If you’ve walked into a post office lately, you probably felt that familiar tightening in your chest. Everything is more expensive. Bread, gas, even those tiny little rolls of packing tape. So when you ask what is cost of stamp now, you’re usually bracing for bad news.
Here is the weird part: for once, the news isn't bad. At least, not for your standard letters.
Right now, as of January 2026, the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp is $0.78.
If that sounds high, well, it is compared to a few years ago. But the "win" here is that the price didn't go up this month. For the first time in what feels like forever, the United States Postal Service (USPS) decided to hit the pause button on stamp hikes. They usually raise rates twice a year like clockwork, but Postmaster General David Steiner—who took the reins recently—recommended a freeze for early 2026. The Board of Governors actually listened.
The Reality of What is Cost of Stamp Now
We’ve all been conditioned to expect a nickel increase every six months. It’s been the rhythm of the "Delivering for America" plan for years. But for the start of 2026, the price of a one-ounce letter stayed flat at 78 cents.
Don't get too comfortable, though.
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While the stamps in your kitchen drawer are still worth the same "Forever" value, the cost of sending anything else just got a lot heavier on the wallet. On January 18, 2026, the USPS pushed through massive hikes for shipping. If you’re a small business owner or just someone sending a birthday care package, you’re feeling the burn.
The breakdown looks like this:
- Priority Mail went up by an average of 6.6%.
- Ground Advantage (the old First-Class Package service) spiked by a whopping 7.8%.
- Priority Mail Express jumped 5.1%.
It’s a bit of a shell game. They keep the 78-cent stamp price steady to avoid the public outcry that comes with "expensive stamps," while quietly raising the price of a 10-ounce package to nearly six bucks.
Why the Price Didn't Move
Honestly, it’s about optics and a bit of a leadership shift. Steiner has been talking a lot more about "market conditions" than his predecessor. The USPS lost about $9 billion in the 2025 fiscal year. While that sounds like a disaster, it was actually a slight improvement from the year before.
There's also a lot of pressure from Congress. People are tired of paying more for mail that seems to move slower. By keeping the cost of a stamp at $0.78, the USPS buys itself a little bit of goodwill while they try to figure out how to stop the financial bleeding.
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What About the Other Stuff?
If you aren't just mailing a standard letter, the math gets messy.
- Postcards: These stayed at $0.61. Still a bargain if you actually still send them.
- International Letters: Sending a card to your cousin in London? That’ll still set you back $1.70. No change there either.
- Metered Letters: If you use a postage machine for business, you get a tiny break at $0.74.
- The Extra Ounce: If your wedding invite is a little heavy, that extra ounce still costs $0.29.
Will the Cost of a Stamp Stay at 78 Cents?
Short answer? No.
Longer answer? Definitely not past the summer.
The USPS has already dropped hints—strong ones—that they are looking at a mid-year price adjustment for July 2026. They haven't said the number yet, but if history is any guide, we’re probably looking at $0.80 or $0.82 by the time the leaves start turning.
They use a complex formula based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which basically means if the cost of living goes up, the cost of mailing a letter follows suit. It’s a bit of a cycle that nobody seems able to break.
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The Forever Stamp Hack
This is the part where you actually save money. Forever stamps are exactly what the name says. They are valid for whatever the current one-ounce rate is, regardless of when you bought them.
If you go buy a book of 20 stamps today for $15.60, and the price jumps to 85 cents next year, you just made a "profit" of $1.40. It’s not going to fund your retirement, but in an economy where every dollar is being squeezed, it’s a tiny victory.
Just make sure you're buying them from the Post Office or a legitimate retailer like Costco or a grocery store. There are a ton of "discount stamp" websites popping up on social media lately. Spoiler alert: they are almost all scams selling counterfeit stamps. If the price looks too good to be true, your mail is probably going to end up in the dead letter office with a "counterfeit postage" sticker on it.
Looking Ahead at 2026
The "Delivering for America" plan is still in full swing. This means the USPS is trying to consolidate sorting centers and change how mail moves across the country.
Sometimes that means your letter takes five days instead of three. It’s frustrating, especially when you consider that we’ve seen stamp prices climb from 55 cents to 78 cents in just a few years. That’s a massive jump in a very short window of time.
For now, the cost of stamp now is holding steady. It’s a rare moment of price stability in a world that feels increasingly volatile.
Next Steps You Can Take:
- Check your current stash. If you're low, buy a few coils of Forever stamps now before the inevitable July 2026 price hike.
- If you run a small business, audit your shipping software. With Ground Advantage prices up nearly 8%, you might find better rates using commercial shipping platforms that offer deeper discounts than the retail counter.
- Keep an eye out for the July 2026 rate announcement, which usually happens in April or May. This will give you a 60-day window to stock up before the next jump.