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USPS Direct Mail Guide

Independent guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by USPS.

Bulk mail permits

To pay commercial prices you need a way to pay postage on hundreds or thousands of pieces at once. For most bulk mailers that's a permit imprint: a printed indicia instead of stamps, with postage drawn from an account at the time of mailing.

Checked 2026-11-07

The payment options

MethodHow it worksGood for
Permit imprintPrinted indicia, postage paid from an advance deposit accountMost bulk mailings
Postage meter or PC PostageIndicia printed per pieceMailers who already meter
Precanceled stampsSpecial stamps for presorted mail, sold to permit holdersA stamp look on bulk mail

How to apply for a permit imprint

  1. Complete PS Form 3615, either at the Post Office where you'll mail or online through the Business Customer Gateway.
  2. Pay the $390 permit imprint application fee. It applies when the permit pays for First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail and a few other classes, unless you use the USPS Ship program.
  3. Pay the annual mailing fee for your class: $390 for Marketing Mail, or $390 for the First-Class presort fee.
  4. Fund the advance deposit account before each mailing.

The rules that come with it

  • Minimum: at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds per mailing, and more for some prices.
  • Same weight: pieces in a permit imprint mailing must weigh the same, unless you're in USPS's Seamless Acceptance program.
  • Faced: all addresses facing the same way.
  • Where: mail is entered at the Post Office that issued the permit, unless it's a plant-verified drop shipment.
  • Indicia: every piece carries the permit imprint indicia showing postage is paid.

Total first-year cost

FeeAmount
Permit imprint application$390
Annual mailing fee (one class)$390
Total before postage$780

If you mail both Marketing Mail and presorted First-Class, each class has its own $390 annual fee.

Do you need your own?

Not necessarily. Many printers and mail houses hold permits and mail under them for their clients, which saves you the fees. Ask whose permit your mailing will use.

How much is a bulk mail permit?

$390 to apply for a permit imprint, plus a $390 annual mailing fee for each class you mail at commercial prices.

What form do I need?

PS Form 3615, filed at the Post Office where you'll mail or online through the Business Customer Gateway.

Can I use my permit at any Post Office?

Generally, mail goes to the Post Office that issued the permit, except plant-verified drop shipments.