Effective November 2, 2026, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 234.2.0, to reflect that the Postal Service has added a standard that allows authorized Combined/Full-Service mailers to affix postage at any applicable First-Class Mail® rate and apply the overpaid-piece postage to the underpaid pieces in the mailing.
Section 604.4.5.1 will also be revised to reflect that the Postal Service allows customers to use an inkjet printer to correct the date on metered barcoded letter and flat-size mailings.
Although these revisions will not be published in the DMM until November 2, 2026, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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230 Commercial Mail First-Class Mail
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234 Postage Payment and Documentation
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2.0 Affixing Postage to Presorted and Automation Letters and Flats
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2.2 Affixing Postage at Less than Full Price to All Pieces
[Add a title to read as follows between the title of 2.2 and the introductory text of 2.2 and renumber current 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 as new 2.2.2 and 2.2.3, respectively:]
2.2.1 General
[Revise the text of new 2.2.1 to read as follows:]
A mailer may affix postage at a price other than the full postage price as provided in 2.2.2, 2.2.3, and 2.2.4.
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[Add new 2.2.4 to read as follows:]
2.2.4 Combined Alternative
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, authorized Combined/Full-Service mailers, with proper documentation (see 203.2.0), may affix postage at any applicable First-Class Mail rate and apply the overpaid piece postage to reduce the additional piece postage for the underpaid pieces in the mailing. No Value-Added refund for flat-size mailings will be provided.
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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[Revise the title of 604 to read as follows:]
604 Postage-Payment Methods and Refunds
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4.0 Postage Meters and PC Postage Products (“Postage Evidencing Systems”)
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4.5 Special Indicia
4.5.1 Date and Postage Corrections
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[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. A date correction indicium is required for any mailpiece not deposited by the date of mailing in the indicium. Only one date correction indicium is permitted on a mailpiece. For all postage evidencing systems except PC Postage systems, a date correction must show the actual date of deposit and zero postage value (“0.00”). Mailers must place the date correction as follows:
1. On letter-size mail: On the nonaddress side in the upper-right corner or on the address side in the lower-left corner.
2. On flat-size mail or parcels: Next to the original indicium.
3. On barcoded mailings, an inkjet printer may be used to correct the date in the indicia if the text is preceded by two asterisks and shows the actual date of deposit, city, state, and 3-digit ZIP Code of the mailing office above the address block and below the indicia.
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 10-1-26
