Forever Stamps Now Cost 82 Cents as USPS Battles a Deepening Financial Crisis

Another Hike, Another Record High

If you bought a book of stamps recently, you already paid more than you would have a week ago. The U.S. Postal Service raised the price of a first-class Forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents on July 12, adding four cents to a cost that has been climbing steadily for years. It's a small number that carries a big story — one about an iconic American institution struggling to survive in a world that has largely moved on from paper mail.

Over the past five years, the agency has raised the price of a first-class stamp six times, increasing the cost 34% from 58 cents in 2021. At 41 cents when they debuted in 2007, Forever stamps have now doubled in price over the course of 19 years. That's not the kind of trajectory that inspires confidence — and the agency's own financial disclosures make clear that more hikes are likely on the way.

A Financial Hole That Keeps Getting Deeper

In fiscal 2025, the USPS recorded a $9 billion loss. That staggering figure isn't a one-year anomaly. Ten years of cumulative losses have left the USPS in a structurally weakened position, the Postal Regulatory Commission warned in a May report. The commission, which approved the rate hike in May, didn't do so without reservations. The regulatory body cited worries over USPS delivery performance, shrinking letter volumes, and the overall state of its finances.

A financial review published by the Postal Regulatory Commission in May found that in fiscal year 2025, USPS expenses outpaced revenue — costs climbed $1.8 billion against a $1 billion revenue gain — while total mail volume dropped by 3.7%. The agency is essentially running faster just to fall further behind. Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress that the USPS was at risk of running out of cash within 12 months. That's not a warning buried in a footnote — it's a five-alarm signal about the future of a service that reaches every address in America.

How the USPS Got Here

The agency's troubles didn't materialize overnight. A 2006 law that forced the USPS to prepay retiree health benefits helped put the agency in the red, saddling it with billions in annual obligations at a time when email was already beginning to hollow out first-class mail volume. That law has since been revised, but the damage to the agency's balance sheet was lasting. Declining letter volume has compounded the problem year after year, leaving the postal service caught between rising operating costs and a shrinking revenue base.

A USPS spokesperson noted that "notwithstanding the adjustment, the Postal Service's mailing prices remain among the most affordable in the world." That's true in a global comparison — but it offers little comfort to an agency that can't stop bleeding money. Postmaster General Steiner has said that raising the price of first-class stamps to as high as 95 cents "would largely solve our controllable loss." That figure — nearly a dollar per stamp — once seemed unthinkable. It no longer does.

What This Means for You — and What Comes Next

For everyday consumers, the practical impact is modest. Stamps bought at the old rate do not expire — they remain fully usable for first-class mail once the new price takes effect, because "The Forever Stamp always represents the current price of a one-ounce First-Class Mail postage," as the agency put it. Other postage products also saw price hikes: domestic postcards now cost 65 cents, up from 61 cents, and international postcards and letters will run $1.75, up from $1.70.

Postmaster General David Steiner has signaled that further increases are likely. The agency has discussed the possibility of raising prices as often as twice a year through 2028, though no additional hikes have been formally announced. With the 90-cent threshold now firmly in sight and the USPS's financial condition showing no clear signs of stabilizing, Americans should probably get comfortable with the idea that 82 cents won't be the final answer — just the latest one.