File PS Form 3624
Submitted with evidence the organization fits one qualifying category. There is no fee to file it.
Nonprofit mail
Who qualifies for USPS nonprofit postage rates
Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail is a lower price tier of the same bulk mail class, open only to organizations USPS has separately authorized. It is not a discount every 501(c)(3) gets by default, and it is not something to sort out at the counter after the mailing is printed. What follows is the eligibility list, the filing that gets an organization approved, and what the price actually undercuts against commercial Marketing Mail, keyed to the Domestic Mail Manual and Notice 123, read 2026-08-31.
Authorization first, discount second
USPS reviews the organization before it reviews a single piece of mail.
Which organizations qualify
Domestic Mail Manual 703.1.2 and 703.1.3, read 2026-08-31, name a closed list. A group that does not fit one of these categories does not get nonprofit prices no matter how it is otherwise organized.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Religious | Organizations conducting worship or teaching a particular faith |
| Educational | Instruction or training that improves a person's capabilities |
| Scientific | Research or the dissemination of technical information |
| Philanthropic (charitable) | Benefiting the public, relieving the poor, or advancing social welfare |
| Agricultural | Bettering conditions for farmers and disseminating agricultural information |
| Labor | Improving worker conditions, including unions |
| Veterans' | Organizations of veterans |
| Fraternal | Fellowship organizations with a lodge or chapter system and a ritualistic format |
| Qualified political committees | National and state party committees, the four congressional campaign committees, and voting registration officials under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 |
DMM 703 names the groups excluded just as plainly: automobile clubs, business leagues, chambers of commerce, citizens' and civic improvement associations, trade associations, service clubs and social clubs. A homeowners' association or a downtown merchants' group reads as civic or a business league on that list, not as philanthropic, regardless of how charitable its mission feels.
Getting authorized
DMM 703 sets the bar for every category the same way: the organization has to be, in the manual's own words, “not organized for profit and none of its net income inures to the benefit of any private stockholder.” Meeting that bar for one of the nine listed purposes is the whole test.
Wait for the authorization number
USPS reviews the filing and, on approval, issues a national nonprofit authorization number. That number is what a mailer cites on every Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail entry after that.
File PS Form 3623 outside PostalOne!
A mailing entered somewhere other than a PostalOne! location additionally files Form 3623 to confirm the authorization is current before that specific mailing goes in.
A cooperative mailing that combines pieces from more than one organization does not get the nonprofit price just because one member qualifies. Each participating organization has to carry its own authorization at the deposit post office; if even one cooperating member lacks it, the entire mailing reverts to commercial prices — with one carve-out, for a mailing that solicits donations where the authorized organization is the one that receives the resulting donor list.
What the discount is actually worth
Notice 123, the postal price list, prints Commercial and Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail as separate tables at every shape and presort tier. The gap is not one flat percentage — it runs closest to half on letters and shrinks to a few percent on parcels and Heavy Printed Matter.
| Mail type and tier | Commercial | Nonprofit |
|---|---|---|
| Letters, automation, 5-Digit, 3.5 oz or less | 0.395 USD | 0.185 USD |
| Flats, automation, 5-Digit, 4 oz or less | 0.783 USD | 0.516 USD |
| Marketing Parcels, 5-Digit, 3.3 oz or less | 3.870 USD | 3.713 USD |
| Heavy Printed Matter, nonpresorted, not over 5 lb | 5.24 USD | 4.98 USD |
Every other presort depth (3-Digit/SCF, Mixed AADC, carrier route, saturation) and every other weight tier carries its own pair of Commercial and Nonprofit rows on Notice 123 — a single ratio pulled from one tier does not describe the whole schedule. A mailer sizing a real campaign checks the specific shape, weight and presort depth it will actually reach, not the headline gap above.
What does not change
Nonprofit authorization changes the price at each presort tier. It does not change the shape of the mail class: the 200-piece or 50-pound entry minimum, the letter and flat size and weight limits, and the requirement to presort to a stated depth all carry over from commercial USPS Marketing Mail unchanged. The full mechanics of those requirements — the four eligibility gates, how presort depth and destination entry stack, and what happened to Marketing Mail Parcels — are covered on USPS Marketing Mail rates rather than repeated here.
The advertising-first content rule carries over too. A nonprofit-authorized mailing whose primary content is a bill, a transactional notice or personal correspondence does not earn the nonprofit price merely because the sender is an authorized organization, and USPS applies the same content review to nonprofit entries that it applies to commercial ones.
Where these rules come from
- USPS Postal Explorer, Domestic Mail Manual section 703, Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail and Other Unique Eligibility — qualifying categories, ineligible groups, authorization forms, cooperative mailing rule. Read 2026-08-31.
- USPS Postal Explorer, Notice 123 Price List — Commercial and Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail prices for Letters, Flats, Parcels and Heavy Printed Matter. Effective July 12, 2026, read 2026-08-31.
Notice 123 changes at each USPS price adjustment, generally twice a year, and DMM 703 is revised alongside it. Confirm current prices and eligibility against the live pages above before filing Form 3624 or planning a campaign around the figures on this page.
Nonprofit postage questions
Who qualifies for USPS nonprofit postage rates?
Eight categories under Domestic Mail Manual 703.1.2: religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic (charitable), agricultural, labor, veterans' and fraternal organizations, plus specific political committees under 703.1.3. Automobile clubs, business leagues, chambers of commerce, civic associations, trade associations, service clubs and social clubs are named ineligible.
How does an organization get authorized for nonprofit rates?
File PS Form 3624 with evidence that the organization meets one category's standard. There is no fee. USPS issues a national nonprofit authorization number on approval, which the mailer then cites on every Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail mailing. A location outside the PostalOne! system also files PS Form 3623 to confirm the authorization before each mailing.
How much cheaper is nonprofit postage than commercial?
Under half, at the automation 5-digit letter tier: 0.185 USD nonprofit against 0.395 USD commercial per piece, per Notice 123 effective July 12, 2026. The gap narrows on parcels and Heavy Printed Matter, where nonprofit runs a few percent below commercial rather than roughly half.
Does nonprofit status change the mailing minimums or presort rules?
No. The 200-piece or 50-pound minimum, the letter and flat size and weight limits, and the presort-depth structure all carry over unchanged from commercial USPS Marketing Mail. Nonprofit authorization changes the price paid at each presort tier, not the shape of the mail class.
Can a mailing with an unauthorized partner still get the nonprofit price?
Each organization in a cooperative mailing must be individually authorized at the deposit post office. If one cooperating member lacks authorization, the whole mailing reverts to commercial prices, unless the mailing solicits donations and the authorized organization is the one that receives the resulting donor list.