The USPS Forever One Ounce Postage Stamp price is: $0.55

On October 9, 2020, the USPS announced that the First Class Forever Stamps will remain at $0.55 during the January 24, 2021 postage rate increases.

This was a surprise to me as I expected a minimum $.02 increase. While additional ounces increased to $.20, the 1 ounce Forever Stamp remained at $0.55.

Even though the One Ounce First Class Forever Stamp is the most common Forever Stamp, the Post Office offers a variety of Forever Stamps. Here are their current rates (as of Jan 24, 2021):

• Additional Ounce Forever Stamp rate: $0.20
• Two Ounce Forever Stamp: $0.75
• Three Ounce Forever Stamp: $0.95
• Global Forever Stamp: $1.20
• Postcard Forever Stamp: $0.36
• Non-Machineable Surcharge Forever Stamp: $0.75

Whether you are working from home or an office, if you need to mail letters or ship packages via the Postal Service but like to avoid going to the Post Office: sign up for a no-cost 4-week trial of Stamps.com (and get $45 in postage and a free scale: use code “STAMPS100”) Not only can you print your own postage, but First Class stamps are discounted $0.04 so the cost is only $0.51 per stamp. Priority Mail rates are also discounted (up to 39% discounts).

Make sure to use code STAMPS100 and click my link for the no-cost 4-week trial (you can cancel your account anytime) and ongoing accounts are $17.99 per month.

The standard First Class Forever Stamp value stayed at $0.55 and did not increase during the January 24, 2021 rate increase.

However, the Additional Ounce Forever Stamp increased from $0.15 to $0.20 – which also impacted the Two Ounce and Three Ounce Forever Stamp values.

First Class Forever Stamps stayed at $0.55 and did not increase during the January 26, 2020 rate increase – despite other postage rates (media mail, Priority Mail, etc.) increasing.

Previously, in 2019, the Post Office had the largest-ever increase in the price of a stamp (from $0.50 to $0.55). The increase was challenged in the courts as being excessive – and the courts agreed. This is why there was not an increase in the price of stamps in 2020.

Historically the Post Office has been limited to raising the cost for stamps according to the official inflation rates. At the end of 2018 the Post Office received regulatory approval to raise the price of postage “inflation + 2%”. Instead of the 2019 rate increase being “inflation +2%” (which would have been an increase from $0.50 to $0.52 or $.053) the increase in 2019 was from $0.50 to $.55!

The way the Postal Service was able to get the $0.05 increase approved without special permission was to raise rates for other services less, so that the average, across-the-board increase, was within their approved percentages. However, they ran into legal trouble (next paragraph).

A non-practicing lawyer (Douglas Carlson), filed a lawsuit against the USPS alleging that the 10% price increase in 2019 was not justified. On September 13, 2019, a federal appeals court sided with the plaintiff and ruled AGAINST the USPS. Meaning, the little guy won. Additional information available here: GovExec.com,  Jurist.org and USA Today.

Visit the United States Post Office web site for additional rules, regulations, and mailing options.

*Note: must be rectangular, cannot be square, rigid, or an odd shape.

The above chart answers the questions:

• How many stamps do I need for 2 ounces?
• How many stamps do I need for 3 ounces?

In 2021 the cost for each additional ounce of postage is 20 cents ($0.20). The USPS offers an “Additional Ounce” type of Forever Stamp.

Forever Stamps are a special type of stamp created by the United States Post Office that will always be worth one First Class stamp. When they were initially created in 2007 a Forever Stamp cost only $0.41 (click for current value). Their value has increased since then and they are now worth significantly more. Remember how you used to have buy $0.01 or $0.02 stamps to cover postage cost increases? That is a thing of the past with Forever Stamps!

The cost of a first class stamp varies, with the price being adjusted (typically once every year or so) by the Post Office. The current rate is $0.55 (careful, Google often displays outdated info, my site is always-up-to-date and has a manually verified rate). By purchasing a “Forever Stamp”, the stamp’s value will adjust to match whatever the then-current postage rate is for a one ounce stamp.

An International Forever Stamp is a 1 ounce stamp.

Practically any country on earth. Over 190 at last count. However, it’s always best to double-check before you use an International Forever Stamp. View the full list of International Forever Stamp approved destination countries.

In 2021 the cost to mail a standard size postcard is 33 cents ($0.33). The postcard can be no larger than 6 inches by 4.25 inches. The United States Postal Service offers “Postcard Forever Stamps”. An oversized postcard (no larger than 11.5×6.125 is $0.55

Forever Stamps never expire and will always be the equivalent value of whatever the corresponding postal rate is – for example, a one-ounce First Class stamp for a regular Forever Stamp (that’s why I created this site: to keep track of the current postage rate which regular changes).

The Post Office offers a variety of Forever Stamps: Regular (one ounce), Additional Ounce Forever Stamp, Two Ounce Forever Stamp, Three Ounce Forever Stamp, Non-Machinable Surcharge Forever Stamp (would be used for odd sized letters), Postcard Forever Stamp, and the Global Forever Stamp.

• will require you to prove to the buyer that your stamps are genuine
• will more than likely require you to sell at a discount to whatever the current rate is (because a buyer could always buy their stamps directly from the Post Office)
• and, when you sell at at discount, you will be, in a way, “competing” against counterfeit stamps in relation to price (counterfeit stamps are not generally marketed as being counterfeits, but are instead marketed as being genuine)