Forever Stamp Price Guide
As of July 12, 2026, a Forever stamp costs 82 cents at the post office. That's the short answer to "how much are forever stamps" — but it's only the counter price. A book of 20 runs $16.40, a roll of 100 runs $82.00, and stamps bought on the surplus market usually sell for less than that. This guide covers the current rates, how book and roll pricing actually works, why a legitimate secondary market exists at all, and where prices have been heading since 2021.
One note before the numbers. We're an independent stamp shop in Flushing, New York — not the Postal Service, and not affiliated with it. Every dollar figure below is accurate as of July 2026 and will shift at the next rate change, so check the date on any price you read online before trusting it.
How Much Are Forever Stamps Right Now?
A single Forever stamp is $0.82 as of July 2026. USPS raised it from 78 cents on July 12 — a four-cent jump, and the sixth increase in five years. Here's what that means at the counter:
| Format | Quantity | Post office price (as of July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Single stamp | 1 | $0.82 |
| Book (booklet) | 20 | $16.40 |
| Roll (coil) | 100 | $82.00 |
A Forever stamp has no denomination printed on it. Whatever you paid, it covers a 1-ounce First-Class letter for good, even after future increases. A stamp bought for 58 cents in 2021 mails the same letter as one bought for 82 cents this week. Hold that thought — it explains most of what follows.
Book and Roll Pricing: The Math Is Flat
People assume the post office gives a volume break on rolls. It doesn't. The forever stamps price is strictly per-stamp math:
- Book of 20: 20 × $0.82 = $16.40
- Roll of 100: 100 × $0.82 = $82.00
- Coil of 3,000 (sold mainly to businesses): 3,000 × $0.82 = $2,460.00
We get this question at the counter constantly: "Is the roll cheaper per stamp?" No. Eighty-two cents is eighty-two cents whether you buy one stamp or ten thousand. USPS has never discounted quantity on First-Class postage, and any chart claiming otherwise is out of date or wrong.
The only real way to pay less per stamp is to buy from someone who acquired the stamps below face value. That's not a loophole — it's a normal secondary market, and it's the business we're in.
Face Value vs. What Stamps Actually Trade For
"Face value" for a Forever stamp means the current First-Class rate — $0.82 as of July 2026, regardless of what the stamp originally sold for. So the forever stamps value question has two honest answers depending on which side of the counter you're on.
If you're using stamps, every genuine unused Forever stamp is worth exactly one letter's postage. The 2019 flag stamp in your junk drawer didn't lose anything; it actually gained, since you paid 55 cents for postage that now costs 82.
If you're selling stamps, you'll rarely get face value. USPS doesn't buy postage back, and it doesn't refund unused stamps. So when someone needs to unload postage — most often a company that's closing — they sell to resellers at a markdown, and resellers pass part of that markdown along. That's why you'll see legitimate sellers offering books and rolls a bit under post office prices, and it's also why an offer of, say, half price for "brand new" rolls should make you suspicious. Nobody sourcing stamps honestly can sell at 50% off and survive; counterfeits are the usual explanation for prices that steep. A modest markdown is the mark of a real surplus operation.
Why Closed-Business Surplus Costs Less
Here's where our stock comes from, because the sourcing story is the whole pricing story. When a business shuts its doors, its postage becomes a stranded asset. A mortgage office that closed near us last year had eleven unopened rolls in a supply cabinet — over $850 in postage at today's rate, and no mailings left to send. The Postal Service won't take it back. Liquidators and former owners sell those lots to dealers like us instead, at below face value, because getting most of their money back beats getting none.
We inspect every lot before it goes up for sale: unused, no cancellation marks, gum intact, no bent corners, and genuine USPS printing (the microprinting and paper are hard to fake convincingly once you've handled thousands of the real thing). What passes inspection ends up in our Forever stamp collection, priced under what the counter charges — the saving comes from the surplus sourcing, not from cutting corners.
If you mail at volume — invoices, wedding invitations, a holiday card list that's gotten out of hand — the per-stamp gap adds up fast. That's what our bulk rolls and multi-book lots are for: the more stranded postage we can move in one order, the better the price we can put on it.
Price History: Where Rates Have Been Heading
Six increases in five years tells you most of what you need to know about the trend. Here's the recent record:
| Effective date | Forever stamp price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2021 | $0.58 | +$0.03 |
| July 2022 | $0.60 | +$0.02 |
| January 2023 | $0.63 | +$0.03 |
| July 2023 | $0.66 | +$0.03 |
| January 2024 | $0.68 | +$0.02 |
| July 2024 | $0.73 | +$0.05 |
| July 2025 | $0.78 | +$0.05 |
| July 2026 | $0.82 | +$0.04 |
That's a 41% climb since mid-2021. The Postal Regulatory Commission's 2026 review found USPS expenses growing faster than revenue — costs up $1.8 billion in fiscal 2025 against a $1 billion revenue gain — so the pressure behind these increases hasn't gone anywhere. USPS has settled into announcing changes in spring and applying them in July. We used to see January bumps too; those have tapered off, but I wouldn't rule them out returning.
The practical takeaway: postage bought today is the cheapest it will ever be. Every increase since Forever stamps were introduced has made previously purchased stamps a better deal in hindsight.
Forever Stamp Price FAQ
How much is a book of forever stamps?
A book of 20 Forever stamps costs $16.40 at the post office as of July 2026 — 20 stamps at $0.82 each. Surplus resellers typically price the same book somewhat lower, since their stock was acquired below face value from businesses that closed.
How much is a roll of forever stamps?
A roll (coil) of 100 Forever stamps costs $82.00 at USPS retail prices as of July 2026. There's no built-in volume savings from the post office; a roll is simply 100 × $0.82. Rolls are the format where secondary-market pricing makes the biggest dollar difference, because the markdown multiplies across 100 stamps.
How much do forever stamps cost compared to last year?
Four cents more per stamp. The rate was $0.78 from July 2025 until July 12, 2026, when it rose to $0.82. On a book of 20 that's an extra $0.80; on a roll of 100 it's an extra $4.00. Any stamps you bought before the increase still work with no extra postage needed for a standard 1-ounce letter.
Does the value of forever stamps change when rates go up?
Yes — in your favor. A Forever stamp's mailing value always equals the current First-Class rate, so every stamp you already own became worth $0.82 of postage on July 12, 2026, no matter what you paid. The cost of forever stamps only moves for new purchases; old ones ride the rate upward.
What will the price of forever stamps be after the next increase?
USPS hasn't announced the next rate as of July 2026. Recent jumps have run 4 to 5 cents, so the next First-Class rate landing somewhere around 86–87 cents would fit the pattern — but that's our read of the trend, not an official figure. Watch for a USPS filing in spring 2027; July has been the favored effective month for several years running.