There is no sales tax on postage stamps purchased for mailing in the United States. A Forever stamp costs $0.78 as of 2026, and that is the full price you pay at the counter, on usps.com, or at any retailer selling stamps at face value.1USPS. January 2026 Price Change – FAQ The exemption is uniform across every state. Where it gets complicated is when stamps change character: sold as collectibles, marked up above face value, bundled with software, or passed along to a customer on an invoice.
Why Mailing Stamps Aren’t Taxed
Two things keep sales tax off a stamp purchase. First, a stamp isn’t really a product. It’s a prepayment for a delivery service the Postal Service will perform later, closer in character to a transit pass than a physical good. Most state sales taxes apply to tangible personal property and specifically listed services, and prepaid postage doesn’t fit either category.
Second, the USPS is a federal entity, and under the intergovernmental tax immunity doctrine, states cannot tax the federal government’s operations directly.2Constitution Annotated. Intergovernmental Tax Immunity Doctrine The principle traces to the Supreme Court’s 1819 decision in McCulloch v. Maryland.3National Archives. McCulloch v Maryland (1819) Selling postage is a core USPS function, so no state can add a tax to it.
When a Stamp Purchase Can Be Taxed
Collectible and Philatelic Stamps
Stamps sold as collectibles rather than for mailing are treated as tangible personal property in most states with a sales tax. A vintage stamp bought at auction, a commemorative sheet purchased to frame, or a philatelic set priced well above face value all fall in this category. You’re buying an object valued for what it is, not prepaying for delivery, and that shifts the transaction into a taxable sale of goods.
The practical line is intent and price. A stamp sold at or near face value through a postal outlet is almost certainly bought for mailing and stays exempt. A stamp sold at a collectibles shop for many times face value is almost certainly property. If you aren’t going to put it on an envelope, it’s probably taxable.
Personalized Stamps
Companies that sell customized stamps featuring personal photos or designs charge more than standard postage because of the customization. If you buy them to mail wedding invitations or holiday cards, they still function as prepaid postage and are generally exempt. Bought purely as keepsakes or promotional novelties with no plan to mail them, they can be taxable as tangible property. Intended use drives the result, and the rules vary by state.
Stamps Sold Above Face Value
When a third-party seller charges more than face value, the markup can be treated as a taxable sale depending on the state. The face-value portion representing actual postage typically stays exempt, but the extra amount a seller tacks on may not. The tax-free status attaches to the postage, not to every dollar collected.
Digital Postage Platforms
Platforms like Stamps.com and Pirate Ship let you buy and print postage from a computer. The postage itself, meaning the USPS mailing value, is not subject to sales tax on these platforms. You’re still prepaying the Postal Service, just through software.
The monthly subscription or service fee is a separate matter. Those fees pay for software access, and software-as-a-service subscriptions are taxable in a growing number of states. Some states treat SaaS like a taxable good, others exempt it, and others apply tax only in specific circumstances. If you use a digital postage platform for business, check how your state handles SaaS fees separately from the postage itself.
Passing Postage Along to a Customer
If you run a small business or sell online, the question flips: are the shipping costs you charge your customers taxable? It depends on your state’s rules and how you present the charge on the invoice.
Roughly half of states tax shipping and delivery charges as part of the sale price regardless of how you list them. The other half exempt shipping only if you break it out as a separate line from the product price. In those states, a combined “shipping and handling” charge may be partially or fully taxable, while a clearly separated postage or shipping line can escape tax. Handling fees are taxable in most states even when the shipping portion is not.
The safer practice is to list postage or shipping as its own line, separate from handling or packaging. Bundling everything under one “shipping and handling” label invites tax on the whole amount in many jurisdictions.
States With No Sales Tax
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon impose no statewide sales tax, so the question is moot for most purchases made there.4Tax Foundation. State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2026 Alaska allows local jurisdictions to levy their own sales taxes, but postage stamps would remain exempt there under the same federal immunity principles that apply nationwide.