because it hasn't. If you want a straight answer on how this could affect your specific mix of formats and volumes once it's resolved, that's a conversation worth having now rather than finding out after the fact.
FAQ
Is Royal Mail's business mail price rise definitely happening on 5 October?
No. It was announced for 5 October 2026, but Ofcom accepted a dispute against it on 4 September 2026, which automatically suspends it under Royal Mail's contracts while the review is underway.
How long will the suspension last?
Ofcom has said it intends to issue a decision within four months of accepting the dispute, so realistically some point in the new year rather than before Christmas.
Could the price rise still go ahead eventually?
Yes. Ofcom's job is to decide whether the proposed increase is fair and reasonable, not to block it outright. It could approve some or all of it once the review concludes.
Are stamp prices or Mailmark franking prices affected by this dispute?
No. First and Second Class stamp prices and Mailmark franking prices sit outside this dispute entirely and are unaffected either way.
What should I do right now?
Hold off rebuilding budgets around the suspended figures, but don't assume the increase has disappeared for good. Check in with your mailing provider on where things stand and how they'd handle a mid-contract change if Ofcom approves it.
Want to know your exposure either way this resolves?
We'll go through your current formats and volumes and keep you updated as Ofcom's decision develops, no obligation.
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