The term penalty mail refers to official mail, sent by U.S. government agencies, relating solely to the business of the U.S. government that is authorized by law to be carried in the mail without direct prepayment of postage. For this standard, agencies are departments, agencies, corporations, establishments, commissions, committees, and officers and authorities of the U.S. government authorized to use penalty mail. Please reference DMM section 703.7 for more information. DM-103, Official Mail Handbook, is currently offline and under revision.
Effective immediately, Official Mail Business Reply Mail (OB) should be entered daily into PostalOne!®, not weekly or monthly. To find or activate an agency to enter Business Reply Mail (BRM) at a specific location, follow these instructions:
1. Search for the agency by going to PostalOne! Account Management > New OMAS Account and selecting OMAS BUSINESS REPLY MAIL and ALL as the Account Status; click Search (PostalOne! will display a list of all OMAS BRM accounts).
2. Locate the BRM number provided by the agency wishing to activate the permit; click ACTIVATE in the left-hand column of the list, and you will be directed to the application page.
3. Complete the application page as you would for any permit holder.
For sites where the permit has already been activated but cannot be located using the permit number, follow these steps:
1. Search for the agency by running the Balances Report from the Reports page in PostalOne!
2. Find the Customer Registration Identification (CRID) on the balances report.
3. Go to Transactions and select Business Reply Mail.
4. Search for the agency using the CRID on the Account Search screen in PostalOne!
For Post Offices™ that do not have access to PostalOne!, contact your district finance office. If you have any issues entering OB, into PostalOne!, contact the PostalOne! help desk or send an email to omashq@usps.gov.
As of October 1, 2012, this is the current list of federal government agencies authorized to use Official Mail. The permit numbers for these agencies can be found in PostalOne! There are two changes in FY12 to this list:
n Reactivation of the Defense Logistics Agency/Department of Defense, Federal Agency #049.
n Removal of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Federal Agency #259.
If new Shipping and Mailing opportunities arise for branches/divisions within any of these agencies, ensure coordination with the agency’s mail manager. If you have additional questions or need more help with Official Mail, send an email to omashq@usps.gov.
— Revenue and Field Accounting,
Controller, 10-4-12
