How much is a stamp? USPS prices for 2026
A Forever stamp costs 82¢ as of Oct 19, 2026. That has been the price since Jul 12, 2026, when it rose from 78¢. One stamp mails a letter or a card in a letter-size envelope up to 1 oz; each extra ounce is 29¢. A postcard is 65¢, a large envelope starts at $1.69, and Certified Mail adds $5.55.
Single-piece (retail) prices from the current USPS Notice 123, which matches USPS's own price file. Stamp price history: CSV or JSON (CC BY 4.0); every letter rate since 1863: USPS stamp price history.
Rates verified on
Stamp and letter prices now
Every price below has been in effect since Jul 12, 2026. "Before" is the price list in effect just before that day.
| What you're mailing | Price now | Before Jul 12 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forever stamp: a letter up to 1 oz | 82¢ | 78¢ | +4¢ |
| Each extra ounce on a letter (up to 3.5 oz) | 29¢ | 29¢ | no change |
| Metered letter, 1 oz (postage meter) | 78¢ | 74¢ | +4¢ |
| Postcard | 65¢ | 61¢ | +4¢ |
| Large envelope (flat), 1 oz | $1.69 | $1.63 | +6¢ |
| Nonmachinable surcharge (square, rigid or lumpy letters) | 49¢ | 49¢ | no change |
| Letter (1 oz) or postcard to another country | $1.75 | $1.70 | +5¢ |
| Certified Mail, on top of postage | $5.55 | $5.30 | +25¢ |
| Return Receipt, paper (PS Form 3811) | $4.65 | $4.40 | +25¢ |
| Return Receipt, electronic | $2.91 | $2.82 | +9¢ |
| Certificate of Mailing (PS Form 3817) | $2.45 | $2.40 | +5¢ |
Books, coils and other stamps
USPS sells Forever stamps at today's 1 oz letter price (DMM 604.1.10), so a book of 20 costs $16.40 and a coil of 100 costs $82.00. The formats are the ones DMM 604 lists for Forever stamps.
| Forever stamps | Price |
|---|---|
| Booklet of 10 | $8.20 |
| Sheetlet of 18 | $14.76 |
| Booklet or pane of 20 | $16.40 |
| Coil of 50 | $41.00 |
| Coil of 100 | $82.00 |
| Stamp | Worth today |
|---|---|
| Additional ounce | 29¢ |
| Nonmachinable surcharge | 49¢ |
| Two-ounce letter | $1.11 |
| Three-ounce letter | $1.40 |
| Postcard | 65¢ |
| Global Forever (international letter) | $1.75 |
Semipostal stamps, such as Breast Cancer Research, sell for $1.00 each (Notice 123). Only 82¢ of that is postage; the difference, less USPS's costs, goes to the cause and can't be used to pay postage (DMM 604.1.11).
Registered Mail fees
USPS calls Registered Mail "the most secure service that the USPS offers" (DMM 503.2.1.1). The fee is on top of postage and depends on the value you declare, which has to be the full value of the item.
| Declared value | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0.00 (no value) | $20.90 |
| $0.01 to $100 | $21.50 |
| $100.01 to $500 | $25.00 |
| $500.01 to $1,000 | $28.10 |
| $1,000.01 to $2,000 | $31.20 |
| $2,000.01 to $3,000 | $34.30 |
| $3,000.01 to $4,000 | $37.40 |
| $4,000.01 to $5,000 | $40.50 |
How much postage a letter or card needs, by weight
USPS prices First-Class Mail by the ounce and counts any fraction as a full ounce (DMM 133.1.2), so weigh the sealed envelope and read the next row up. A letter is 5 to 11-1/2 inches long, 3-1/2 to 6-1/8 inches high and no more than 1/4 inch thick, up to 3.5 oz (DMM 101.1.1). USPS sells Forever stamps for the extra ounce too, each worth 29¢ today (DMM 604.1.1).
| Weight not over | With stamps | Stamps that add up exactly | Forever stamps only | Metered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 82¢ | 1 Forever stamp | 1 (82¢) | 78¢ |
| 2 oz | $1.11 | 1 Forever + 1 additional-ounce | 2 ($1.64) | $1.07 |
| 3 oz | $1.40 | 1 Forever + 2 additional-ounce | 2 ($1.64) | $1.36 |
| 3.5 oz | $1.69 | 1 Forever + 3 additional-ounce | 3 ($2.46) | $1.65 |
- Square, rigid or lumpy? A letter that is nearly square or long and narrow (length under 1.3 or over 2.5 times its height), too stiff to bend, in plastic, closed with a clasp or string, or uneven from something inside is nonmachinable and pays 49¢ more (DMM 101.1.2): a 1 oz square card costs $1.31.
- Postcards cost 65¢ when they are 3-1/2 to 4-1/4 inches high, 5 to 6 inches long and no thicker than 0.016 inch. A bigger card pays the letter price.
- Over 3.5 oz, a letter pays large-envelope prices, below. Shipping cards or other small items? See how to ship trading cards.
Large envelopes (flats), 1 to 13 oz
A large envelope is bigger than a letter in at least one way but no more than 15 inches long, 12 inches high and 3/4 inch thick, and it has to be flexible and evenly thick (DMM 101.2.1). One that is rigid, not rectangular or lumpy pays package prices instead (Notice 123). First-Class Mail stops at 13 oz (DMM 101.6.1); heavier pieces ship as packages, such as Ground Advantage. Two Forever stamps ($1.64) don't cover a 1 oz large envelope ($1.69): you need 5¢ more postage, or a third stamp.
| Weight not over | Price | Before Jul 12 | Forever stamps | Overpaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | $1.69 | $1.63 | 3 | 77¢ |
| 2 oz | $1.98 | $1.90 | 3 | 48¢ |
| 3 oz | $2.27 | $2.17 | 3 | 19¢ |
| 4 oz | $2.56 | $2.44 | 4 | 72¢ |
| 5 oz | $2.85 | $2.72 | 4 | 43¢ |
| 6 oz | $3.14 | $3.00 | 4 | 14¢ |
| 7 oz | $3.43 | $3.28 | 5 | 67¢ |
| 8 oz | $3.72 | $3.56 | 5 | 38¢ |
| 9 oz | $4.02 | $3.84 | 5 | 8¢ |
| 10 oz | $4.32 | $4.14 | 6 | 60¢ |
| 11 oz | $4.62 | $4.44 | 6 | 30¢ |
| 12 oz | $4.93 | $4.74 | 7 | 81¢ |
| 13 oz | $5.24 | $5.04 | 7 | 50¢ |
Mailing a "large letter"? In the US that is a large envelope, so it pays the prices above. USPS sells no second-class stamp (why there is none).
Certified Mail and Return Receipt fees
Certified Mail is a fee on top of postage for First-Class Mail or Priority Mail. You get a mailing receipt and delivery status, and USPS keeps a delivery record with the recipient's signature; a return receipt sends you that record by mail or email. It adds no insurance; a Priority Mail piece keeps the insurance Priority Mail already includes (DMM 503). A 1 oz stamped letter sent Certified costs $6.37, $11.02 with a paper return receipt or $9.28 with an electronic one.
| In effect | Certified Mail | Return Receipt (paper) | Return Receipt (electronic) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2026 to now | $5.55 | $4.65 | $2.91 | Notice 123 |
| Jul 13, 2025 to Jul 11, 2026 | $5.30 | $4.40 | $2.82 | Notice 123 |
| Jul 14, 2024 to Jul 12, 2025 | $4.85 | $4.10 | $2.62 | Notice 123 |
Next stamp price change
No 2027 stamp prices had been filed when we last checked USPS's and its regulator's official sources, on Oct 19, 2026.
We don't estimate stamp prices before USPS files them. Since 2022, the stamp price has changed 7 times, each time in January or July. What USPS has said about January 2027, the cap on how much it can raise stamp prices and when a filing could come are on USPS price changes for 2027. The last change is in the change tracker.
Forever stamp price since 2007
From 41¢ on Apr 12, 2007 to 82¢ now: 41¢ more, or +100.0%. The price rose 16 times and fell once (Apr 10, 2016, 49¢ to 47¢). The biggest step in percentage terms was Jan 27, 2019: 50¢ to 55¢ (+10.0%); the biggest in cents, +5¢, came on Jan 27, 2019, Jul 14, 2024 and Jul 13, 2025.
Every Forever stamp price since 2007
Newest first. Each row starts on the effective date printed on the USPS price list (for 2012, the Postal Bulletin announcement) and matches the USPS Historian's table of letter rates; the CSV and JSON list every USPS document each row was checked against.
| In effect | Forever stamp | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2026 to now | 82¢ | +4¢ (+5.1%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 13, 2025 to Jul 11, 2026 | 78¢ | +5¢ (+6.8%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 14, 2024 to Jul 12, 2025 | 73¢ | +5¢ (+7.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 21, 2024 to Jul 13, 2024 | 68¢ | +2¢ (+3.0%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 9, 2023 to Jan 20, 2024 | 66¢ | +3¢ (+4.8%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2023 to Jul 8, 2023 | 63¢ | +3¢ (+5.0%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 10, 2022 to Jan 21, 2023 | 60¢ | +2¢ (+3.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Aug 29, 2021 to Jul 9, 2022 | 58¢ | +3¢ (+5.5%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 27, 2019 to Aug 28, 2021 | 55¢ | +5¢ (+10.0%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 21, 2018 to Jan 26, 2019 | 50¢ | +1¢ (+2.0%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2017 to Jan 20, 2018 | 49¢ | +2¢ (+4.3%) | Notice 123 |
| Apr 10, 2016 to Jan 21, 2017 USPS's 4.3 percent exigent surcharge ended on Apr 10, 2016, under a Postal Regulatory Commission order; USPS's release names the Forever stamp among the prices it had to lower. | 47¢ | -2¢ (-4.1%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 26, 2014 to Apr 9, 2016 | 49¢ | +3¢ (+6.5%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 27, 2013 to Jan 25, 2014 | 46¢ | +1¢ (+2.2%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2012 to Jan 26, 2013 The only archived Notice 123 for 2012 is marked DRAFT, so this row comes from the Postal Bulletin, which gives the price after the January 22, 2012 change. The DRAFT price list and the USPS Historian table show the same 45 cents. | 45¢ | +1¢ (+2.3%) | Postal Bulletin |
| May 11, 2009 to Jan 21, 2012 | 44¢ | +2¢ (+4.8%) | Notice 123 |
| May 12, 2008 to May 10, 2009 | 42¢ | +1¢ (+2.4%) | Prices and Fees |
| Apr 12, 2007 to May 11, 2008 Forever stamps went on sale on April 12, 2007, at 41 cents, the 1 oz letter price that took effect on May 14, 2007 (Postal Bulletin 22203A). Until May 13, 2007 a 1 oz letter cost 39 cents, so a Forever stamp used in that month paid 39 cents of postage: its value is the 1 oz price on the day it is mailed. | 41¢ | earliest row | Rates and Fees |
Questions
How much is a Forever stamp right now?
82¢, since Jul 12, 2026, when it went up from 78¢ (USPS Notice 123). A Forever stamp always sells for, and is always worth, the current price of a 1 oz First-Class Mail letter (DMM 604.1.10), so stamps you bought at 78¢ or less still mail a 1 oz letter today.
How much is a book of stamps?
A book of 20 Forever stamps costs $16.40 and a coil of 100 costs $82.00: USPS sells Forever stamps at the current 1 oz letter price, 82¢ each (DMM 604.1.10). A booklet of 10 is $8.20. Semipostal stamps such as Breast Cancer Research cost $1.00 each, of which 82¢ is postage (Notice 123).
How much does it cost to mail a letter?
With stamps: 82¢ up to 1 oz, $1.11 up to 2 oz, $1.40 up to 3 oz and $1.69 up to 3.5 oz. Each extra ounce adds 29¢, and USPS rounds any fraction up to the next ounce (DMM 133.1.2), so a 1.2 oz letter pays the 2 oz price. A letter over 3.5 oz, or bigger than 11-1/2 by 6-1/8 inches or thicker than 1/4 inch, pays large-envelope prices from $1.69. Metered postage is 4¢ less at each weight.
How much does it cost to mail a card?
A postcard costs 65¢ if it is 3-1/2 to 4-1/4 inches high and 5 to 6 inches long (DMM 101.6.2). A greeting card in an envelope is a letter: 82¢ up to 1 oz. A square envelope, or one too stiff to bend, pays the 49¢ nonmachinable surcharge on top, $1.31 for 1 oz (DMM 101.1.2).
Do old Forever stamps still work?
Yes. USPS's rule is that each Forever stamp's postage value is the current 1 oz First-Class Mail letter price (DMM 604.1.10), whenever you bought it. USPS issued its first Forever stamp on Apr 12, 2007 (USPS Historian). Other US stamps are valid too: the manual accepts every US postage stamp issued since 1860 except the few it lists, as long as the stamps on a piece add up to the postage (DMM 604.1.2).
What is a 2nd class or large letter stamp in the US?
USPS doesn't sell a second-class stamp. "Second-class mail" was its name for newspapers and magazines mailed by publishers until Jul 1, 1996, when it was renamed Periodicals (USPS Historian). The US price for a large letter is the large envelope (flat) price: $1.69 for 1 oz, up to $5.24 for 13 oz.
How much is Certified Mail in 2026?
$5.55 on top of postage since Jul 12, 2026, so $6.37 for a 1 oz stamped letter, $11.02 with a paper return receipt ($4.65) or $9.28 with an electronic one ($2.91). In 2025 it was $4.85 until Jul 12, 2025, then $5.30 from Jul 13, 2025. Certified Mail works with First-Class Mail and Priority Mail and gives you a mailing receipt and delivery status. It adds no insurance; a Priority Mail piece keeps the insurance Priority Mail already includes (DMM 503).
Will stamps go up in 2027?
No 2027 stamp prices had been filed when we last checked USPS's and its regulator's official sources, on Oct 19, 2026. We don't estimate prices before USPS files them. What is known so far, and the limits on any increase, are on USPS price changes for 2027.
How much is a stamp to mail a letter to another country?
$1.75 for a 1 oz letter or a postcard to any country, Canada and Mexico included (Notice 123, First-Class Mail International). A Global Forever stamp is always worth that price (DMM 604.1.1). Heavier letters cost more and vary by country group.
How we built this
Today's prices come from the current Notice 123, read on Oct 19, 2026, and match USPS's price file for the same list. For the history we read the First-Class Mail letter table in every USPS price list since 2007 (the DMM archive's Rates and Fees pages through 2008, then every archived Notice 123) on USPS's Postal Explorer archive, keyed each copy to the effective date printed on it (the 2012 price comes from Postal Bulletin 22325, since that year's only archived list is a DRAFT), and checked every row against the USPS Historian's letter-rate table and, from 2017, USPS's price files. Prices are what USPS charges at the counter and for stamps; label services can charge other prices.
Related: USPS stamp price history since 1863, USPS price changes for 2027, how to ship trading cards, postage calculator, Media Mail rates, all price histories.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123: price list (effective Oct 4, 2026), First-Class Mail retail and Extra Services
- USPS price file for that price list (CSV, final)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Apr 26, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive): prices before Jul 12, 2026
- USPS price file effective Apr 26, 2026 (CSV)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 604: Forever stamps and their value
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101: letter, large envelope and postcard sizes; nonmachinable letters
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 133: First-Class Mail retail prices by the ounce
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: Certified Mail and Return Receipt
- USPS Historian: Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863 (August 2026)
- USPS Historian: A history of stamps and postal stationery (the first Forever stamp)
- USPS Historian: Postage Rates for Periodicals (second-class mail renamed Periodicals)
- USPS Postal Bulletin 22325 (Dec 1, 2011): January 22, 2012 prices
- USPS Postal Explorer: Domestic Mail Manual archive (every Notice 123 edition used here)
- USPS Postal Explorer: Price and SKU File archive
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