Postage meter stamps are printed postage imprints, called indicia, that a leased USPS-authorized machine applies directly to an envelope or an adhesive label in place of adhesive stamps. Each imprint carries the exact postage amount, the meter’s ID number, the originating ZIP code, and, for most mail classes, a date. Metered pieces also qualify for USPS commercial pricing, which runs about four cents below the retail rate on a standard First-Class letter.
How to Get a Postage Meter
You cannot buy a meter. Federal regulations require them to be leased from an authorized distributor, because the Postal Service treats loaded postage like currency and keeps the hardware under manufacturer control to prevent fraud.1eCFR. 39 CFR 501.1 – Definitions
As of 2026, four companies are authorized to lease meters in the United States: Pitney Bowes, Quadient, FP Mailing Solutions, and Data-Pac Mailing Systems. Monthly rates for an entry-level machine that handles up to about 100 letters per day typically run between $20 and $50, depending on the provider and features like a built-in scale or automatic feeding.
Getting a USPS Mailing Permit
Once your lease is signed, you need a USPS mailing permit before you can print postage. You submit PS Form 3615, the “Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile,” at your local post office’s Business Mail Entry Unit.2United States Postal Service. Business Mail 101 – Postage Application There is no fee for the permit. The post office processes the application and issues a permit number that you use on postage statements going forward.3United States Postal Service. Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile
Adding Postage Funds
Modern meters connect to the internet, and you add funds electronically through the machine’s interface or the provider’s online portal. You pay the leasing company, and your meter’s internal balance goes up by that amount. When you print an indicia, the balance drops by the postage value. Older systems required a phone call or a trip to the post office to reset the meter, but those have been phased out.
What Has to Appear on the Indicia
Every meter stamp carries the postage amount, the meter’s unique ID number, the originating ZIP code tied to your licensing post office, and the mail class. The date rules vary by class and catch some users off guard.
First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage all require a complete date in the indicia, and the mail must be deposited on that date. The only flexibility is for pieces entered after the day’s last scheduled collection, which may carry either the actual entry date or the next collection date.4United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 604 – Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
USPS Marketing Mail and Package Services get more room. You can print just the month and year, then deposit the mail on any day during that month or through the third day of the following month. Prepaid metered reply mail requires no date at all.5United States Postal Service. 604c Quick Service Guide – Postage Meters and PC Postage Systems
Placement and Print Quality
Standard envelopes feed through the machine’s rollers and receive the indicia directly on the paper. For thick envelopes or packages, the meter prints onto adhesive tape or a label that you affix to the piece. The imprint must appear in the upper right corner, where automated sorting equipment expects it.5United States Postal Service. 604c Quick Service Guide – Postage Meters and PC Postage Systems
Print clarity matters. Smudged, faded, or unreadable ink causes automated scanners to reject the piece, and it may be returned to you. Keeping the ink cartridge fresh prevents a surprising number of processing delays.
Where Metered Mail Can Be Deposited
As a general rule, metered mail must be deposited at locations under the jurisdiction of the post office shown in your meter stamp, which is your licensing post office.6United States Postal Service. 236 Enter and Deposit The Postal Service tracks revenue by region, so this keeps the postage credited to the right facility.
Single-piece First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express are exceptions. Those can go in any street collection box or post office regardless of where the meter is registered.7United States Postal Service. QSG 604c Basic Standards for All Mailing Services – Postage Meters and PC Postage Systems If your business moves to a different ZIP code, update the meter’s registration to reflect the new licensing post office. Skipping that step can lead to suspended mailing privileges.
The Commercial Rate Discount
Metered mail qualifies for USPS commercial pricing, which is lower than the retail rate you pay for adhesive stamps. On a standard one-ounce First-Class letter, the difference is a few cents per piece. It compounds at volume: a business mailing a thousand letters a week saves roughly $2,000 a year on the rate difference alone, before counting time saved on hand-stamping.
Weigh those savings against the monthly lease. For a low-volume office sending only a few letters a day, the lease can eat the discount entirely. Breakeven for most entry-level machines lands somewhere around 50 to 100 pieces per week, depending on your rate and how much you value the built-in tracking and convenience.
Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) Compliance
Every meter in service today must produce Intelligent Mail Indicia, the current USPS security standard. IMI imprints include encrypted digital data that the Postal Service uses to verify each piece of postage is legitimate and has not been duplicated. USPS stopped accepting postage from non-IMI meters in mid-2025, so any meter you lease in 2026 already meets the standard; your provider cannot legally distribute a non-compliant machine.
The practical effect for users is minimal. IMI compliance is handled on the manufacturer’s side, so there is nothing for you to configure. Each stamp your machine produces carries a unique cryptographic signature, making counterfeiting far harder than it was with older analog meters.
International Mail Limitation
Postage meters have one significant restriction that surprises new users: USPS regulations do not allow metered postage to be printed directly on international letters. If your business sends mail abroad, you need a separate postage method for those pieces, such as stamps, online postage, or the retail counter. Outbound international mailpieces also cannot contain prepaid reply envelopes or cards bearing a U.S. meter stamp. If international volume is a meaningful share of your outgoing mail, factor that in before signing a lease.
Refunds for Unused Postage
When you return a meter at the end of a lease or switch providers, you can get a refund for any unused balance on the machine. You notify your leasing provider to withdraw the meter, the provider verifies the remaining balance, and it forwards a refund request to the USPS, which issues the refund or credits your mailing account.8United States Postal Service. 604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
Two thresholds are worth knowing. The USPS will not issue individual refunds for unused balances under $25, so if you are winding down a lease, run the balance low rather than leave money on the meter.8United States Postal Service. 604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds Refunds are processed on PS Form 3533, and for balances of $350 or less, the Postal Service charges a processing fee of 10 percent of the face value of the remaining postage.9United States Postal Service. Revised PS Form 3533 – Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts
Penalties for Meter Stamp Fraud
Counterfeiting or tampering with meter stamps is a federal crime. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 501, anyone who forges a meter stamp, knowingly uses a forged stamp, or possesses forged meter equipment with intent to sell faces up to five years in federal prison, a fine, or both.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 501 – Postage Stamps, Postage Meter Stamps, and Postal Cards The same penalties apply to printing meter stamps without specific authorization from the Postal Service. The leasing-only structure exists in large part to keep the postage-generating mechanism out of hands that could tamper with it.