postalref

Business Reply Mail

Business Reply Mail is a First-Class Mail and Priority Mail service in which a sender pays postage and per-piece fees only for the replies it receives. USPS collects that postage and fee only on pieces customers send back. Mailers use it to save postage on large volumes of reply pieces when a response is not assured.

Updated October 31, 202625 sources

What it is

Business Reply Mail is reply mail the mailer pays for, not the customer. The mailer does not prepay postage on the cards, letters, flats, parcels or labels it hands out. The customer pays no postage, supplies no envelope and writes no address.

It suits a reply whose response or timing is not certain. Direct marketers use it for orders, researchers for survey responses and magazine publishers for subscriptions.

Business Reply Mail takes First-Class Mail and Priority Mail cards, letters, flats and parcels. Qualified Business Reply Mail is a subset of it for automation-compatible cards and letters. Its pieces qualify for lower postage prices and per-piece fees.

Courtesy Reply Mail works differently: the customer pays the postage, which suits bills and invoice payments. With Metered Reply Mail, a small business prepays return postage on single pieces.

How it works

To start, a mailer needs access to the Business Customer Gateway, a Business Reply Mail permit number and a ZIP+4 Code.

Enrollment for Business Reply Mail and Qualified Business Reply Mail.

  1. The mailer calls or emails the Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center to say it will use Business Reply Mail.
  2. The mailer files PS Form 3615 at the Post Office where its mail returns, and pays a fee.
  3. The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center confirms the payment and assigns the permit number.
  4. The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center has a unique ZIP+4 Code assigned to the permit.
  5. The mailer creates the artwork with the ABRM tool or the MDA Customer Service Help Desk.
  6. A Qualified Business Reply Mail mailer submits 10 physical samples to a Mailpiece Design Analyst for approval.
  7. A Qualified Business Reply Mail permit enrolls in Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting after a 2-week parallel process.

A Mailpiece Design Analyst's approval is needed only for Qualified Business Reply Mail. USPS collects postage and fees when it delivers each piece back to the mailer.

The ZIP+4 Code

Each Business Reply Mail permit gets a ZIP+4 Code unique to its category of reply mail. The code lets automated equipment sort reply mail by size and weight. It also sets Business Reply Mail apart from mail that has postage applied.

Business Reply Mail uses one ZIP+4 Code for all its mail types. Qualified Business Reply Mail uses one for cards and one for letters up to 3.5 ounces. A mailer gets the code by sending PS Form 6805 to the unit that delivers its pieces.

Business Reply Mail options

USPS sells Business Reply Mail at several levels, set by how many replies a mailer expects, and fees vary by level. The permit fee is paid annually by cash, check or money order.

  • Basic Business Reply Mail is for fewer than 925 returned pieces a year.
  • High Volume Business Reply Mail is for more than 925 returned pieces a year, at discounted postage rates.
  • Basic Qualified Business Reply Mail is for more than 875 responses a year on automation-compatible pieces.
  • High Volume Qualified Business Reply Mail is for more than 42,981 replies a quarter and adds a quarterly fee.
  • Qualified Business Reply Mail with Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting is for any business enrolled in it.

High Volume Business Reply Mail and every level of Qualified Business Reply Mail prepay postage through an advance deposit account.

Qualified Business Reply Mail

Qualified Business Reply Mail is a type of Business Reply Mail that uses Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting to speed up mail and invoices. It takes only First-Class Mail cards and letters. Each piece needs an Intelligent Mail barcode.

Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting is an automated process for counting, rating, invoicing and billing. Processing equipment reads each barcode and counts the pieces for the mailer's approved destinations. Invoices go to PostalOne! every day. Business Reply Mail that is not qualified cannot use it.

A permit enrolled in Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting gets its quarterly and annual fees waived. One rate covers its letters up to 3.5 ounces.

To join, the mailer links its permit to its Enterprise Payment Account for automated invoicing. It then asks the Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center to onboard the permit. Mailers who submit samples after January 2023 join the parallel period automatically. After that period, they move to automated invoicing.

The barcode

A Qualified Business Reply Mail piece's barcode carries the assigned ZIP+4 Code, a Mailer ID and a Service Type ID. It must use one of the Service Type IDs for Business Reply Mail. A Business Reply Mail piece with no extra services uses 708.

The Service Type IDs whose option is Business Reply Mail.

Service Type IDentifier (STID) Table, effective January 21, 2024
STIDMail classGroupInformed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting
778Ballot MailVoter to Election Officials (Return or Inbound)With IV® MTR
708MiscellaneousReply Mail by ZIPWithout IV® MTR
052MiscellaneousReply Mail by ZIPWith IV® MTR
072MiscellaneousReply Mail by MIDWithout IV® MTR
032MiscellaneousReply Mail by MIDWith IV® MTR

5 codes in the Service Type IDentifier (STID) Table, effective January 21, 2024, where Option is Business Reply Mail.

What the piece shows

Business Reply Mail pieces must have a specific address and format. The address side shows:

  • the imprint NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES in the upper right corner
  • the legend BUSINESS REPLY MAIL, or BUSINESS REPLY LABEL on a label, above the address
  • the legend in capital letters at least 3/16 inch high
  • the line FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. with the permit number, city and state, directly below the legend
  • the endorsement POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE directly below that line
  • horizontal bars below the imprint, which letters and cards with an Intelligent Mail barcode may leave off
  • a facing identification mark, a pattern of bars machines use to orient mail: FIM C with a barcode, FIM B without
  • the permit holder's complete address with its assigned ZIP+4 Code

The ABRM tool

The Automated Business Reply Mail tool, or ABRM tool, is a free USPS tool that makes camera-ready artwork for domestic reply mail. It makes card, letter and flat-size artwork for Business Reply Mail, Courtesy Reply Mail and Metered Reply Mail. It makes card and letter-size artwork for Qualified Business Reply Mail. It also offers a FIM and barcode only option for Courtesy Reply Mail and Business Reply Mail.

A mailer reaches the tool through the Business Customer Gateway, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With it, a mailer can:

  • design artwork with an Intelligent Mail barcode
  • place the barcode above the address block or in the barcode clear zone
  • add an image or logo
  • let a vendor or mail service provider create artwork for clients
  • download the artwork as a PDF or EPS file
  • store pieces and logos in a library of up to 100 MB

Before using the tool, a mailer needs:

  • a Mailer ID
  • its company name and business address, with the 9-digit ZIP Code
  • a PostalOne! permit number for Business Reply Mail or Qualified Business Reply Mail
  • the 9-digit Business Reply Mail ZIP+4 Code that USPS assigned

Making artwork with the ABRM tool.

  1. Sign in to the Business Customer Gateway, or create an account.
  2. Choose the type of piece to create, such as Business Reply Mail.
  3. Enter the permit number, the issuing Post Office's ZIP Code and the Mailer ID.
  4. Design the piece: delivery address, size, font, logo and other details.
  5. Review an image of the artwork on screen.
  6. Download the artwork, ready for printing.

The tool works only in the Chrome or Edge browser. The ZIP+4 Code must be entered in the full 9-digit format, XXXXX-XXXX. The barcode's serial number has 6 digits with a 9-digit Mailer ID, and 9 digits with a 6-digit one.

The tool does not make every kind of reply artwork, and the MDA Customer Service Help Desk makes the rest on request. It handles these:

  • International Business Reply Mail
  • Business Reply Mail labels
  • pieces under a permit that is not from PostalOne!
  • pieces with an IMb Tracing or eVS Mailer ID, which reply mail cannot use

For penalty mail, Permit Reply Mail and absentee ballots, a mailer hires a vendor.

User Guides

Quick Service Guides

Fact Sheets

Rules

A unique ZIP Code (i.e., firm ZIP Code) must not be used for BRM unless the ZIP Code has been assigned specifically for BRM (see Form 6805).

A mailer's own unique ZIP Code must not go on Business Reply Mail unless USPS assigned it for Business Reply Mail.

When an Intelligent Mail barcode is printed on any BRM pieces, it must contain the barcode ID, service type ID, and correct unique ZIP+4 routing code.

A barcode on Business Reply Mail must hold the barcode ID, the Service Type ID and the piece's unique ZIP+4 routing code.

The ZIP+4 codes assigned for this program must be used only on the organization‘s appropriate QBRM pieces

A Qualified Business Reply Mail ZIP+4 Code must be used only on that organization's own Qualified Business Reply Mail pieces.

The delivery address on a piece of BRM may not be altered to redirect the mailpiece to any address other than the one preprinted on the piece.

The address on a Business Reply Mail piece may not be changed to send it anywhere but the preprinted address.

The legend “BUSINESS REPLY MAIL” or “BUSINESS REPLY LABEL”, as appropriate, must appear on all pieces.

Every piece must show one of the two legends, the label legend on a label.

A FIM must be printed on all letter-size BRM and on business reply labels affixed to letter-size mail (see 1.4.9d).

Every letter-size Business Reply Mail piece, and every business reply label on a letter, must carry a facing identification mark.

BRM pieces must be paid in full before customer’s forwarding can be processed.

The mailer must pay for returned pieces in full before USPS forwards them. A mailer who wants pieces sent to another location may enroll in Premium Forwarding Service Commercial. The rule took effect on November 3, 2025.

Takes effect November 3, 2025

What goes wrong

The annual permit fee and the other annual or quarterly fees are non-refundable.

The +4 code from the ZIP Code Look-up does not work for Business Reply Mail; the mailer uses its assigned code.

The ABRM tool takes only the main permit number. It shows an error for an invalid permit number, and the Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center helps verify it. It accepts only permits from a PostalOne! office.

A customer sometimes puts stamps or meter postage on a Business Reply Mail piece, and a USPS retail associate can refund it. The customer submits the pieces with PS Form 3533.

Terms

Qualified Business Reply MailQBRM
Qualified Business Reply® Mail (QBRM) is Business Reply® Mail type that utilizes the enhanced processing capability of Intelligent Mail® barcode Accounting (IMbA) to reduce processing times and ensure QBRM mailers receive reply mail and invoices quickly.
Business Reply Mail permitBR, Business Reply
A Business Reply Mail permit number is issued at the Post Office where the PS Form 3615 is filed (generally where the mail is returned) and requires a fee.
Intelligent Mail Barcode AccountingIMbA
IMbA is an automated solution for the counting, rating, invoicing, and billing processes.
advance deposit account
A liability account into which a mailer deposits funds that are maintained by USPS to pay for future services used by the mailer such as permit imprint mailings, Business Reply Mail pieces, postage due mail, or Periodicals. Also called trust fund account.
Facing Identification MarkFIM
A pattern of vertical bars and spaces used by automated postal equipment such as a facercanceler to identify, orient, and separate certain types of mail.
Mailpiece Design AnalystMDA
Postal employees specially trained to answer your questions regarding mail piece design.
Courtesy Reply MailCRM
Envelopes or postcards that a mailer provides to its customers to expedite delivery of their responses.
metered reply mailMRM
A preprinted return envelope, card, or label provided by an approved postage meter or PC Postage customer as a courtesy to customers on which the postage is prepaid as an Information-Based Indicia (IBI) or non-IBI indicia. The reply mail has specific address and format requirements.
Permit Reply MailPRM
A service that enables an authorized permit holder to pay postage at the time of mailing for both the outgoing First-Class Mail or Priority Mail piece and the reply piece inside the outgoing piece sent to the customer.
International Business Reply MailIBRM, IBRS, International Business Reply Service, International Business Reply Mail Service
A service that is similar to domestic Business Reply Mail that enables overseas recipients to return, without affixing postage, response envelopes and postcards to the authorized U.S. sender who mailed the original mailpieces containing the response pieces. Postage and service fees are collected from the permit holder when the returned pieces are delivered. Also called International Business Reply Service (IBRS) and, in French, “Correspondance Commerciale-Réponse Internationale” (abbreviated as CCRI).
Premium Forwarding Service CommercialPFSC, Premium Forwarding Services Commercial
Premium Forwarding Service Commercial™ (PFSC) allows business customers with an active P.O. Box or street address to temporarily forward all mail to their domestic address using Priority Mail Express® or Priority Mail®.

Documents

Fact Sheets

Program Requirements

Contact Lists

Contacts

The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center answers questions on Qualified Business Reply Mail at (877) 672-0007 or MSSC@usps.gov.

The MDA Customer Service Help Desk helps with the ABRM tool at 855-593-6093 or MDA@usps.gov. It is open Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm CST.

Sources