Washington ? From birthday cards to bank statements, charitable appeals to newspapers and magazines, it’ll cost more to send mail starting in midsummer.

The increase including a 3-cent boost to 37 cents for first-class mail could come as soon as June 30, giving the cash-strapped postal service a boost as it tries to cope with declining business and hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the terror attacks last fall.

All that remains is for the Postal Service’s governing board to set the date.

Postal Rate Commission Chairman George A. Omas said the increases would give the post office “breathing room” to deal with its financial problems.