No, US postage stamps do not expire. Every US postage stamp issued since 1860 remains valid for mailing, so the book of stamps sitting in your drawer is still good.1United States Postal Service (USPS). Postage Stamps – The Basics The catch is that older stamps with a printed cent value may no longer cover a full letter on their own, because postage rates have gone up since they were sold.
Forever Stamps Versus Denominated Stamps
How much postage your old stamp is worth today depends on which kind it is.
A Forever stamp, first issued in April 2007 with the Liberty Bell design, always pays for a one-ounce First-Class letter at the current rate, no matter what you paid for it.2United States Postal Service. 2007 – First Forever Stamps Issued3United States Postal Service. Postal Bulletin 22203 – Philately A Forever stamp bought for $0.41 in 2007 covers a $0.78 letter in 2026. You don’t add anything.
A denominated stamp shows a specific cent or dollar value on its face and is only worth that printed amount. If the rate has climbed above that number, you’re short the difference and need to add more postage to the envelope. Semi-postal stamps like the Breast Cancer Research issue are Forever stamps priced slightly above the First-Class rate, with the extra going to the designated cause; they stay valid for First-Class postage even after the campaign ends.4United States Postal Service. Semipostal Stamps
Making Up the Difference on Old Stamps
As of January 2026, a one-ounce First-Class letter costs $0.78 with stamps.5United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – January 2026 Price Change So a $0.55 stamp from a few years back leaves you $0.23 short. The fix is to add more stamps until the total on the envelope reaches or passes the current rate. The USPS sells 1-cent, 2-cent, 3-cent, 4-cent, 5-cent, and 10-cent stamps for exactly this reason.6United States Postal Service. U.S. Postal Service Provides Sneak Peek at 2026 Stamps Any combination of valid stamps works, as long as the total meets the required postage. The Postal Service does not give change for overpayment.
The current rates that matter most for the math:
- First-Class letter, one ounce: $0.78
- Each additional ounce: $0.29
- Postcard: $0.61
- Global Forever stamp (one-ounce letter or postcard to any country): $1.70
Rates change periodically, so confirm the figures at a post office or on usps.com if you’re reading this later.5United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – January 2026 Price Change
When a Stamp Actually Can’t Be Used
Stamps don’t expire by date, but they can lose their validity in other ways.
Damaged or Defaced Stamps
Stamps that are mutilated or defaced are not valid for domestic or international mail.7Postal Explorer. Torn Postage Stamps A small nick at the corner is fine. A large missing piece, an unreadable denomination, heavy creasing, water damage, or badly faded printing is not, because the cancellation machinery may fail to detect the stamp and the letter will come back to you.
Things That Look Like Stamps But Aren’t Postage
Not every gummed square from a post office counts as postage. Migratory Bird Hunting stamps, known as duck stamps, cannot be used to mail anything even though the USPS sells them.8USPS.com. What Are Duck Stamps Christmas seals, charity labels, and other decorative stickers that resemble stamps are not postage either. If in doubt, check whether the item was issued by the USPS as a postage stamp.
Can You Exchange Old Stamps for Newer Ones?
The common follow-up question, once someone realizes their old stamps are short of the current rate, is whether they can just trade them in. Generally, no. The Postal Service does not exchange stamps simply because rates went up; those stamps are still valid at their face value, and you’re expected to add postage to reach the total.9USPS.com. Are Stamps and Other Postage Products Eligible for a Refund Cash refunds for unused adhesive stamps aren’t available either.
Exchanges are allowed in narrow situations, and only for stamps of equal value, not cash: unopened panes or sealed coils bought in the wrong denomination, or defective stamps sold by the post office. Damaged stamps can be exchanged if they were on sale within the previous 12 months, are substantially whole with the denomination visible, and the total does not exceed $100 per customer. The local postmaster makes the final call.10USPS: Domestic Mail Manual. P014 Refunds and Exchanges
Don’t Try to Reuse a Canceled Stamp
A stamp that’s already carried a piece of mail is spent. Reusing a canceled stamp, removing cancellation marks, or peeling a stamp off delivered mail to send it again are federal offenses under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1720, punishable by a fine, up to a year in prison, or both. Postal employees face up to three years. Even possessing canceled stamps with the intent to reuse them is covered.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1720 – Canceled Stamps and Envelopes
Counterfeit stamps are a separate hazard, especially through online marketplaces and overseas sellers. The USPS never sells stamps below face value, so deeply discounted bulk Forever stamps are almost always fake.12United States Postal Inspection Service. Counterfeit Postage Mail bearing counterfeit postage is treated as abandoned, meaning the Postal Service can open and dispose of it, and you have no recourse.13Postal Service. 39 CFR Part 111 Counterfeit Postage Buy from a post office, usps.com, or authorized retail partners and the old stamps in your drawer keep doing their job.