Latest Changes to
Postage $aver for Parcels

We've updated Postage $aver for Parcels to keep up with the latest postal changes, and made some software improvements. Here are the details. Note that each update includes all previous updates, so you only need to download and install the latest. Get the update.


Postal Updates:

USPS made many changes to parcel rules. We have updated the software to reflect these changes.

A general rate increase takes effect July 12. While rates remained generally the same for Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, changes in the way rates are calculated will effectively be a rate increase for some shippers using those services. Also, as noted below, the minimum rate for Ground Advantage will be the one-pound rate, instead of price breaks at 4, 8 and 12 ounces. This means an increase for those shipping parcels under one pound.

New postal statement forms take effect with the price increase, and those have been included in this update. Also, routine postal routing updates have been included.

Here are additional changes for specific mail categories:

Ground Advantage:


• Dimensions for each piece must now be provided for all Ground Advantage shipments claiming bulk mail rates. Previously, dimensions were only required for parcels larger than one cubic foot.
  
  If you are preparing parcels that are all the same size, you can continue to enter their dimensions on the Mailing Categories screen in Postage $aver for Parcels.
  
  If you are preparing a shipment that has parcels of different sizes, you must now include columns for length, width and height in your mailing list file. Postage $aver for Parcels can now prepare Ground Advantage shipments of mixed size parcels for all sizes that USPS accepts.
  
  
• Price breaks at 4, 8 and 12 ounces are eliminated. All parcels under one pound will now pay the one pound rates.
  
  
• "Dimensional weights" calculated for bulky parcels will increase by about 20%, and the calculation will round up to the next pound instead of rounding to the nearest full pound.
  
  
• Cubic rates for dense parcels will now have a maximum length of 22", up from 18".
  
  
• Cubic rates for padded envelopes and soft packs will now have five price categories instead of ten.
  
  
• A new service charge for hazardous materials will now be in place, but the rate will initially be set at $0.
  
  Bound Printed Matter (BPM):
  
  
• For presorted Bound Printed Matter postage, weights will now be rounded up to the nearest whole pound, and the rate chart will be based on pounds. Previously, the rates were based on a piece rate plus an exact weight rate.
  
  
• For presorted mailings, sack tags for "Mixed" sacks will no longer show a zip code. They will be automatically routed to the nearest applicable sorting center.
  
  
• The 1/10 cent catalog discount has been reinstated, but unfortunately cannot be used for USPS Ship shipments.
  
  Heavy Printed Matter (HPM):
  
  A new catagory called Heavy Printed Matter has been added as part of Marketing Mail parcels. It is very similar to Bound Printed Matter, but with some important differences:
  
  
• Unlike BPM, there are commercial and nonprofit rates for HPM. HPM commerical parcel rates are a bit cheaper than BPM parcel rates, and HPM nonprofit rates are lower. But there are no separate lower rates for flats, as all HPM pieces are considered parcels.
  
  
• HPM must either be too thick to be a flat (more than 3/4") or too heavy to be a flat (more than 20 ounces). It appears that you cannot use HPM for a piece that is too rigid to be a flat, but otherwise meets the size and weight limits for a flat.
  
  
• HPM cannot be used for fulfillment, whereas BPM can.
  
  
• HPM cannot be used to ship "books", though USPS has yet to explain when a thick catalog becomes a book.
  
  
• Like BPM, there is a nonpresorted rate with no minimum quantity, and a lower presorted rate with a minimum quantity. For HPM, the minimum for the presorted rate is 200 pieces or 50 pounds, whichever is lower (just like Marketing Mail.)
  
  
• HPM shipments must either meet the Move Update (NCOA) requirement or must include OR CURRENT RESIDENT or similar wording in the address, just like Marketing Mail parcels.
  
  To use Postage $aver for Parcels to prepare HPM, select Marketing Mail on the Mail Categories screen. You will have the option to choose one of the previous Marketing Mail categories or either presorted or nonpresorted HPM.
  
  We will provide a more detailed comparison between BPM and HPM soon.
  
  Marketing Mail parcels:
  
  
• Marketing Mail flats will now have a maximum weight of 20 ounces (24 for carrier route flats), up from 16 ounces. While this is not a change to Marketing Mail parcels, it may mean that some pieces you now send as parcels could be mailed for the cheaper flats rate.
  
  
• For presorted mailings, sack tags for "Mixed" sacks will no longer show a zip code. They will be automatically routed to the nearest applicable sorting center.
  
  
• With the simplification of the USPS distribution system, Network Distribution Centers (NDCs) and Auxiliary Service Centers (ASFs) have been eliminated, so there are no longer discounts for submitting mail at those facilities. Similarly, Marketing Mail parcels will no longer be sorted into NDC or ASF sacks, nor will there be NDC or ASF rate levels.
  
  Instead, Marketing Mail parcels will be sorted to at the SCF (Sectional Center Facility) level. Sorting to the SCF level or the 3-digit level will, when applicable, result in a 3-digit rate, which is between the 5-digit rate and the mixed rate.
  
  
• The 1/10 cent catalog discount has been reinstated, but unfortunately cannot be used for USPS Ship shipments.
  
  Parcel Select:
  
  
• "Dimensional weights" calculated for bulky parcels will increase by about 20%, and the calculation will round up to the next pound instead of rounding to the nearest full pound.
  
  
• A new service charge for hazardous materials will now be in place, but the rate will initially be set at $0.
  

Additional Software Improvements:

• As mentioned above, Postage $aver for Parcels now supports Ground Advantage shipments with mixed dimensions, in addition to mixed weights.
  
  To prepare a shipment of pieces with various dimensions, check the "mixed" box in the dimensions section of the Mail Categories screen. Then, on the Column Matching screen, you will be asked to identify columns in your mailing list file where you have entered the length, width and height of each piece, in inches.
  
  
• We corrected some minor bugs and fixed minor wording errors on screens and in reports.
  

Postal Updates:

• Effective June 1, 2026, USPS requires submission of a tracking file ("SSF") for all non-retail parcel shipments. To submit a tracking file, the shipper must be enrolled in USPS Ship or Tracking-only Certification, as explained in the user guide. We have updated the software to deactivate the option of not being enrolled in either USPS Ship or Tracking-only Certification.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has increased postage rates for Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, effective April 26. The update includes those new rates.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Postal Updates:

• For USPS Ship, USPS now sometimes refers to "Child Mailer IDs" as "Partner Mailer IDs". We have updated the software and user guide to show both terms. This does not affect how you use the software or prepare the shipment.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has increased postage rates for Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, effective January 18. The update includes those new rates.
  
  
• USPS has made changes to the postage statement forms. The update includes those revised forms.
  
  
• USPS is changing many of the locations where you need to drop your shipments if you want to earn discounted DSCF postage rates for Marketing Mail parcels and Bound Printed Matter parcels. The new locations will be the same as those currently used for Parcel Select shipments. In some areas, the locations will no longer be the same as those used for submitting mailings of letters or flats.
  
  The new locations take effect February 1. As of that date, any new locations will appear in the location selector on the Mailer Information screen.
  
  To see if your area has a new SCF location without waiting until February 1, you can look at the February SCF list for parcels. If that list shows a different location from where you have been taking your shipments, check with your local USPS personnel to make sure this is truly a change and not just a re-labeling of an existing facility.
  
  
• USPS has made other routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• We have added support for Ground Advantage Cubic rates. These lower size-based rates apply instead of pound rates when a parcel is unusually heavy for its size.
  
  Cubic rates will automatically be used by the software when they are lower than the applicable pound rates. Cubic rates apply only to parcels that are no more than one cubic foot in volume, no more than 18 inches on the longest side, and weigh no more than 20 pounds.
  
  At this time, we are not supporting cubic rates for mixed-weight shipments, since the software does not capture dimensions for individual pieces.
  
  
• We corrected the Extra Services screen so that it no longer allows USPS Tracking to be selected for Marketing Mail Nonprofit Parcels when "or current resident" has been selected as the Move Update option, per USPS rules.
  
  
• We added wording to the scan sheet that is printed after the SSF file is uploaded. The new wording makes clear that the scan sheet is NOT to be scanned at the entry desk when submitting a "USPS Ship" shipment. Such shipments should bypass the entry desk entirely and be submitted at the drop ship dock.
  
  
• We fixed some other minor bugs and made some wording changes.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has clarified when tracking labels are required and when it is required to upload a tracking file (SSF) in order to get commercial rates, as follows:
  
  [NOTE: Effective 6/1/26, the chart is no longer accurate. As of that date, USPS began requiring IMpB and IMmb barcodes and SSF files for all non-retail parcel shipments, instead of exempting some categories.]
  
  
  
  Failure to meet these requirements means your shipment will be re-priced at retail rates.
  
  This means that we can no longer offer the option of paying a penalty to avoid submitting a tracking file for Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. Submitting a tracking file requires prior approval from USPS as either a USPS Ship shipper or a Tracking Certification shipper.
  
  But it also means that the software will no longer assess a penalty for not submitting a tracking file for those services where it is not required: Marketing Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail and Library Mail.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• We added support for Media Mail parcels and Library Mail parcels.
  
  
• We added support for the Macintosh Tahoe operating system.
  
  
• We fixed a bug where the lowest rate in the shipment did not print on the postage statement when using a postage meter to pay postage for Parcel Select.
  
  
• We fixed a bug where the lowest rate in the shipment that printed on the postage statement when using a postage meter to pay postage did not include any extra services that may have been added.
  
  
• On the Mailer Information screen when using USPS Ship, we clarified how to determine your Child Mailer ID, to match new USPS wording on provisioning emails and on the Gateway.
  
  
• We made other wording changes to clarify various warnings and field labels.
  

Postal Updates:

• The USPS holiday rate changes, effective October 5, are included in this update.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Postal Updates:

• The USPS July rate changes, effective July 13, are included in this update.
  
  
• USPS has issued new postage statement forms for use on and after July 13. We have updated the software to use the new forms.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  
  
• USPS has temporarily removed the 1/10 cent catalog discount for Marketing Mail and Bound Printed Matter, so we have removed it from the Mailing Categories screen. USPS plans to start a different "catalog incentive" discount in October. We will provide details when they are available.
  
  
• USPS has changed its distribution system to repurpose "Network Distribution Centers (NDCs)" and "Auxiliary Service Centers (ASFs)", and has eliminated the "DNDC" postage discounts that shippers could get by shipping from those centers. We have changed the software so that you can no longer select an NDC or an ASF as an entry location. If you are taking your mail to one of those facilities, it now is considered a local station for postage purposes, and should be entered that way in the software.
  
  Note that this does not affect entry at SCFs (Sectional Center Facilities), which still qualifies for postage discounts. It also does not affect Ground Advantage shipments, which do not have entry point discounts.
  
  
• USPS has reduced the maximum size for Marketing Mail Nonprofit Parcels. The limit has been 108" length plus girth. It will now be 22" x 18" x 15".
  
  
• USPS has made the following changes to nonstandard surcharges, which we have incorporated into the software:
  
  
  • USPS has added a new category of nonstandard parcel based on unusual package characteristics. While this includes packages like tubes, cans and wooden boxes that have always been considered nonstandard, it now also includes packages that could "bend, fold or collapse" in the machinery so as to hide the address label.
    
    For example, a large padded envelope containing a small pill jar will likely now be nonstandard, unless the envelope is stiffened by an additional enclosure so that the envelope holds its shape.
    
    
  • All parcels with unusual package characteristics will now be charged a surcharge when sent using Ground Advantage, Parcel Select, Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail. The surcharge will be $4 except for Parcel Select. The surcharge for Parcel Select will be $2 for parcels mailed from a destination delivery unit or hub, or $3 for those mailed from a destination SCF.
    
    
  • If a parcel is longer than 22" and has unusual package characteristics, only the larger of the length or package characteristic surcharge will be added. However, a parcel that is over 2 cubic feet in volume will be charged the volume surcharge in addition to any other applicable surcharges.
    
    
  • Surcharges for length, volume or package characteristics will not apply to any parcel that is already being charged the "oversized" rate because it exceeds 108" in length plus girth.
    
    

Software Improvements:

• We corrected a bug that could sometimes cause empty sacks to be created when preparing mixed weight Bound Printed Matter shipments.
  

Questions? Ask us!

We hope you find these improvements helpful. Many of "our" best ideas come from our users, so please don't hesitate to let us know if you have suggestions or questions.

Thanks!