PS Form 3602-NZ is the postage statement a nonprofit organization files when mailing nonautomation letters or flats at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail prices. You complete it to calculate the postage owed on a specific mailing, then present it with the mailpieces at the Business Mail Entry Unit that holds your permit. This guide walks through what you need in place before you touch the form, how to fill each section, and what happens when you hand it over.
What You Need Before Filling Out the Form
Three things have to be true before Form 3602-NZ is the right form for your mailing.
First, your organization must already hold Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail authorization. The Domestic Mail Manual limits nonprofit prices to organizations that meet the eligibility standards and have been approved by the USPS.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 703 – Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail and Other Unique Eligibility If you don’t have that authorization yet, you’ll need to submit PS Form 3624 (Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Prices) with supporting documents such as articles of incorporation, the IRS letter of exemption from federal income tax, and a financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant.2Postal Explorer. How to Apply for Authorization to Mail at Nonprofit Prices The application can also be filed online through the USPS Business Customer Gateway.
Second, the pieces must be nonautomation letters or flats. Form 3602-NZ is specifically for regular Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail at nonautomation prices.3United States Postal Service. USPS Form 3602-NZ – Postage Statement Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Easy Nonautomation Letters or Flats Common reasons a letter is nonmachinable:
- Unusual shape, including square or vertical envelopes, or an aspect ratio (length divided by height) below 1.3 or above 2.5.
- Rigidity, lumpiness, or uneven thickness from enclosures like pens, coins, or keys.
- Clasps, string, or buttons that would jam sorting equipment.
Nonmachinable letters carry a surcharge and are hand-canceled even if they weigh less than an ounce.4USPS. First-Class Mail For flats, pieces that are rigid, non-rectangular, or not uniformly thick get bumped to package prices instead. Confirm which category your piece falls into before you start entering figures.
Third, the mailing has to meet the volume minimum. Every USPS Marketing Mail mailing must contain at least 200 pieces or weigh at least 50 pounds in total.5Postal Explorer. 240 Commercial Mail USPS Marketing Mail Below that, you can’t file Form 3602-NZ or claim Marketing Mail rates, and the pieces would need to go First-Class instead. Smaller organizations often batch mailings until they hit 200 pieces.
Filling Out PS Form 3602-NZ
Download the current version from the USPS website, or pick one up at your Business Mail Entry Unit.6Postal Explorer. Instructions for Filling Out PS Form 3602-EZ and 3602-NZ PS Forms The form is built for nonprofit mailers specifically; commercial mailers use Form 3602-EZ.
Permit and Mailing Information
At the top, enter your USPS Nonprofit Authorization Number and your Permit Number. If you can’t find the permit number, check the receipt from when you first applied.6Postal Explorer. Instructions for Filling Out PS Form 3602-EZ and 3602-NZ PS Forms Record the mailing date carefully, because postage rates change on set effective dates and the rates that apply are the ones in effect on the day you present the mailing.
Move Update Certification
The form requires you to certify that the mailing meets the Move Update standard. Every address must have been checked against USPS change-of-address records within 95 days before the mailing date, using one of the approved methods in Domestic Mail Manual section 602.5.7United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 602 – Addressing National Change of Address (NCOALink) processing and Address Change Service are two of the common ones. Skipping this step is one of the fastest ways to get a mailing rejected at the counter.
Weight and Postage
Weigh a single mailpiece. If you don’t have a precise scale, a postal clerk can do it for you. Multiply the single-piece weight by the total piece count to get the mailing’s total weight, which sets the postage tier. If your pieces vary in weight, separate them into groups by weight rather than averaging; averaging can get the calculation rejected.
Enter the piece count and per-piece rate into the postage rows. The current nonprofit nonautomation rates are published in USPS Notice 123, the official price list, and it’s reissued whenever rates change.8United States Postal Service. Price List Recheck your arithmetic; math errors are a common cause of delays during acceptance.
Fees That Must Be Current
Two fees have to be paid up before the USPS will accept the mailing. The permit imprint application fee is a one-time $370 charge, and the annual mailing fee is $370 for each 12-month period.8United States Postal Service. Price List The annual fee runs 365 days from the payment date and doesn’t come due until you present your first mailing of that cycle. A fee waiver exists for certain full-service automation mailings, but because Form 3602-NZ covers nonautomation mail, that waiver doesn’t reach these mailings.
Submitting the Form at the BMEU
Take your completed form and all mailpieces to the Business Mail Entry Unit where your permit is held. This is not the retail counter. Commercial and nonprofit bulk mail must go through the BMEU specifically, not a letter carrier or a collection box.9United States Postal Service. Business Mail 101 – Where to Go In small towns without a dedicated BMEU, the retail window may accept the mailing, but check with the postmaster first.
At the BMEU, a clerk inspects the mailing against what you reported. The certification confirms that the pieces qualify for the prices claimed, that they’re prepared correctly, that the postage statement is complete, that your annual fee is paid, and that your advance deposit account has enough on hand.3United States Postal Service. USPS Form 3602-NZ – Postage Statement Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Easy Nonautomation Letters or Flats Sample pieces are weighed and measured to verify the nonmachinable classification.
Once the mailing clears, postage is deducted from your permit imprint advance deposit account, which functions as a prepaid balance your organization maintains with the USPS.10Postal Explorer. Business Mail 101 – Permit Imprint You’ll get a processed copy of the postage statement or an electronic confirmation as your receipt. Keep it for your records.
Filing Electronically Instead
If you’d rather skip the paper form, the USPS Business Customer Gateway offers two electronic options. Postal Wizard is aimed at small-volume mailers and handles postage calculation, balance checks, and electronic submission of the postage statement.11PostalPro. Business Customer Gateway Intelligent Mail for Small Business (IMsb) generates presorted Intelligent Mail barcodes and submits the statement electronically. Both are reached through gateway.usps.com, and you’ll need a Customer Registration ID (CRID) for your business location to sign in.
Content Restrictions That Can Void a Mailing
Nonprofit rates come with content limits, and the clerk can reject a mailing that violates them. Nonprofit mail may not promote credit cards, insurance policies, or travel arrangements offered by outside organizations that don’t themselves hold nonprofit authorization.12Postal Explorer. 700 Special Standards Other products or services can be advertised only when the sale is substantially related to the organization’s nonprofit purpose.
Personal information about the addressee, such as contribution history, membership duration, demographics, or medical conditions, may appear only when the piece contains explicit advertising or a solicitation for a donation, the personal information directly relates to that solicitation, and its sole purpose is to support the solicitation.13Postal Explorer. Customer Support Ruling The addressee’s name and mailing address don’t count as restricted personal information even when used in the letter body.
Keeping the Authorization From Lapsing
Once you’re authorized, keep the authorization in use. The USPS automatically revokes nonprofit mailing authorization if the organization doesn’t make at least one nonprofit mailing within any two-year period.14United States Postal Service. Publication 417 – Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Eligibility The Pricing and Classification Service Center sends notice when that happens. Authorizations at multiple post offices are tracked independently; a mailing at your primary office doesn’t keep a secondary location active. Reapplying after revocation means going back through the full PS Form 3624 process, so most organizations schedule at least one qualifying mailing per year at each location where they hold authorization.