Instructions for “Marked Copy” Validation Process

From the NNA Postal Committee

This compliance requirement meets the mandates of Domestic Mail Manual Section 207.16.2, which requires publishers to provide the percentage of advertising in each mailed issue. These percentages are listed on Postage Statement, PS Form 3541. Under the traditional method, publishers are required to present a marked hard copy of each edition of each issue for which a mailing statement is filed.

In addition to the traditional method for validating a publication’s advertising percentage, a new annual option is now available. To take advantage of it, follow these steps.

  1. Email the USPS PostalOne! Help Desk at telephone 1-800-522-9085 option 3, then 6.
  2. Attach the completed excel form providing information about your publication.A separate form is needed for each publication.
  3. Wait for the Help Desk to acknowledge your request by email. Verify that the information is correct and,if necessary, send a follow up email to the Help Deskwith any additional changes. Your postmaster or Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) will contact you to confirm the start date for your enrollment at which time you will stop submitting marked copies with each issue or edition. It doesn’t hurt for you to follow up with your local USPS associate if you haven’t been contacted in a reasonable amount of time. Throughout the year, it is important to retain a marked copy ofeach published issue and edition forUSPS review (September-October).
  4. Your next action will be in September-October, 2017. At that time, the postmaster or BMEU will contact you with a request to submit the selected issue(s)to the post office or BMEU.
  5. If the advertising percentage for the initial marked copy sampled is less than or equal to 5% of the amount of advertising claimed on Form 3541 no assessment is applied and you will be approved for another year.
  6. If the advertising percentage for the marked copy sampled is greater than 5% of the amount of advertising claimed on Form 3541, an assessment may be applied to the initial issue and the USPS will review an additional 4 marked copies. If any of the 4 sampled aregreater than 5% of the amount of advertising claimed on Form 3541, an assessment may be applied to the additional 4 issues. A final assessment, averaging the difference of the additional 4 samples, may be applied to any un-sampled issues published throughout the year.
  7. Remember that the postage payment being examined is for your Outside County copies, and then only for the pound price postage percentage for the issues. Thus, adjustments should be relatively minor if they occur. But if your issues fail, it may signal that you and the USPS do not agree on your measurement system, and you may need to work together to be back in sync to remain in the program for the year.
  8. You will have a right to appeal if you disagree with any postage assessment.
  9. If all is well, just keep mailing. You won’t hear from the postmaster again for validation until September 2018.

As always, NNA members are always welcome to contact Max Heath, Tonda Rush or the Postal Committee for assistance. Our help is free as a member benefit. And, we are always pleased to get feedback. Thanks for being an NNA member!