An indicia is the imprinted block on a mailpiece that shows USPS the postage has been paid, and on bulk mail it is usually a permit imprint in the upper right corner. A permit imprint indicia names the mail class, reads "U.S. Postage Paid", and gives the city, state and permit number. A nonprofit indicia swaps in "Nonprofit Org." or a similar marking, which only USPS authorized organizations may use. DMM 604.5.3.1 allows a hand stamp to make the indicia. Here are the format rules and the nonprofit steps.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the USPS Domestic Mail Manual and Postal Explorer. Sources read September 2026.
Indicia format rules at a glance
| Rule | What USPS requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of indicia | An imprinted designation on mail showing postage payment, such as a permit imprint | Business Mail 101, Glossary |
| How it may be made | Printing press, hand stamp, lithography, mimeograph, multigraph, address plate or a similar device, embossed or not | DMM 604.5.3.1 |
| How it may not be made | Typewritten or hand drawn | DMM 604.5.3.1 |
| Approved layouts only | The indicia follows the listed standards and no other format may be used | DMM 604.5.3.2; DMM 604.5.3.11 |
| Legibility | Readable, in a color that contrasts with the paper; a different background color is allowed | DMM 604.5.3.3 |
| Placement | Upper right corner of the piece or of the address area, on an address label, or right of the address on a window insert | DMM 604.5.3.4 |
| Direction | Reads the same way as the delivery address; never below the address | DMM 604.5.3.4 |
| First-Class Mail content | Class, "U.S. Postage Paid", city and state, permit number; mailing date optional | DMM 604.5.3.6 |
| Marketing Mail content | Class, "U.S. Postage Paid", city and state, permit number; no mailing date | DMM 604.5.3.7 |
| Company permit | Exact name of the permit holder replaces city, state and permit number | DMM 604.5.3.9 |
| Nonprofit marking | "Nonprofit Organization", "Nonprofit Org." or "Nonprofit" | DMM 202.3.5.1 |
| Nonprofit authorization | PS Form 3624, filed before mailing at nonprofit prices; no filing fee | DMM 703.1.7 |
| Size | The basic formats state no dimensions; the optional format uses a clear area at least 1/2 inch high and 1/2 inch wide | DMM 604.5.3.12 |
What is an indicia on an envelope?
It is the printed postage block that replaces a stamp. Business Mail 101 defines indicia as an imprinted designation that denotes postage payment, and a permit imprint is the most common kind on bulk mail: USPS debits the postage from the mailer's account instead of counting stamps.
The word covers more than one payment method. A postage meter or PC Postage system also prints an indicia, one that shows the numerical value of the postage. A permit imprint indicia need not show a value; it identifies the permit, the amount is optional under DMM 604.5.3.6 and DMM 604.5.3.7, and the postage statement filed with the mailing records what was paid.
Business Mail 101 calls the permit imprint the most popular and convenient way to pay for high volume mailings, because nobody has to affix postage piece by piece. The tradeoff is that pieces in a permit imprint mailing generally must weigh exactly the same.
What must a permit imprint indicia show?
Four elements, in one of the formats USPS approves: the class of mail, "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state, and the permit number. DMM 604.5.3.2 says no other formats may be used, and the exhibit in DMM 604.5.3.11 shows the accepted layouts by class and price.
The class line changes the rest of the rules:
- First-Class Mail (DMM 604.5.3.6): optional extras are the mailing date, the postage amount or the number of ounces. A ZIP Code may follow the state, and "Mailed from ZIP Code" plus the 5-digit ZIP Code may replace the city and state.
- USPS Marketing Mail (DMM 604.5.3.7): optional extras are the postage amount, the weight and price markings. The mailing date must not appear.
- Extra services (DMM 604.5.3.8): the payment line may read "U.S. Postage and Fees Paid".
- Company permit (DMM 604.5.3.9): the holder's exact name replaces the city, state and permit number. Every piece then needs a complete domestic return address, and mailing records are kept for 1 year.
The class marking itself comes from DMM 202.3.5.1, which lets it sit inside the indicia, directly below it, or to its left. For the presort wording such as "PRSRT STD", see our page on presorted standard and presorted First-Class Mail.
Where does the indicia go on the mailpiece?
In the upper right corner. DMM 604.5.3.4 allows four spots: the upper right corner of the mailpiece, the upper right corner of the address area, the upper right area of an affixed address label, or to the right of the address on an insert showing through a window envelope.
The same subsection requires the indicia to read in the same direction as the delivery address. It may not be placed below the address or encroach on reserved space. With a window envelope, the indicia sits on the insert itself, to the right of the address that shows through the window.
Can an indicia be rubber stamped?
Yes. DMM 604.5.3.1 lists a hand stamp among the accepted ways to make a permit imprint indicia, and Business Mail 101 says a mailer whose pieces were already printed without the indicia can use a rubber stamp. What USPS rules out is a typed or hand drawn indicia.
The stamped version must meet the same tests as a printed one. It has to be legible, in a color that contrasts with the envelope (DMM 604.5.3.3), and laid out in an approved format. An indicia stamp is a production tool, not postage: the permit account still pays, and the mailing still goes to the issuing Post Office with its postage statement.
Engineer Seal Stamps can make a custom self-inking stamp that carries the indicia wording your permit allows. Give us the exact class line, city, state and permit number from your permit paperwork, or the company name for a company permit, through the custom stamp ordering page. One caution: this applies to permit imprints only. Reply mail is different, because USPS bars hand stamping of the Business Reply Mail design.
How big does an indicia have to be?
The basic formats in DMM 604.5.3 set no minimum or maximum size; they require legibility and contrast instead. The optional indicia format in DMM 604.5.3.12 is the exception: its content goes in a clear area at least 1/2 inch high and 1/2 inch wide near the upper right corner.
In practice the size is set by the corner you have to work with. The indicia must stay in the upper right, never below the address, and read in the address direction, so a stamp face sized to fit that space on your envelope is the useful measure. A related rule in DMM 604.5.3.5 applies when a piece carries urgent handling words such as "Rush Delivery": the class must be more prominent than the other words, and a clear space of at least 3/8 inch surrounds the indicia.
What is a nonprofit indicia?
It is a permit imprint for Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail. The class marking reads "Nonprofit Organization", "Nonprofit Org." or "Nonprofit" under DMM 202.3.5.1, and the rest of the block follows the Marketing Mail layout in DMM 604.5.3.7: "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state, and the permit number.
The marking is a claim to a price, so it may only go on mail from an organization USPS has authorized. DMM 703.1.1 limits nonprofit prices to organizations that meet the eligibility standards and have received specific authorization. DMM 703.1.5 adds that every nonprofit piece must identify the authorized organization, with its name and return address on the outside of the piece or in a prominent place on the material inside.
Authorization does not replace the permit. DMM 703.1.7.3 says it does not relieve the organization of obtaining mailing permits and paying the fees required for presorted prices.
Who qualifies to mail at nonprofit prices?
Nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose fits a category in DMM 703.1.2: religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic, agricultural, labor, veterans or fraternal. No net income may benefit a private stockholder. Certain political committees and voter registration officials qualify under DMM 703.1.3.
DMM 703.1.4 lists groups that do not qualify even when they are nonprofit, including automobile clubs, business leagues, chambers of commerce, civic associations, mutual insurance associations, service clubs, social and hobby clubs, trade associations, and individuals.
Federal tax exemption helps but does not decide the case. DMM 703.1.7.4 says an exemption is not required and is treated as evidence of qualification rather than the controlling factor.
How does an organization get nonprofit authorization?
It files PS Form 3624, the application to mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail prices, before any nonprofit mailing. DMM 703.1.7.2 says no fee is charged for filing, and Publication 417, chapter 3 says a responsible official applies at the Post Office where the organization plans to enter mailings.
The form goes in with evidence that the organization is nonprofit and fits a qualifying category (DMM 703.1.7.4). Mailing at other offices may call for PS Form 3623 under DMM 703.1.8.1 and Publication 417, chapter 3.
Timing matters for the first mailing. DMM 703.1.9.1 bars nonprofit prices before the form is approved, so a pending organization pays regular Marketing Mail prices. Once authorization is granted, DMM 703.1.9.3 allows a refund of the amount paid above the nonprofit price at the office where the pending mailings were made.
What content cannot go at nonprofit prices?
DMM 703.1.6.4 blocks nonprofit prices for material that advertises credit or debit cards, insurance, travel, and other products or services unless that section's conditions are met. The restrictions follow the content, so an authorized group can still lose nonprofit prices on a piece that advertises one of these.
Insurance advertising, for example, qualifies only when the policy is aimed at members and the coverage is not generally available commercially. Travel qualifies only when the trip contributes substantially to the organization's purpose. Other products must be substantially related to that purpose.
The indicia cannot be shared either. DMM 703.1.6.1 says an authorized organization may not delegate or lend its nonprofit authorization to another person or organization, and DMM 703.1.6.3 limits cooperative mailings to cases where each partner is authorized, with an exception for fundraising mail for the authorized group.
How do you get a permit imprint for bulk mail?
File PS Form 3615 at the Post Office where you will mail (DMM 604.5.1.4). A one-time application fee applies (QSG 604d), and DMM 604.5.1.5 limits it to permits paying for First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, Bound Printed Matter flats and international mail, except for eVS users.
Each mailing then needs at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds (DMM 604.5.1.2), identical weight pieces unless USPS approves otherwise (DMM 604.5.1.8), and deposit at the issuing office (DMM 604.5.1.11). Presorted prices also carry the annual mailing fee, and DMM 604.5.2.2 allows revocation after 2 straight years without a mailing.
People searching for "bulk mail stamps" usually mean one of two things. USPS sells precanceled stamps for presorted mail, which still need a permit application. An office rubber stamp, by contrast, prints the indicia wording and pays nothing; the permit account pays.
What goes on an indicia stamp order?
Send the wording exactly as your permit and class allow: the class or nonprofit marking, "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state of the issuing office, and the permit number. A company permit holder sends the exact name of the permit holder instead of the city, state and number.
- Confirm the class line against DMM 202.3.5.1 and the layout against the exhibit in DMM 604.5.3.11.
- Leave off the mailing date for Marketing Mail and nonprofit mail.
- Order the nonprofit version only after PS Form 3624 is approved.
- Choose a dark ink that contrasts with your envelope stock.
- Test an impression on a spare envelope and check that it reads the same way as the address.
Our guide to ordering custom stamps covers proof approval before production.
Frequently asked questions
Can a mail house use our nonprofit indicia for another client?
No. DMM 703.1.6.1 bars an authorized organization from lending or delegating its nonprofit authorization, and DMM 703.1.6.3 allows a cooperative mailing at nonprofit prices only when each organization taking part is authorized, apart from a narrow fundraising exception.
Is our IRS exemption letter enough to use a nonprofit indicia?
No. USPS authorization on PS Form 3624 comes first. DMM 703.1.7.4 treats a federal tax exemption as evidence of qualification, not the deciding factor, and says an exemption is not required.
Can we mail at nonprofit prices while our application is pending?
No. DMM 703.1.9.1 requires approval first. Pay regular USPS Marketing Mail prices at the same office, and after authorization DMM 703.1.9.3 allows a refund of the difference paid at that office.
Can one indicia be used at a Post Office other than the one that issued it?
Only in limited cases. DMM 604.5.3.10 allows it for full-service automation mailings or under an authorized system for mailings with different payment methods, with records kept for 2 years. Otherwise DMM 604.5.1.11 sends the mailing to the issuing office.
Does an indicia ever show the amount of postage?
It may. DMM 604.5.3.6 and DMM 604.5.3.7 let the postage amount appear as an optional element, but neither requires it.
Can we highlight the indicia with a colored background?
Yes. DMM 604.5.3.3 allows a different color to highlight the background, as long as the indicia stays legible and contrasts with the paper.
When your permit wording is confirmed, order it as a custom stamp sized for the corner of your envelope.
