Metered postage does not expire the way a coupon does. The dollar value you paid stays valid, but the date printed in the meter imprint has to match the day you actually drop the mail. If it doesn’t, the Postal Service can return the piece or delay it. The fix is usually free, and knowing the rule keeps a stack of pre-printed envelopes from turning into a problem.
What the Date on a Meter Imprint Actually Means
Every postage meter and PC Postage system prints an “indicium” that includes the postage amount, a barcode, and a date. The Domestic Mail Manual, Section 604.4.6, sets what that date has to show, and the requirement depends on the class of mail.
- First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, and any piece with Insured Mail or COD service must show a complete date.
- USPS Marketing Mail and Package Services pieces may show only the month and year.
- Prepaid metered reply postage must omit the date entirely, and Marketing Mail and Package Services pieces that aren’t required to show a full date may also skip it.
Most everyday business mail sits in the first group, where the full-date rule applies.
The Date Has to Match the Mailing Day
If the indicium shows a complete date, the piece must be deposited on that date. DMM 604.4.6.2 states the rule directly, and the Postal Service relies on those dates to manage processing timelines and service commitments.
One practical carve-out helps businesses that finish their mail late in the day. If you prepare mail after the final scheduled collection from your Post Office or collection box, you may set the meter to either the current date or the date of the next scheduled collection.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds That keeps the piece from looking a day old the moment it enters the system.
If you already know the mail won’t go out on the printed date, the DMM requires you to correct the date before mailing.
What Happens If You Mail It Anyway
Metered mail that arrives at a postal facility with an outdated imprint gets flagged as stale dated. Most of the time it’s returned to the sender for correction before re-entry into the system. A clerk may occasionally apply a manual postmark to fix a minor discrepancy at the retail counter at no charge,2USPS Employee News. Postal Service offers postmarking guidance but that’s discretion, not a right. A returned batch of invoices or statements can push payment cycles off track in ways that cost far more than the postage.
The DMM also gives the USPS authority to revoke meter authorization when circumstances no longer support it. That’s a rare outcome, but repeated stale-dated mailings can draw attention to a permit.
How to Fix a Stale Date Without Paying Again
The dollar value you already paid stays yours. To move a piece with yesterday’s date, run it through the meter again and print a new indicium showing today’s date with a value of $0.00. That zero-dollar imprint is the official date correction. Only one correction is allowed per piece, so the second date has to be right.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
Placement depends on the size of the piece:
- Letter-size mail: put the $0.00 correction on the back of the envelope in the upper right corner, or on the address side in the lower left corner.3United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
- Flats and parcels: put the correction next to the original indicium, unless you’re using an ink jet printer on barcoded flats.
Wrong placement can confuse automated sorting equipment, which is the whole reason the placement rules exist. Once the correction is on the piece, drop it in any collection box or hand it to a clerk. No forms, no fees.
PC Postage and Click-N-Ship Have Different Rules
The $0.00 date correction does not apply to PC Postage.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds If you print a PC Postage label and never use it, you have 30 days from the date on the label to request a refund through your provider. After that, the value is gone.4USPS.com. Is PC Postage Eligible for a Refund?
Click-N-Ship labels, printed through USPS.com, get a longer window. Unused labels qualify for a refund up to 60 days after the print date.5United States Postal Service. Request a USPS Refund: Domestic Miss the deadline and the label is worthless no matter what postage it shows. If plans change, file the refund the same day rather than letting the label sit.
Refunds for Unused Postage on a Physical Meter
Traditional postage meters leased from companies like Pitney Bowes or Quadient use a separate refund path that runs through the USPS. The form is PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts. One form per meter number; you can’t combine multiple meters. Each form carries a unique barcode invoice number, so blank copies aren’t reusable.6United States Postal Service. Revised PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts
There’s a processing fee. If the face value of the unused postage is $350 or less, the fee is 10 percent of that value. Over $350, the fee is $35 per hour of processing time, with a $35 minimum.6United States Postal Service. Revised PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts The percentage hits small refunds harder in proportion, but the recovery still beats letting the postage expire.
Rate Increases and Shortpaid Metered Mail
Metered postage is not a Forever Stamp. Forever Stamps carry no printed value and always cover the current First-Class rate. A meter imprint locks in the exact dollar amount from the day it was printed, so a rate increase between printing and mailing leaves the piece shortpaid. The DMM requires additional postage equal to the total current amount before the piece can be mailed.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
For anyone who pre-meters in bulk, a mid-cycle rate change means every piece needs both a date correction and extra postage. The safer habit is metering only what you plan to mail within a day or two.