234 Postage Payment and Documentation

Overview

1.0 Basic Standards for Postage Payment

2.0 Postage Payment for Presorted and Automation Letters and Flats

3.0 Mailing Documentation

1.0 Basic Standards for Postage Payment

Postage for Presorted or automation First-Class Mail must be paid with affixed postage or permit imprint (604.4.0) as specified in 2.0. Residual letters (from presorted or automation mailings) with such postage may be eligible for the Metered Mail price.

2.0 Postage Payment for Presorted and Automation Letters and Flats

2.1 Payment Methods

First-Class Mail presorted and automation postage must be paid with postage evidencing system indicia, permit imprints, or precanceled stamps. All pieces in a mailing must be paid with the same method unless otherwise permitted by standard or Business Mailer Support authorization. Permit imprints may be used for mailings of nonidentical-weight pieces only if authorized by Business Mailer Support.

2.2 Affixing Postage for Presorted and Automation First-Class Mail

Unless permitted by other standards or authorization by Business Mailer Support, when precanceled postage or postage evidencing system indicia are used, only one payment method may be used in a mailing and each piece must bear the numerical value of postage under one of these conditions:

1. Each letter-size piece bearing a postage evidencing system indicium and weighing more than 2 ounces or flat-size piece weighing more than 1 ounce must bear the correct postage applicable to the additional ounce(s).
2. Each piece must bear a USPS precanceled stamp (or stamps precanceled with a mailer‘s precancel postmark), under 604.3.0; postage documentation under 3.0 is required. Additional postage must be paid at the time of mailing with an advance deposit account or with a postage evidencing system indicium affixed to the postage statement.
3. Each piece bearing a postage evidencing system indicium must bear full postage at the lowest First-Class Mail two-ounce letter price (or card price as applicable) plus any additional ounce(s) or nonmachinable surcharge.

2.3 Postage Affixed at Lowest Price to All Pieces

Where it is not practicable for the mailer to affix the exact postage to each piece or to affix the lowest postage price to all pieces in the mailing, the mailer may compute postage for the mailing as if the lowest price affixed to any piece in the mailing were affixed to all pieces. Additional postage is computed based on the difference between the lowest price affixed to any piece in the mailing and the price for each price level in the mailing. This computation must be documented to meet the basic standards in 3.0. No refund is paid for any piece where postage is affixed at a price higher than the lowest price claimed for or affixed to any piece. The total additional postage must be paid either by advance deposit account or by a meter stamp affixed to the back of the accompanying postage statement.

3.0 Mailing Documentation

See 203.1.0 and 203.2.0 for postage statement and documentation standards.