A book of stamps costs 20 times the current USPS Forever stamp price, because a standard book holds 20 Forever stamps and USPS sells them at face value with no bulk discount. USPS last changed the Forever stamp price on July 12, 2026, so check the current price on usps.com before you buy.
The price of a single stamp is set by the 1-ounce First-Class Mail letter rate, which USPS adjusts with approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission. That’s why the cost of a book moves every time the letter rate moves, while the stamps you already own keep working.
How Much Is a Book of Stamps Right Now?
A book of stamps is priced at 20 Forever stamps at face value. USPS doesn’t print a dollar amount on Forever stamps; each one is always worth the current price of a 1-ounce First-Class Mail letter. Multiply that letter price by 20 and you have the price of a book.
The most recent change took effect on July 12, 2026. USPS announced the proposal on April 9, 2026, describing it as an increase to the Forever stamp along with metered letters, postcards and international letters, and the new prices are published in USPS Price List Notice 123. Before that, the letter rate had been unchanged since July 13, 2025.
Three official places show the current price:
- USPS Postage Rates and Prices on usps.com lists the current First-Class Mail letter price, which is the value of one Forever stamp.
- Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com) publishes the full price list notice for each price change, including the one effective July 12, 2026.
- The Post Office counter or the USPS online store sells books of 20 at face value, so the price at checkout is the current price.
The USPS shipping hub on ParcelPath covers the rest of the Postal Service’s services, tracking and rules if you need more than letter postage.
What Formats Do Forever Stamps Come In?
USPS sells the same Forever stamp in several formats, and the price per stamp is identical in all of them. Buying 100 stamps costs exactly as much as five books of 20.
| Format | Stamps per unit | Price per stamp | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book (booklet) | 20 | Face value | Households and occasional mailers |
| Pane (sheet) | Usually 20 | Face value | Collectors and special-issue designs |
| Coil (roll) | 100 | Face value | Small offices that mail weekly |
| Large coil | 3,000 or 10,000 | Face value | High-volume business mailers |
If you mail often enough that a book runs out quickly, our guide to buying a roll of stamps explains how coils compare with books and where to find them.
Do Stamps From an Old Book Still Work After a Price Increase?
Yes. Forever stamps keep their value for a 1-ounce First-Class letter no matter when you bought them. USPS issued the first Forever stamp, the Liberty Bell design, on April 12, 2007, so customers would no longer need to add small “make-up” stamps every time the letter rate rose.
In 2011 every domestic 1-ounce First-Class stamp became a Forever stamp, except the 3,000 and 10,000 coils, which joined the Forever program in 2014. A book you bought before the July 2026 change still mails the same 1-ounce letter today. Our article on whether Forever stamps expire covers older denominated stamps, which only count for the value printed on them.
How Often Does the Price of a Book of Stamps Change?
The letter rate has changed often since 2019, usually in January or July. USPS’s own rate history lists these effective dates for the 1-ounce First-Class letter price:
| Effective date | What changed |
|---|---|
| January 27, 2019 | Letter rate increase |
| August 29, 2021 | Letter rate increase |
| July 10, 2022 | Letter rate increase |
| January 22, 2023 | Letter rate increase |
| July 9, 2023 | Letter rate increase |
| January 21, 2024 | Letter rate increase |
| July 14, 2024 | Letter rate increase |
| July 13, 2025 | Letter rate increase |
| July 12, 2026 | Letter rate increase (current price) |
Because a Forever stamp follows the letter rate automatically, a book bought before any of these dates is worth the new rate afterward. That makes buying a book ahead of an announced increase a simple way to lock in the older price.
What Does One Stamp From the Book Cover?
One Forever stamp pays for a standard letter weighing up to 1 ounce, sent anywhere in the United States by First-Class Mail. Letters can weigh up to 3.5 ounces; each ounce over the first needs additional-ounce postage, and square, rigid or lumpy envelopes need extra postage because they can’t go through USPS sorting machines.
Other mail needs different stamps or more of them:
- Heavier letters: our guide to how heavy a letter can be for one First-Class stamp shows when to add postage.
- Large envelopes (flats): 9×12 and manila envelopes are priced as flats, and our guide on how many stamps a large envelope needs walks through the count.
- Postcards: a postcard stamp covers a standard-size postcard; see our guide to postcard stamps.
- International letters: a Global Forever stamp, introduced in 2013, covers a 1-ounce First-Class Mail International letter to any country.
Where Can You Buy a Book of Stamps at Face Value?
The Post Office and the USPS online store always sell stamps at face value. Many grocery stores, big-box retailers and pharmacies also sell books of 20 at the customer service counter, usually at face value, though some machines and convenience outlets may charge more.
Be wary of stamps sold online far below face value. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says stamps sold in bulk at a steep discount, or by a vendor outside the United States, are a telltale sign of counterfeits. Using fake postage is illegal, and USPS treats mail bearing it as abandoned, so buy from USPS, an Approved Postal Provider or a known retailer.
Can You Use a Book of Stamps to Mail a Package?
You can, but only within limits. Since October 1, 2019, any package paid with stamps that weighs more than 10 ounces or is thicker than half an inch has to be handed to a retail associate at a Post Office counter. If you leave it in your mailbox, the carrier won’t take it, and a stamped package dropped in a blue collection box will be returned to you.
Stamps are also an awkward way to pay for parcels, since you’d need to match a package price with a stack of letter stamps. A prepaid shipping label avoids both problems: labels bought online can go in any drop-off point, including a scheduled carrier pickup. Our guide to shipping labels explains how package labels work and what goes on them.
For anything heavier than a letter, ParcelPath offers free USPS and UPS labels with discounts of up to 89% off USPS and up to 85% off UPS, with no subscription or per-label fee. You can compare live USPS and UPS package rates in the ParcelPath rate calculator, schedule a free USPS pickup, or skip the printer with a USPS Label Broker code at the Post Office. Our roundup of the best shipping services and solutions compares other ways to send packages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many stamps are in a book of stamps?
A standard USPS book of stamps contains 20 Forever stamps. USPS also sells Forever stamps in panes that usually hold 20, coils of 100, and business coils of 3,000 or 10,000. Every format is sold at the same face value per stamp, so a larger quantity doesn’t lower the price of each stamp.
When did the price of a book of stamps last go up?
The most recent increase took effect on July 12, 2026, when USPS raised the 1-ounce First-Class Mail letter price that sets the value of a Forever stamp. Before that, the letter rate was last changed on July 13, 2025. The current price appears on usps.com and in USPS Price List Notice 123 on Postal Explorer.
Is a book of stamps cheaper at the post office?
The Post Office and the USPS online store always sell a book of 20 Forever stamps at face value, which is the lowest legitimate price. Most grocery stores and big retailers also sell at face value. Offers far below face value online are a warning sign: the Postal Inspection Service says deep bulk discounts are a telltale sign of counterfeit stamps.
Do I need to add postage to old Forever stamps after a price increase?
No. A Forever stamp is always worth the current price of a 1-ounce First-Class Mail letter, so stamps from a book bought before the July 12, 2026 increase still mail a 1-ounce letter today. Only older stamps with a printed denomination are limited to the value shown on them.
Sources
- USPS Newsroom: U.S. Postal Service Recommends New Prices for July (April 9, 2026)
- USPS Postal Explorer: Price List Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026
- USPS: Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
- USPS Postal Facts: First Forever stamps issued in 2007
- USPS: Stamps and Postcards history
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Counterfeit Postage
- USPS: How to Prepare and Send a Package (stamped packages over 10 oz)
- USPS Newsroom: Package Security Enhancements (October 2019)
Part of our Estimate Shipping Cost guide. Related: How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Bubble Mailer with USPS, Shipping Calculator.
