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On July 12, 2026, the USPS raised the First-Class Forever stamp from 78 to 82 cents, a four-cent jump filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission in April. Metered letters moved to 78 cents, postcards to 65 cents, and international letters to one dollar and seventy-five cents. The overall increase averaged about 4.8 percent across mailing services.
| Product | Before | From July 12, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| First-Class letter (1 ounce), Forever stamp | 78 cents | 82 cents |
| Metered 1-ounce letter | 74 cents | 78 cents |
| Domestic postcard | 61 cents | 65 cents |
| International postcard or 1-ounce letter | One dollar and seventy cents | One dollar and seventy-five cents |
| Each additional ounce (single-piece letters) | 29 cents | 29 cents (unchanged) |
The price filing went to the Postal Regulatory Commission on April 9, 2026, and the commission reviewed it before the new prices took effect. This filing covered mailing services: First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and selected Special Services. It was logged as Docket No. R2026-1.
USPS framed the increase as survival math, not growth. The Postal Service says it gets no tax dollars for operating expenses and runs on postage and product revenue, while mail volume keeps falling and operating costs keep rising. The postmaster general told Congress earlier in 2026 that the agency was running short on cash.
This was the tenth stamp price increase in nine years, which is why so many people feel like it happens constantly: since 2019, the Forever stamp has climbed by roughly half again its price. The July 2026 hike was also smaller than some feared. During a March 2026 congressional hearing, a temporary increase of 12 to 17 cents had been floated; the July filing came in at four cents.
A few practical takeaways. First, Forever stamps bought at the old price are still good: they cover a full one-ounce letter no matter what you paid for them, so a stash bought in June 2026 mails at face value today. Second, metered mail went up by the same four cents as stamps, so the metered discount (four cents per letter) survived intact. Third, the additional-ounce price stayed at 29 cents, which matters for heavy cards and multi-page mailings: the first ounce got more expensive, but the rest did not.
Fourth, postcards at 65 cents remain the cheapest way to send a First-Class message. If your note fits on a card and does not need an envelope, it costs about a fifth less than a letter. Fifth, remember that stamp prices move only the postage part of the cost. If you mail through a service, the quote covers print, postage, and the service fee together, so a four-cent stamp increase shows up as a small change in the total, not a surprise at the counter.
USPS has settled into a rhythm of July filings, with January reserved for shipping services (which did get their own increase in January 2026; stamps were explicitly left alone). Nothing is confirmed for 2027 yet, but the July pattern makes that month the one to watch. The temporary 8 percent shipping surcharge that started in April 2026 is set to expire on January 17, 2027, so January's news will be about parcel prices, not stamps.
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LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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