You're standing at the kiosk, digging for change, and realized the "usual" price in your head is totally outdated. It happens to everyone. Honestly, the way people talk about the post office, you’d think the prices changed every single morning. But here is the real deal on postage stamps cost today: it’s currently holding steady at 78 cents for a First-Class Mail Forever stamp.
That price kicked in back in July 2025. Before that, it was 73 cents. Before that? 68 cents. You see the pattern. It's a bit of a climb.
While many expected another hike this month—January 2026—the USPS actually threw a bit of a curveball. They decided to keep the price of "Market Dominant" products (that's fancy talk for your everyday stamps and letters) exactly where they are. At least for now. Postmaster General Daniel Steiner, who took the reins recently, confirmed we shouldn't see another jump in your basic letter stamp until at least mid-year 2026.
The 2026 Breakdown: What You’re Actually Paying
If you’re just mailing a standard bill or a birthday card that doesn't weigh more than an ounce, you are looking at that 78-cent figure. But things get a little more granular once you start adding weight or weird shapes.
Here is the current landscape for common mail items:
- Standard 1 oz Letter: $0.78
- Metered Letters: If you use a postage meter for business, you're actually saving a few pennies, paying 74 cents.
- Postcards: These will set you back 61 cents.
- Additional Ounces: If your letter is a bit chunky, each extra ounce adds 29 cents.
- International Letters: Sending a 1 oz letter to another country? That’s $1.70 now.
Square envelopes or those stiff wedding invitations that can't go through the machines? Those are "non-machineable" and they start at $1.27. It’s basically a surcharge for being fancy.
The Shipping Side is a Different Story
Now, don't get confused. While the postage stamps cost today for letters stayed flat this January, shipping packages did not. On January 18, 2026, the USPS implemented some pretty significant hikes for parcels. Priority Mail went up about 6.6%, and Ground Advantage—which a lot of small businesses rely on—jumped by 7.8%.
If you’re shipping a Small Flat Rate Box today, it’s $12.65 at the retail counter. A Medium Flat Rate Box is $22.95. It’s getting more expensive to send "stuff," even if sending "notes" stayed the same.
Why the Price Keeps Creeping Up
It’s all part of the "Delivering for America" plan. This is a 10-year strategy intended to pull the USPS out of its massive financial hole. The goal is long-term stability, but the short-term reality for you and me is just... more expensive stamps.
👉 See also: Digital Marketing Financial Advisors: Why Most Firms Are Just Burning Cash
The logic from the Board of Governors is basically that mail volume is dropping. Way fewer people are sending letters than they were twenty years ago. To maintain the infrastructure—the trucks, the sorting facilities, the carriers walking the routes—they have to charge more for the mail that does still exist.
Some experts, like those at the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), argue this is a "death spiral." They worry that by raising prices, the USPS is just forcing more people to go digital, which further drops the volume, which leads to more price hikes. It’s a messy debate.
Forever Stamps: Still the Best Hedge Against Inflation
The "Forever" stamp is arguably the smartest thing the USPS ever invented. If you bought a sheet of stamps back in 2018 when they were 50 cents, guess what? They still work today. You don't have to add 28 cents in "make-up" stamps.
They are always valid for the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. Period.
If you have the cash, buying a few coils of 100 stamps now is basically like investing in a tiny, paper-based commodity. Given that the USPS has already hinted they might look at another increase in July 2026, locking in the 78-cent rate today isn't a bad move.
Real-World Examples of Extra Costs
Most people get tripped up by the "Certified Mail" or "Return Receipt" extras. These aren't just a couple of cents anymore.
- Certified Mail: This now costs $5.30.
- Return Receipt (Hard Copy): That little green card is $4.40.
- Registered Mail: This starts at $19.70 and goes up based on the value of the item.
If you're sending something important that needs a signature and a receipt, you're easily looking at over ten bucks just for a single envelope. It adds up fast.
Actionable Steps for Saving on Postage
You don't have to just take these price hikes lying down. There are a few ways to keep your costs under control.
📖 Related: Fimple Raises $12 Million Series A: What This Means for Global Banking
Use a Postage Service: If you run a side hustle or mail a lot of items, platforms like Stamps.com or PitneyShip often give you the "Metered Mail" rate (74 cents) instead of the "Retail" rate (78 cents). It doesn't sound like much, but over 100 letters, you've bought yourself a couple of lattes.
Check the Weight: Buy a cheap digital scale. A lot of people "over-postage" their mail because they are afraid it's too heavy. If it's 0.9 ounces, it's 78 cents. If it's 1.1 ounces, it's $1.07. Knowing that difference saves you 29 cents every time.
Avoid Fancy Envelopes: Keep your mail rectangular and flexible. Anything square, rigid, or with weird clasps triggers that $1.27 non-machineable rate.
Stock Up Before July: Keep an eye on the news in April or May. That is when the USPS usually files for the July price changes. If they announce a hike to 80 cents or more, go buy your Forever stamps then.
The postage stamps cost today might feel high compared to the "good old days," but in the grand scheme of global logistics, sending a piece of paper across the country for under a dollar is still a bit of a miracle. Just make sure you aren't paying more than you have to by ignoring the weight or the shape of your envelopes.