Publishers will soon have an even bigger incentive to keep their mail lists updated and current. Effective November 23, the United States Postal Service is implementing new mail-list requirements for First-Class and Standard A mailers who claim presorted or automation rates, and is instructing those mailers to make corrections to their lists within 95 days before the mailing date. This new regulation is being enforced to help improve the percentage of deliverable mail, and publishers who do not comply with this new standard could lose their mailing discounts.

The Postal Service has approved four methods for mailers to use. Effective May 12, the postal forms will have a section that allows mailers to check which method they are using. Contact your local Post Office for help choosing one:

1. Address Change Service (ACS) helps business mailers by providing an electronic means of obtaining accurate change-of-address information to reduce the volume of printed address-correction notifications.

2. National Change of Address (NCOA) Linkage System is an address-correction service provided to mailers by companies licensed by the Postal Service. Updated address information for the entire country is provided to these licensed companies from the USPS and compared to submitted mail lists.

3. FASTforward system consists of a Postal Service-owned and user-licensed computer system containing name and address matching software and a change-of-address database. These are updated weekly.

4. Ancillary Service Endorsements. Within this option there are four specific ancillary services that may be used to request a printed notification of the new address and provide the Postal Service with instruction on how to handle any undeliverable mail.

Though this new standard does not go into effect until November, it’s not too early to start reviewing your system and implementing address changes. For more information please contact your local Post Office or visit their website at www.usps.com.