ARCHIVED DMM - MAY 12, 2008
  DMM TOC > 400 Discount Parcels > 450 Parcel Post

454 Postage Payment and Documentation

1.0 Basic Standards for Postage Payment

1.1 Postage Payment Options

[5-12-08] Mailing fees must be paid for the current 12-month period at the Postal Service facility where postage is paid for the mailing.

a. The mailer is responsible for proper postage payment. Subject to the corresponding standards, postage for Parcel Select mail may be paid by permit imprint or meter postage. Each piece with meter postage must bear the correct postage. Permit imprint may be used for mailings that contain nonidentical-weight pieces only when authorized by Business Mailer Support. Permit imprint may be used for identical-weight pieces provided the mail can be separated at acceptance into groups that each contain pieces subject to the same zone and same combination of prices (e.g., all are zone 4, Inter-BMC, with a BMC presort discount and a barcode discount). Identical-weight permit imprint mail may also be mailed under 705.2.0 through 705.4.0 in Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems.

b. Except for plant-verified drop shipments (see 705.15.0), Electronic Verification System (eVS) shipments (see 705.2.9), and metered mail drop shipments (see 705.18.0), the mailer must have a meter license or permit imprint authorization at the destination facility parent Post Office for mailings deposited for entry at a DBMC or ASF, at a DSCF, or at the parent Post Office of a DDU. Except for manifested mail using eVS under 705.2.9, postage and fees are paid to the Post Office that verifies the mailings. The mailer must ensure that Form 8125 accompanies plant-verified drop shipments along with mailing documentation.

1.2 BMC as Agent

The DBMC may verify and accept mail if authorized by PS Form 4410, Authorization for BMC Acceptance, to act as an agent for the parent post office where the mailer's account, or license is held (see Exhibit 1.2).

Exhibit 1.2 Need Title

Facility

Parent Post Office

Zone Chart

Albuquerque ASF

Albuquerque NM 87101-9998

870

Atlanta BMC

Atlanta GA 30304-9998

300

Billings ASF

Billings MT 59101-9998

590

Buffalo ASF

Buffalo NY 14240-9998

140

Chicago BMC

Chicago IL 60607-9998

600

Cincinnati BMC

Cincinnati OH 45234-9998

410

Dallas BMC

Dallas TX 75260-9998

750

Denver BMC

Denver CO 80202-9998

800

Des Moines BMC

Des Moines IA 50318-9998

500

Detroit BMC

Detroit MI 48233-9998

480

Fargo ASF

Fargo ND 58102-9998

580

Greensboro BMC

Greensboro NC 27420-9998

270

Jacksonville BMC

Jacksonville FL 32203-9998

320

Kansas City BMC

Kansas City KS 66106-9998

640

Los Angeles BMC

Los Angeles CA 90052-9998

900

Memphis BMC

Memphis TN 38101-9998

375

Minneapolis BMC

Minneapolis MN 55401-9998

540

New Jersey Int'l & BMC

Newark NJ 07102-9998

070

Oklahoma City ASF

Oklahoma City OK 73125-9998

730

Philadelphia BMC

Philadelphia PA 19104-9998

080

Phoenix ASF

Phoenix AZ 85026-9998

850

Pittsburgh BMC

Pittsburgh PA 15290-9998

150

St. Louis BMC

Saint Louis MO 63155-9998

620

Salt Lake City ASF

Salt Lake City UT 84199-9998

840

San Francisco BMC

Oakland CA 94615-9998

945

Seattle BMC

Seattle WA 98109-9998

980

Sioux Falls ASF

Sioux Falls SD 57101-9998

570

Springfield BMC

Springfield MA 01101-9998

010

Washington BMC

Southern MD 20790-9998

206

1.3 Completing Postage Statements

All metered and permit imprint mailings of 50 pieces or more, except manifested mail using eVS under 705.2.9, must be accompanied by a postage statement completed and signed by the mailer (in duplicate if the mailer wants a receipted copy). A change made to any postage statement requires the mailer (agent) to correct the postage statement and document the correction.

1.4 Documentation

Mailings must be documented as follows:

a. Postage Statement. A complete, signed postage statement, using the correct USPS form or an approved facsimile, must accompany each mailing.

b. Other Documentation. When presented for acceptance, documentation of postage by entry office and presort level (e.g., by DBMC, OBMC Presort and BMC Presort mail and by 5-digit ZIP Code for DSCF and DDU prices) is required under 705.2.0 through 705.4.0 in Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems. Except for DSCF, mail palletized under the alternate preparation option that requires separate documentation, other documentation is not required when the correct price is affixed to each piece, or when each piece is of identical weight and the pieces are separated by zone and within each zone are grouped by pieces subject to the same combination of prices. DSCF mail palletized under the alternate preparation option in 705.8.0 must submit the detailed documentation required in 705.8.20.2.

1.5 Basic Documentation Standards

Unless manifested using eVS under 705.2.9, mailings presented to the USPS generally require documentation. Supporting documentation of postage is required unless the correct price is affixed to each piece or each piece is of identical weight and the pieces are separated by postage when presented for acceptance. Documentation describes the preparation, price level, and content of the mailing; details the volume and postage data; and, by comparison with the actual mailing it describes, supports the claims contained on the postage statement accompanying the mailing and allows the USPS to verify its accuracy. Documentation must be submitted when specified for the price claimed or payment method used.

1.6 Preparing Documentation

As provided by standards, documentation may be presented in abbreviated form or on computer-readable media. Required documentation must be presented with every mailing unless, by standard, it may be provided to support multiple mailings or mailings that are part of the same job or cycle.

1.7 Multiple Standards

If multiple documentation standards apply to the same mailing, only one set of documentation is necessary if it provides enough information to meet all applicable standards. Redundant or duplicate documentation is not required simply to meet individual standards.

1.8 Providing Additional Information

The postmaster of the office of mailing may require additional information if the documentation submitted does not allow the corresponding mailing to be verified. Failure to provide information is sufficient reason for the USPS to refuse a mailing. The mailer may appeal any determination to the PCSC under 607.

1.9 Reporting Multiple Mailings on One Statement

Each group of pieces prepared as a separate mailing must be presented with a postage statement using the correct USPS form for the price and postage payment method. A mailer may report more than one mailing from a single job on the same postage statement if: the mailings are presented at the same time for verification; the pieces are in the same processing category; each mailing separately meets all applicable eligibility standards; and the number of pieces in each mailing is separately reported on the postage statement.

1.10 Facsimile Postage Statements

Facsimile postage statements must contain data and elements in locations as close as possible to where they appear on the USPS form. Data fields that do not pertain to information and prices claimed in the mailing, and other extraneous information that appears on the USPS form, do not have to be included. Facsimiles must include all other information pertaining to the mailing such as the postage payment method (e.g., permit imprint), and four-digit form number (hyphen and suffix optional). All parts, and line numbers within each part, must reflect those on the USPS form. In some cases, this can include fields from multiple USPS forms onto a single facsimile. Most importantly, the facsimile must fully and exactly reproduce the "Certification" and "USPS Use Only" fields that appear on the USPS form. A facsimile postage statement produced by software certified by the USPS Presort Accuracy Validation and Evaluation (PAVE) or Manifest Analysis and Certification (MAC) program is considered a USPS-approved form for these standards. Others may be approved by the entry office postmaster.

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ARCHIVED DMM - MAY 12, 2008
ARCHIVED DMM - MAY 12, 2008