Overview
- The Bundesnetzagentur published a draft on Monday, October 12, 2026 that would allow average private‑letter prices to rise by 20.35 percent and private‑parcel prices by 10.72 percent for 2027–2028.
- The draft is a formal consultation open until October 30, after which the regulator expects to issue a final Price‑Cap decision in November and then Deutsche Post will set specific tariffs for approval.
- If Deutsche Post applied the allowed increase evenly, a current €0.95 standard letter would cost about €1.14 from January 1, 2027, though the company can distribute the permitted rise unevenly across letter categories.
- The regulator bases the draft on macro inflation, measured productivity changes, an allowed profit margin and special 'Lasten' tied to universal‑service obligations that raise Deutsche Post’s cost base.
- Falling mail volumes — from 16.9 billion letters in 2005 to roughly 9.4 billion in 2025 — force fixed delivery costs to be spread over fewer items, which regulators and the Post say drives the need for higher prices and could affect households, small senders and regional carriers.