Price of postage stamps to increase on Sunday
If you want to sit right down and write yourself a letter, as the Fats Waller song suggested all those years ago, you might not want to waste any time, since the price of postage stamps is going up on Sunday.
The cost of a first-class Forever stamp is increasing by 4%, from 78 cents to 82 cents. The prices on other items are also increasing: mailing a postcard will cost 65 cents compared to the current 61 cents; international postcard mailing costs will increase from $1.70 to $1.75, and that will also be the cost of mailing an international letter on a per-ounce basis.
The price changes were announced in April. In a news release, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) said it is increasing prices “in the midst of the severe financial crisis facing the Postal Service and continued rising operational costs. The Postal Service is using all available tools, including available regulatory pricing authority, to ensure we can continue to fulfill our universal service obligation and serve the American public.”
The USPS is funded almost entirely from the sale of postage and other products. It has faced a funding crunch as a result of the rise of digital communication, paying benefits for retirees and increasing labor costs.
The volume of mail delivered by the Postal Service has plunged in recent years – in the fiscal year 2006, it delivered 213 billion pieces of mail, while in 2025 it delivered 108 billion pieces of mail, which includes 42 billion letters, bills and postcards.
In the 2025 fiscal year, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $9 billion.
As a result of the Postal Service’s financial woes, increases in the price of Forever stamps have become an annual ritual – as recently as July 2022, the cost of a Forever stamp was 60 cents. It increased to 63 cents in January 2023, and to 66 cents six months later, and 68 cents in January 2024. In July 2024, the price moved to 73 cents, and 78 cents in July 2025.