Short version: no, they don’t expire, and there’s no fine print on that. A Forever stamp you bought in 2012 will mail a letter tomorrow. What trips people up is the stamps sitting next to them in the same drawer, the ones with a number printed on them, because those behave completely differently.
Forever stamps do not expire
Forever stamps carry no expiration date and remain valid for First-Class postage indefinitely. A Forever stamp issued in any year since the introduction of the Forever stamp program remains valid for a one-ounce First-Class Mail letter at the current rate, and the age of the Forever stamp has no effect on the validity of the Forever stamp.
The current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate is 82 cents, which took effect on July 12, 2026. A Forever stamp purchased at any earlier and lower rate is worth 82 cents in postage today.
What happens to an old Forever stamp when the rate rises
A Forever stamp rises in postage value automatically whenever the First-Class Mail one-ounce rate rises, and the holder of the Forever stamp is not required to take any action. No additional postage is required alongside an older Forever stamp, and no exchange at a Post Office is required in order to bring an older Forever stamp up to the current rate.
The mechanism is the absence of a printed denomination on the face of the Forever stamp. A Forever stamp carries no fixed cash amount, so a Forever stamp cannot fall behind the current rate in the way that a denominated stamp falls behind the current rate.
Denominated stamps behave differently
A denominated stamp carries a printed cash value and is worth that printed value permanently, which means that a denominated stamp does fall behind when the First-Class rate rises. A denominated stamp does not expire either, and a denominated stamp remains valid postage, but a denominated stamp is valid only for the amount printed on the denominated stamp.
A stamp printed at 55 cents is still worth 55 cents in postage today. Mailing a one-ounce letter with that stamp requires an additional 27 cents in postage, because the current First-Class rate of 82 cents exceeds the printed value of the stamp by 27 cents. Additional postage of that kind is commonly supplied by an additional ounce stamp or by a combination of lower-value denominated stamps.
| Stamp type | Expires | Keeps pace with the rate |
|---|---|---|
| Forever stamp | No | Yes |
| Global Forever stamp | No | Yes, against the international rate |
| Denominated stamp | No | No, worth its printed value only |
Global Forever stamps
Global Forever stamps do not expire and follow the same principle as domestic Forever stamps, with one difference in which rate the Global Forever stamp tracks. A Global Forever stamp is valid for a one-ounce international letter at the current international rate of $1.75, and a Global Forever stamp rises with the international rate rather than with the domestic letter rate. The domestic rate and the international rate change independently of one another.
Condition is what limits a stamp, not age
Age does not invalidate a Forever stamp, but physical condition does. A Forever stamp that has been canceled, torn, water damaged, or mounted in an album using hinges is not valid for postage, because a canceled or damaged stamp cannot be accepted by the Postal Service as payment. A Forever stamp that remains unused, undamaged, and free of adhesive residue is valid regardless of how long the Forever stamp has been stored.
Storage conditions therefore matter more than the issue date of the stamp. Forever stamps stored flat, dry, and away from direct heat remain usable indefinitely, while Forever stamps exposed to humidity may adhere to one another or lose adhesive and become unusable despite never having been canceled.
What old Forever stamps are worth in cash
The postage value of a Forever stamp and the cash value of a Forever stamp are separate figures. A Forever stamp is worth the current First-Class rate of 82 cents in postage, while the cash value of a Forever stamp is whatever a buyer is willing to pay for the Forever stamp. The Postal Service does not repurchase stamps for cash at any age.
Full detail on the difference between the two figures is set out on the Forever stamp values page, and the underlying mechanism is explained in what a Forever stamp is.
Old stamps in a drawer are still worth something
Age doesn’t reduce what we’ll pay. If you’ve found Forever stamps that have been sitting for years, we buy them at 50 percent of face value the same as new ones, and we buy unused denominated stamps too. You’ll get an offer before you send anything. Start on the sell Forever stamps page or check what we pay for the full table, including the rates for non-Forever stamps.
We’ve paid out over $7.4 million to more than 3,200 customers since 2016.