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Getting help from USPS: help desks, centers and councils

A business mailer reaches USPS through help desks for its online systems, local offices and analysts for its mailings, and a national center for rulings. The PostalOne! Help Desk supports the Business Customer Gateway, and the Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center helps with payment accounts. Mailers advise USPS through Postal Customer Councils, the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee and the National Postal Forum.

Updated November 5, 202666 sources

Questions

Who do I contact for help with the USPS Business Customer Gateway?

The PostalOne! Help Desk supports the Business Customer Gateway, from account setup to account administration, at 1-800-522-9085, option 3. Questions about the gateway can also go to IntelligentMailSupport@usps.gov: Business Customer Gateway.

How do I contact the USPS Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center?

The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center, or MSSC, answers at 1-877-672-0007 or MSSC@usps.gov. It helps set up Enterprise Payment System accounts and handles password resets, system logon and site administrator roles. Commercial customers can also send it service requests through the MyMSSC Portal: Business Customer Gateway.

How do I contact a USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst?

The MDA Support Center answers at 855-593-6093 or mda@usps.gov, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. Mailpiece Design Analysts are the primary USPS contact for technical questions on mailpiece design, including automation barcoding: mailpiece design.

How do I find my USPS Business Service Network representative?

PostalPro's BSN lookup tool finds the Business Service Network representatives in an area. The Business Service Network is a nationwide group of trained specialists that serves USPS's largest customers as a single point of contact. The lookup tool is one of PostalPro's locators, its tools for finding USPS offices and services.

Who do I contact for help with USPS Informed Visibility?

The IV Solutions Center helps with all areas of Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting, or IV-MTR, at 1-800-238-3150, option 2, or InformedVisibility@usps.gov. It is part of the National Customer Support Center and can address most issues on the first call: IV-MTR.

Where can I find the USPS Domestic Mail Manual?

The Domestic Mail Manual is on USPS's Postal Explorer website, in PDF and HTML formats. It holds the standards for domestic mail and all postage prices and fees. Postal Explorer also holds the International Mail Manual, price calculators and zone charts.

How do I ask USPS for an exception to a mailing standard?

A mailer must send an exception request first to the Business Mail Entry Unit where the mail is presented or paid for. Its manager decides the request, and sends one outside that office's purview to the Pricing and Classification Service Center. No exception is granted for prices.

Who can join the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee?

The members of the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee, or MTAC, are mailing industry associations and organizations. Its user groups bring together the users of one postal product or process and postal experts. Instructions for joining User Group 4, an open forum on mail visibility, are on the IV-MTR PostalPro page: mail tracking.

How it fits together

USPS's rules for domestic mail are in the Domestic Mail Manual, its manual of standards for mail classes, price eligibility and mail preparation. USPS announces changes in the Postal Bulletin, a biweekly publication, and publishes proposed and final rules in the Federal Register. Postal Explorer is USPS's online library of mailing requirements, and PostalPro is its website of resources such as publications and technical guides.

The PostalOne! Help Desk supports the Business Customer Gateway, USPS's single entry point for online business services. The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center takes questions about accounts, account access and electronic documentation. The National Customer Support Center in Memphis supports Address Change Service and houses the IV Solutions Center for IV-MTR.

A business's local support is its Business Mail Entry Unit and its Mailpiece Design Analyst. The Business Service Network supports USPS's largest customers. The Pricing and Classification Service Center is a national center for mail classification decisions, and decides exception requests outside a local manager's purview.

Postal Customer Councils connect businesses with local USPS managers. The Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee gives USPS technical information, advice and recommendations. The National Postal Forum is an annual conference and trade show for mailers, postal management and suppliers.

Where the rules are published

The Domestic Mail Manual is USPS's manual of standards for domestic mail services, price eligibility and mail preparation, with all postage prices and fees. Its official title is Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual. The International Mail Manual holds the official prices and standards for international mail. Customer Support Rulings help USPS employees and customers apply the Domestic Mail Manual, with examples of specific mailpieces.

The Postal Bulletin is a biweekly publication of instructions and changes in policy, procedure and standards. Its notices are in force for one year unless they revise permanent standards or set another period. USPS publishes proposed rules for public comment, and final rules such as prices, in the Federal Register. Notices in either, or in the Domestic Mail Manual, can amend or rescind the procedures in USPS's technical guides for Address Change Service.

Postal Explorer is USPS's online library of mailing requirements for business mailers. It holds the Domestic Mail Manual, the International Mail Manual and price calculators. PostalPro is USPS's website of resources on its programs, including publications, price changes and technical guides. Its pages include fact sheets on USPS programs, a forms finder and webinars for the mailing industry.

Publication 32, the Glossary of Postal Terms, defines the most widely used words and phrases unique to USPS. Where its definition contradicts a current USPS directive, the directive's definition wins.

Domestic Mail Manual

Also called DMM

“The USPS manual that contains the standards governing domestic mail services, descriptions of the mail classes and services and conditions governing their uses, standards for price eligibility and mail preparation, and all postage prices and fees.”

Postal Bulletin

Also called PB

“A biweekly publication that announces instructions and changes in policy, procedure, and standards. Issued since 1880, the Postal Bulletin is sent electronically to most postal units and certain employees and in printed form to selected postal units; it is also available to public subscribers. Notices in the Postal Bulletin are in force for 1 year unless they revise permanent standards or specify a different effective period.”

Postal Explorer

Also called PE

“Virtual library of postal information designed for business mailers in an easy-to-use format.”

PostalPro

Also called PostalPro website, USPS PostalPro website, USPS PostalPro site

“Website to find resources on current USPS programs including Publications, Industry Alerts, Price Changes, and Technical Guides.”

Publication 32

Also called Glossary of Postal Terms

“This glossary defines the most widely used words and phrases unique to, or with special meaning within, the United States Postal Service®.”

International Mail Manual

Also called IMM

“The directive that contains official prices and standards for all international mail services.”

Federal Register

Also called FR

“A daily weekday publication distributed by the Office of the Federal Register in which certain U.S. government documents must be published. USPS uses the Federal Register to publish proposed rules for public comment, final rules on various regulations including pricing, and various other types of notices.”

Customer Support Ruling

Also called CSR

“An official clarification of a mailing requirement issued by USPS when needed. The ruling presents examples of specific mailpieces and an analysis of how the mailing standard applies.”

Help desks and support centers

The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center, or MSSC, takes questions about business accounts, account access and electronic documentation. It helps set up Enterprise Payment System accounts and handles password resets, system logon and site administrator roles. Shippers can enroll in USPS Ship through their local salesperson or the MSSC. It answers Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., at 1-877-672-0007 or MSSC@usps.gov.

The PostalOne! Help Desk helps customers with questions or problems in PostalOne!, the system that links a customer's mailing information to USPS acceptance. It also supports the Business Customer Gateway, from account setup to account administration. It answers Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, by email or telephone. Its number is (800) 522-9085 and its email postalone@email.usps.gov. After-hours staff take some issues and pass unresolved ones to the help desk the next workday.

Mail.dat is the mailing industry's standardized format for sending a mailing's details to PostalOne!, and one of the eDoc formats. PostalOne! builds the mailing's postage statements and qualification reports from the files.

Must
Mailers must work with the PostalOne! Help Desk to start the approval process for their software, and must be approved in the TEM environment, prior to sending Mail.dat transactions to the Production environment.

A mailer must start its software's approval with the PostalOne! Help Desk. The software must be approved in the Test Environment for Mailers before the mailer sends Mail.dat files to production.

The National Customer Support Center, or NCSC, provides products and services that improve addressing quality, such as testing of address matching software. It is in Memphis. USPS supports Address Change Service through it, and its ACS Department answers at (877) 640-0724, option 1, or acs@usps.gov.

The IV Solutions Center is part of the NCSC and helps with all areas of IV-MTR. It helps with onboarding, accounts and visibility issues. It can address most issues on the first call and escalates the rest as needed. It answers at 1-800-238-3150, option 2, or InformedVisibility@usps.gov.

The Special Services team is the subject matter experts for USPS's Special Services products, such as Certified Mail and Registered Mail. Business mailers can buy stamps directly from Stamp Fulfillment Services. The Corporate Information Security Office takes questions about USPS cybersecurity guidelines at CyberSafe@usps.gov.

PostalOne! System Help Desk

Also called PostalOne! Help Desk

“The PostalOne! Program has a staffed PostalOne! System Help Desk to assist customers who may have questions or need assistance with a problem or technical issue with the PostalOne! System.”

National Customer Support Center

Also called NCSC, National Customer Service Center

“An organization that provides information, services, and products (e.g., address management software programs such as the City State product, zone charts, directories, testing of ZIP+4 code or delivery point code address matching software) that improve addressing quality for mailings that qualify for certain prices.”

IV Solutions Center

Also called IVSC

“The IV Solutions Center is part of the Postal Service’s National Customer Support Center (NCSC) and provides assistance with all areas of the IV-MTR application”

Special Services

“The Special Services team is the subject matter experts for all USPS Special Services products.”

Corporate Information Security Office (CISO)

Also called CISO

“In support of the Postal Service’s mission to protect its critical stakeholders, the Corporate Information Security Office (CISO) was established to safeguard the USPS network, monitor threats, and respond to incidents.”

PostalOne!

Also called PostalOne! system

“the information management system that provides an electronic linkage between a customer’s mailing information and the Postal Service’s business mail acceptance and induction processes. It produces postage statements and supporting documentation.”

Local and account contacts

A business's local support is its Business Mail Entry Unit and its Mailpiece Design Analyst. A Business Mail Entry Unit is the area of a postal facility where mailers present bulk, presorted and permit mail for acceptance. Questions about a Periodicals statement of ownership, for example, should go to the local Business Mail Entry Unit. PostalPro's locators find USPS offices and services, from Address Management Systems offices to a ZIP Code.

Mailpiece Design Analysts are postal employees specially trained to answer questions on mailpiece design. They give advice and issue rulings on whether a mailpiece qualifies for automation prices. A Business Mail Entry Unit representative or a Mailpiece Design Analyst also helps a mailer complete a Mailer ID application. The MDA Support Center answers at 855-593-6093 or mda@usps.gov.

The Business Service Network, or BSN, is a nationwide group of trained specialists that supports USPS's largest customers. It is their single point of contact for resolving service issues, giving information and handling requests. It works with other USPS functions, such as mail processing and delivery, to improve service mainly for managed accounts. PostalPro's BSN lookup tool finds the representatives in an area.

Business Service Network

Also called BSN

“Business Service Network locations offer business mailers personalized service and help with unique mailing needs.”

Mailpiece Design Analyst

Also called MDA

“Postal employees specially trained to answer your questions regarding mail piece design.”

Business Mail Entry Unit

Also called BMEU, BME, PAU, Business Mail Entry, platform acceptance unit

“The area of a postal facility where mailers present bulk, presorted, and permit mail for acceptance.”

Rulings on prices and standards

The Pricing and Classification Service Center, or PCSC, is a national center that gives customers and USPS field employees one source for mail classification decisions. It gives guidance on mailing standards and handles customer requests for exceptions. A mailer must send an exception request first to the Business Mail Entry Unit where the mail is presented or paid for. That office's manager decides it, or sends it to the PCSC when it falls outside the manager's purview.

A mailer at one location with an established local Business Mail Entry relationship should keep sending its inquiries to its local contacts. The Manager of Business Mail Entry refers matters to the PCSC case by case. National Customer Rulings, a voluntary program, issues classification decisions on proposed mailings before they reach a Business Mail Entry Unit. New Customer Support Rulings are issued by the Manager, Mailing Standards, in Washington, DC.

Councils, committees and the Forum

A Postal Customer Council belongs to a national program, set up in 1961, that strengthens communication between businesses using the mail and local USPS managers. Its meetings, clinics and seminars keep members abreast of postal products, services and policy changes. PCCInsider is a monthly publication for business mailers who are members of a Postal Customer Council.

The Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee is a group of mailing industry representatives and USPS officials. It gives USPS technical information, advice and recommendations about postal services, programs and requirements. Its members are mailing industry associations and organizations. General sessions meet quarterly at USPS Headquarters, and industry representatives pass what they learn to their associations' members. Its work is done in work groups on the issues the industry and USPS consider most important.

MTAC's user groups bring together the users of one postal product or process and postal experts. User Group 4 is an open forum on mail visibility and IV-MTR, and its joining instructions are on the IV-MTR PostalPro page. User Group 12 is a forum for industry leaders and USPS representatives on Informed Delivery.

The National Postal Forum, or NPF, is an annual educational conference and trade show for mailers, postal management and suppliers of postal products. It runs four days every spring and works directly with USPS managers. The NPF is a not-for-profit educational corporation that mailers set up in 1968.

The Delivery Technology Advocacy Council, or DTAC, is a member-driven organization that works to advance postal and transportation technologies across the supply chain. The Mail.dat File Specification comes from DTAC, and Mail.dat files sent to PostalOne! must be in the format it maintains. The Association For Electronic Enhancement is a forum for mailers, primarily First-Class mailers, to represent their common interest to USPS. USPS's Innovations service collects and reviews ideas from the mailing community.

Postal Customer Council

Also called PCC

“A national program established in 1961 to strengthen communications between businesses using the mail and local USPS managers and to make local mail service more efficient, improve mail processing and delivery operations, and foster greater customer satisfaction. Regular meetings, educational programs, mailer clinics, and seminars keep members abreast of postal developments in products, services, and technology as well as policy and regulatory changes.”

PCCInsider

“A monthly hardcopy and online publication that is designed for business mailers who are members of a Postal Customer Council (PCC). It contains information and updates on products and services, new prices, and policy issues.”

Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee

Also called MTAC, MAILERS' TECHINCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

“A group of mailing industry representatives and USPS officials that provides technical information, advice, and recommendations about postal services, programs, regulations, and requirements.”

Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) User Group 4

Also called UG4, MTAC UG4, Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee User Group 4

“UG4 is an open forum for representatives from USPS and the mailing industry to discuss mail visibility and IV-MTR.”

Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) User Group 12

“forum for industry leaders and USPS representatives to discuss Informed Delivery”

National Postal Forum

Also called NPF, Postal Forum

“An annual educational conference and trade show offering mailers, postal management, and suppliers of postal products and systems a venue to discuss problems and solutions as well as changes in mailing standards and mailing technologies. It provides in-depth training and networking, including general sessions, workshops, symposiums, certificate programs, and a large exhibit hall to help mailers keep pace with mailing industry changes. The NPF is a not-for-profit educational corporation, established in 1968 by a group of mailers committed to a partnership with USPS.”

Delivery Technology Advocacy Council

Also called DTAC

“DTAC is a member driven organization who has focused on driving advances in postal and transportation technologies across the supply chain.”

Association For Electronic Enhancement

“The general purpose of the Association is to promote electronic enhancements of the mail to increase its value and utility by working in partnership with the United States Postal Service ("USPS"), postal service organizations and other trade associations with similar interests in all lawful measures for the common good.”

What goes wrong

A Business Service Administrator is the Business Customer Gateway user in charge of a business's account administration, including its services and users. One who no longer wants the role contacts the PostalOne! Help Desk, or the IV Solutions Center for IV-MTR alone: business accounts.

Statements of ownership should not be sent to the MSSC without prior authorization. Questions about them should go to the local Business Mail Entry Unit: Periodicals.

The PostalOne! Help Desk answers calls in priority order, favoring fully enrolled customers with a signed PostalOne! user agreement on file.

Address Change Service cuts the number of manual address correction notices by sending electronic ones instead, but some manual notices still arrive. A mailer using it must request refunds for these hardcopy notices, PS Forms 3547 and 3579, at the local level. The same goes for unexpected returned mailpieces, and the request is made on PS Form 3533. The mailer should also email example images to its local BSN representative.

An ancillary service endorsement is a line printed on a mailpiece that tells USPS how to handle it if it is undeliverable as addressed. OneCode ACS is a USPS service that sends mailers electronic address corrections through the Intelligent Mail barcode on their letters and flats.

A OneCode ACS mailer tells the ACS Department at least seven days before it changes the format or placement of its printed endorsement. It gives the same notice before it changes its Mailer ID or its Service Type Identifier, the service type code in an Intelligent Mail barcode. Changes not coordinated with the ACS Department may produce unintended results.

eVS was a USPS system that let parcel shippers document and pay postage with electronic manifest files. Its shippers had to update their account information in the Business Customer Gateway twice a year. A shipper USPS couldn't reach risked interruptions of service or additional fees. USPS replaced eVS with USPS Ship, and eVS customers had to move to USPS Ship or USPS APIs by February 2025: eVS.

Index: 28 entries

Service (1)

Systems (6)

Documents (6)

Roles (14)

Term (1)

Sources