Effective June 30, 2002, all domestic postage
statements are revised and new statements are added to
implement the rate and classification changes resulting
from R2001-1. Copies of the statements appear on pages
117-196 of this Postal Bulletin.
These statements are dated June 2002. All mailers
must use June 2002 editions of postage statements (or
approved facsimiles), which include the new certification
language and formats required for new reporting and data
collection procedures in the permit system. All previous
versions are obsolete as of June 30, 2002, and must not be
used. A list of statements appears under the headings for
each class of mail.
There will be no automatic distribution of the June 2002
statements. Revised statements can be ordered from the
Material Distribution Center using normal ordering
procedures. All statements are available on the Postal
Service Web site (http://www.usps.com/ratecase/postagestatement.htm) in Adobe PDF (print-only) format. They can
be printed locally and completed manually. Wherever possible, postmasters and managers of business mail entry
should encourage their customers and staff to use the
Postal Service Web site to obtain statements.
Managers of business mail entry, working with district
and area rate implementation coordinators, must ensure
that all Post Offices and detached mail units within their district's service area have access to all statements to satisfy
the needs of local mailers. Post Offices without Internet access must be supplied by their district office. Mailers with
questions regarding the use and availability of postage
statements should contact the Post Office where they enter
their mailings. Employees with questions should contact
their district manager of business mail entry.
Language in the mailer's certification block has been
clarified and reduced substantially. In addition, the check
boxes for reply mail enclosures, 5-digit verification, and the
(First-Class Mail®) move update standards have been eliminated. Language in the mailer's certification block has
been added to remind mailers that a signature on the statement certifies that the mailing complies with all relevant
standards and that the mailing qualifies for the rates and
fees claimed.
Address matching date blocks have been added to applicable statements for mailers to enter date(s) of address
matching in lieu of submitting Form 3553, Coding Accuracy
Support System (CASS) Report(s), with every automation-
rate and carrier route-rate mailing (see the separate article
on page 115 in this Postal Bulletin). Form 3541 and Form
3602 contain a third block for reporting the date of carrier
route address sequencing.
Mailers and employees must familiarize themselves with
the new statements for the class of mail and postage payment method used. Many form numbers have changed;
therefore, a new statement cannot be matched solely by
form number.
Every entry line on every statement is numbered.
Except for Form 3541, each entry line is numbered in
relation to the "part" of the statement in which it appears
(e.g., E1, E2). Moreover, all line numbers correlate with
comparable statements for the same class of mail and different payment methods (e.g., line B9 on all Form 3602
statements is used for DSCF 3/5 letters. Line 24 on all
Form 3541 statements is used for Outside-County 3-digit
nonautomation letters). As references to rates and reporting are made throughout this article, appropriate line
numbers follow in parentheses.
All postage, surcharges, and discounts, as applicable,
are reported and finalized within each part on page two.
The "part total" is carried forward to page 1 with no further
calculation required for that part. Postage affixed
statements include reminders and DMM references for
computing the postage to be affixed to each piece in a
mailing.
Revised Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) P013.1.2 clarifies the standards for rounding postage as follows:
• For permit imprint statements, round off intermediate
postage figures to four decimal places. An intermediate figure is any figure on any (numbered) line except
the "total postage" line. Round off the total postage
figure to two decimal places.
• For postage affixed statements, round off intermediate postage figures to three decimal places. An
intermediate postage figure is any figure on any
(numbered) line except the "total postage" and "net
postage due" lines. Round off total postage and net
postage due figures to two decimal places.
• For Periodicals statements, round off intermediate
postage figures to four decimal places. An intermediate figure is any figure on any line except the "total
Outside-County postage" (46), "total In-County
postage" (73), and "total foreign postage" (88).
Round off total Outside-County postage (AIC 135),
total In-County postage (AIC 224), and total foreign
postage (AIC 238) figures to two decimal places.
• For postage statement registers, round off intermediate postage figures to four decimal places. An
intermediate figure is any figure except the "total
postage" figure. Add intermediate figures to determine the total postage for the postage statement
register and the accompanying (computer-generated) Form 3602 facsimile. Round off the total
postage figure to two decimal places.
• Form 3600-EZ, First-Class Mail - Easy - Nonautomation Letters, Cards, or Flats - Permit Imprint
• Form 3600-R, First-Class Mail - Permit Imprint
• Form 3600-P, First-Class Mail - Postage Affixed
• Form 3600-PM, Priority Mail - Permit Imprint
• Form 3600-PMRX, Presorted Priority Mail - Permit
Imprint
• Form 3600 PMPX, Presorted Priority Mail - Postage
Affixed
The easy (EZ) statement for a single nonautomation
rate mailing of identical weight pieces paid with permit imprint is expanded to accommodate pieces weighing 1
ounce or less that may be subject to the nonmachinable
surcharge (C3 and C4). A note appears at the top of the
easy statement referencing checklists and other tools available to mailers at Business Mail 101 on the Postal Explorer
Web site (http://pe.usps.gov). First-Class Mail pieces with
and without a nonmachinable surcharge can be reported
on the same Form 3600. Separate entry lines for AADC letters (A4), AADC cards (D4), mixed AADC letters (A5), and
mixed AADC cards (D5) replace the single entry lines for
basic automation letters and cards. Similarly, separate
entry lines for ADC (B3) and mixed ADC (B4) automation
rates for flats replace the single entry line for basic
automation flats. The number of automation rate flats
weighing 1 ounce or less that may be subject to the
nonmachinable surcharge is reported on line B5.
Mailers and postal employees are reminded that lines
C5 and C6 are used only in those limited situations where a
Standard Mail mailing includes residual pieces paid at First-
Class Mail rates (DMM E620) in accordance with DMM
P100.2.6.
Form 3600-PM has separate entry lines for reporting
flat-rate envelopes (A1) and all other unzoned pieces
weighing up to 1 pound (A2). These pieces must be reported separately, as appropriate. Similarly, Form
3600-PMRX and Form 3600-PMPX also have separate
entry lines for flat-rate envelopes and all other unzoned
pieces weighing up to 1 pound.
• Form 3541, Periodicals One Issue or One Edition
• Form 3541-A, Periodicals - Condensed One Issue
or One Edition
• Form 3541-M, Periodicals All Issues in a Calendar
Month
There are significant changes to Periodicals statements.
As with all other statements, postage totals now appear on
page one. Form 3541 is a three-page form designed to report any Periodicals mailing that consists of Outside-
County, In-County, ride-along pieces, and foreign copies.
Mailings that do not include In-County and foreign copies
need only submit pages 1 and 2 with the mailing. Form
3541-A "condensed" is a two-page form designed specifically for mailings consisting of only Outside-County and
In-County.
Because ride-along pieces are now a permanent classification, Form 3541-X has been eliminated and mailings
containing ride-along pieces are reported on Form 3541.
Also, mailers no longer need to submit the additional documentation that was required under the experiment. Outside-County ride-along pieces are reported on line 45, and
In-County ride-along pieces are reported on line 72.
New lines are also added to Outside-County for reporting: DADC advertising pounds (3); DADC addressed
pieces (37); addressed pieces of flats placed directly on
destination entry pallets (38); and addressed pieces of flats
placed directly on all other pallets (39).
The 5 percent discount for Outside-County nonprofit and
classroom publications is reported differently. Mailers compute the 5 percent discount following the instructions on
line 43 and enter the result on line 43. For foreign copies,
there are two blocks for reporting weights: one for copies to
Canada (rate group 1, which does not require wrappings),
and one for copies to all other counties (rate groups 2
through 5, which require wrappings). Preferred rate publications mailing commingled nonsubscriber copies over the
10 percent limit at regular rates are completely reported on
their own statement. Postage at regular rates is no longer
reported on a separate Form 3541 and carried onto the
statement reporting subscriber copies.
Form 3541-M no longer allows reporting of foreign copies and does not allow reporting of ride-along pieces.
• Form 3602-C, Consolidated - Supplement Standard
Mail and Nonprofit Standard Mail
• Form 3602-EZ, Standard Mail - Easy - Nonautomation Letters or Flats - Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-R, Standard Mail Letters and Flats -
Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-RS, Standard Mail Subject to Surcharge
- Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-HR, Standard Mail Heavy Letters -
Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-P, Standard Mail Letters and Flats -
Postage Affixed
• Form 3602-PS, Standard Mail Subject to Surcharge
- Postage Affixed
• Form 3602-HP, Standard Mail Heavy Letters -
Postage Affixed
• Form 3602-C, Consolidated - Supplement Standard
Mail and Nonprofit Standard Mail
• Form 3602-NZ, Nonprofit Standard Mail - Easy -
Nonautomation Letters, or Flats - Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-N, Nonprofit Standard Mail Letters and
Flats - Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-NS, Nonprofit Standard Mail Subject to
Surcharge - Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-NHR, Nonprofit Standard Mail Heavy
Letters - Permit Imprint
• Form 3602-NP, Nonprofit Standard Mail Letters and
Flats - Postage Affixed
• Form 3602-NPS, Nonprofit Standard Mail Subject to
Surcharge - Postage Affixed
• Form 3602-NHP, Nonprofit Standard Mail Heavy
Letters - Postage Affixed
New Form 3602-C replaces the four consolidated Forms
3602-RV, 3602-PRV, 3602-NV, and 3602-PNV. The new
form permits any Standard Mail mailing to be submitted
under plant-verified drop shipment (PVDS) and can accommodate up to 10 destinations (drops). The previous consolidated Forms 3602 accommodated letters and flats only. All
pieces and postage are reported on the appropriate statement for the type of Standard Mail presented under PVDS.
The "total postage" line on Form 3602-C is for mailer use
only. All postage is taken from the attached postage statement (and entered into the Permit System). The mailer indicates the statement attached by checking the appropriate
box when completing the form. Form 3602-C acts as a
manually prepared "register of postage statements" and is
used by mailers relying on USPS-supplied Standard Mail
statements. Mailers that are approved to produce computer-generated facsimile statements and registers of postage
statements do not need to complete and submit Form
3602-C.
The EZ statements for a single nonautomation rate mailing of identical weight pieces paid with permit imprint are
expanded to accommodate pieces that may be subject to
the nonmachinable surcharge (lines E1 through E6).
Pieces not subject to the nonmachinable surcharge are
reported in lines B1 through B12. A note appears at the top
of the easy statements referencing checklists and other
tools available to mailers at Business Mail 101 on the Postal Explorer Web site (http://pe.usps.gov). Statements for
letters and flats now have separate entry lines for AADC
letters and mixed AADC letters (part A), replacing the
single entry lines for basic automation letters.
Unlike First-Class Mail mailings, Standard Mail mailings
of pieces subject to a surcharge must be reported on the
appropriate statements that reflect those charges (e.g.,
Form 3602-RS, Standard Mail Subject to Surcharge).
Should a mailing be presented with a statement for letters
and flats (e.g., Form 3602-R), and is later determined to be
subject to a surcharge (nonmachinable or residual shape),
the correct statement must be completed and signed by the
mailer before acceptance (e.g., Form 3602-RS). The Permit System does not allow reporting of mailings with an incorrect statement.
Form 3602-HR and Form 3602-NHR for heavy letters
(parts J and K) reflect rates that include the discount that
equals the nonletter piece rate minus the letter piece rate.
Mailers compute postage for permit imprint mailings of
heavy letters using the rates on the statement just as they
would compute rates on permit imprint statements, parts D,
G, and I. See DMM E630 and E640, as appropriate. Mailings of heavy letters with postage affixed (Form 3602-HP
and Form 3602-NHP) must have the full applicable rate
affixed to each piece in the mailing (DMM P013.8).
Parcel Post - Parcel Select
• Form 3605-PR, Parcel Post - Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-SR, Parcel Select - Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-PP, Parcel Post - Postage Affixed
• Form 3605-SP, Parcel Select - Postage Affixed
The only change to Parcel Post statements is the
addition of the entry line for nonmachinable Parcel Select-
DSCF parcels (J2) (see DMM E751.1).
Bound Printed Matter
• Form 3605-BFR, Bound Printed Matter Flats -
Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-DFR, Destination Entry Bound Printed
Matter Flats - Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-BFP, Bound Printed Matter Flats -
Postage Affixed
• Form 3605-DFP, Destination Entry Bound Printed
Matter Flats - Postage Affixed
• Form 3605-BPR, Bound Printed Matter Parcels -
Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-DPR, Destination Entry Bound Printed
Matter Parcels - Permit Imprint
• Form 3605-BPP, Bound Printed Matter Parcels -
Postage Affixed
• Form 3605-DPP, Destination Entry Bound Printed
Matter Parcels - Postage Affixed
With separate rates for Bound Printed Matter flats and
parcels, there are now two sets of statements: one set (four
statements) for flats one set (four statements) for parcels.
Page two formats now resemble those of Forms 3602 and
provide for easier computing of permit imprint postage.
BPM pieces must be reported on the appropriate
statements. Should a mailing be presented with a statement for flats and is later determined to be subject to parcel
rates, the correct statement must be completed and signed
by the mailer before acceptance. The Permit System does
not allow reporting of mailings with an incorrect statement.
Media Mail and Library Mail
• Form 3608-R, Media Mail and Library Mail - Permit
Imprint
• Form 3608-P, Media Mail and Library Mail - Postage
Affixed
Separate mailings of eligible Library Mail pieces and
Media Mail pieces can be reported on the same Form 3608.
Each mailing, however, must meet its own minimum and
must be prepared separately.
• Form 3540-S, Special Services
A new line (A1) allows mailers purchasing certificates of
mailing (for three or more listed on Form 3877) to pay postage and certificate of mailing fees with permit imprint. All
other forms of certificate of mailing must continue to pay the
fees using postage affixed to Form 3817 and Form 3606, as
appropriate. Line A9 is reserved for future use.
Effective June 30, 2002, mailers are no longer required
to present Form 3553, Coding Accuracy Support System
(CASS) Summary Report, with every automation-rate and
carrier route-rate mailings to document applicable address
matching standards. This is the only substantive change to
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) A950. Mailers (or their
agents) must continue to complete and retain Form 3553
and the summary output information for each list processed
in their files for 1 year from the date of each mailing. Also,
mailers must make the summary output report information
available to the Postal Service on 24-hour notice.
Language has also been added to applicable sections
throughout the DMM to remind mailers that a signature on a
postage statement certifies that the mailing complies with
all relevant standards, including address matching, and
that the mailing qualifies for the rates and fees claimed. The
affected DMM text can be found elsewhere in this Postal
Bulletin, and the entire DMM is available on Postal Explorer
Web site at http://pe.usps.gov.
Mailers with questions should contact their Post Office
where they enter their mailings. Employees with questions
should contact their district manager of business mail entry.
Effective June 30, 2002, mailings presented for verification and acceptance will document the date of address
matching and coding by annotating the postage statement(s) that accompanies the mailing. This is the same as
documenting the date of address sequencing for Periodicals carrier route mailings and for Standard Mail Enhanced
Carrier Route mailings (see DMM M050.4).
All First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail, and
Bound Printed Matter postage statements have been reformatted to permit documentation of appropriate address
matching requirements as required for each type and class
of mail. See the separate article in this Postal Bulletin on
page 112 that describes the changes to all postage statements. Effective June 30, 2002, mailers must use only the
June 2002 editions of postage statements (or approved
facsimiles). Earlier editions may not be used.
The June 2002 postage statements contain up to three
blocks for entering dates of address matching and coding
for automation-rate pieces, carrier route-rate pieces, and
carrier route address sequencing. Block(s) that do not relate to a particular mailing are shaded.
To avoid delays in mail acceptance, it is important to understand which date from Form 3553, section B "List," must
be annotated on the accompanying postage statement(s):
• For automation rate pieces, including pieces barcoded by mailers (presort service bureaus) using a
multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) for letters
or flats, the date when address matching was performed is in block 2a "Master File," or, for list mailers
using "Z4 Change," block 2b.
• For carrier route-rate pieces, the date when carrier
route coding was performed is in block 2d "CRIS"
(carrier route information system).
• For carrier route address sequencing (Periodicals
and Standard Mail only), the date when sequencing
was performed comes from one of the methods listed
in DMM M050.4.1. Only when a line-of-travel (LOT)
product is used for basic carrier route pieces will the
sequencing date come from Form 3553, block 2c
"LOT." Otherwise, the date is taken from the sequencing option used in DMM M050.4.1.
Whenever address matching is performed on different
dates (e.g., addresses from multiple lists matched on different dates and used in a single mailing) the date annotated
on the postage statement must be the earliest (oldest) date
of matching and within the appropriate time periods described below.
Unless Z4CHANGE is used, addresses on all automation-rate and carrier route-rate mailings must be ZIP+4
coded using current CASS-certified software and the USPS
database that is current the date when address matching is
performed as follows:
• For automation-rate mailings, ZIP+4 coding must be
performed within 180 days before the mailing date.
• For carrier route-rate mailings, carrier route coding
(and if applicable, address sequencing) must be performed within 90 days before the mailing date.
For mailers and list processors using Z4CHANGE: after
the entire address list is matched and ZIP+4 coded as described above, the list must be processed through
Z4CHANGE using USPS-certified software every 60 days
to identify any changed records within the file. After the
changed records are identified, those addresses must then
be matched and ZIP+4 coded using current CASS-certified
address matching software and the USPS database current the date when the matching is performed. The entire
address list must be rematched and ZIP+4 coded at least
every 3 years.
- Mail Preparation and Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 5-9-02
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