Effective March 7, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 505.1.0, to clarify that Retail First-Class Mail® or Priority Mail® prices are required in addition to the per piece fee for Basic and High Volume BRM pieces.
Additionally, we are clarifying that Qualified Business Reply Mail™ (QBRM™) letters cannot exceed two ounces.
Although this clarification will not be published in the DMM until March 7, 2016, this revision is effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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505 Return Services
1.0 Business Reply Mail
1.1 BRM Postage and Fees
1.1.1 Basic BRM
[Revise the first sentence of 1.1.1 to read as follows:]
For basic BRM, a permit holder is required to pay an annual permit fee under 1.2 and a per piece fee under 1.1.7 in addition to the applicable Retail First-Class Mail (metered for letters) or Priority Mail postage for each returned piece.***
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1.1.5 Bulk Weight Averaged Nonletter-Size BRM
[Revise the text of 1.1.5 to read as follows:]
In addition to an annual permit fee, per piece fee, and the applicable Retail First-Class Mail or Priority Mail postage, permit holders participating in bulk weight averaged, nonletter-size BRM under 1.8 must pay an annual account maintenance fee and a monthly maintenance fee.
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1.3 Basic Standards
1.3.1 Description
[Revise the second sentence of 1.3 to read as follows:]
***The permit holder guarantees payment of the applicable Retail First-Class Mail or Priority Mail postage, plus a per piece fee, on all returned BRM which includes any incomplete, blank, or empty BRM cards and envelopes and any mailable matter with a BRM label affixed.***
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1.6 Additional Standards for Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM)
1.6.1 Description
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[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. Is a letter weighing two ounces or less or card that is prepared to meet the automation compatibility requirements in 201.3.0 (except 201.3.13.1).
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http:⁄⁄pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 2-18-16
