Mailer ID (MID) is a field within the Intelligent Mail barcodes that is used to identify Mail Owners/Mailing Agents. It is required in all Intelligent Mail barcodes and is used by the Postal Service to identify mail owners/mailing agents. There is a complimentary website, http://www.mailersid.com/, to help mailers get their MID easily electronically for submission to the USPS.
What is a USPS Mailer ID? The Mailer ID or Mailers ID is number created and managed by USPS that uniquely identifies an entity in the creation and distribution of a mail piece. These entities may be a mail owner (the company that requests the mail piece to be produced), a printer, a mail service provider (a lettershop, or mail service bureaus) or a mail transportation company (mail logistics and distribution companies).
The Mailer ID is a field within the Intelligent Mail barcodes that is used to identify Mail Owners and/or Mailing Agents. It is required in all Intelligent Mail barcodes and is used by the Postal Service to identify the mail owners and /or mailing agents. Mailer's ID is sometimes abbreviated to MID.
How did the USPS uniquely identify mailers before Mailer ID? USPS used to use DUNS numbers. The Mailer ID is number created and managed by USPS.
Who needs a USPS Mailer ID? All mail owner or provider (agent) using the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) will need a Mailer ID.
How long does it take to get a Mailers ID? It can take from a couple days to several weeks. 6 digit codes take more time to obtain than 9 digit Mailer ID codes.
Should I apply for a 6 digit or 9 digit Mailers ID?
A. A Mail Owner who mails 10 million or more pieces annually will be assigned a 6-Digit MID. A Mail Owner can request additional 6-digit Mailer IDs based upon need with a maximum of one MID per 10 million pieces in annual mail volume.
B. A Mailing Agent at a location which mails 10 million or more mail pieces annually will be assigned one 6-Digit MID. A Mailing Agent can request additional 6-digit Mailer IDs based upon need with a maximum of 1 MID per 10 million pieces per mailing location.
C. A Mailing Agent at a location which mails less than 10 million pieces annually will be assigned one 9-Digit MID. A Mailing Agent can request additional 9-digit Mailer IDs based upon need with a maximum of 1 MID per 1 million pieces per mailing location.
D. For PARCELS: A single 9-digit MID will be assigned per Mail Owner and/or Mailing Agent per location for use with Confirmation and Extra Services barcodes.
Why do some companies need a 6 digit Mailer's ID? 6 digit MID codes allow them more room for larger/longer serial numbers in the Intelligent Mail Barcode. Mailers must keep the combination of Mailer ID and piece serial number unique for 45 days. If you have a 6 digit Mailers ID you have 9 digit serial numbers in the mail piece. The difference is 999,999 unique piece per 45 days vs. 999,999,999 pieces every 45 days.
Can I use my CONFIRM ID? No. The USPS is transitioning all systems to support the 6-digit and 9-digit Mailer ID formats for use in the Intelligent Mail barcodes. Existing OneCode Confirm subscribers will have a "0" appended to the beginning of the subscriber ID for use as an MID in the Intelligent Mail barcode. You can use the Service Type indicator in the Intelligent Mail barcode to selectively enable the OneCode Confirm service.
Mail.dat® or Mail.XML™? Why Not Both!
Which file format should I choose? The answer is really quite simple. Both!
Three Reasons Why You Should Use Mail.dat®
Mail.dat is one of the database file sets that is accepted by the USPS for exchanging electronic mailing information. The information in Mail.dat files is extremely useful in mail verification and acceptance, electronic data storage, transportation planning, and postal document preparation and reporting.
Mail.dat® File Validation: How to Make Sure Your Files are Valid
Good post-presort software will import the files and provide detailed reports of any errors detected. Post-presort software should also allow you to easily locate these errors in the Mail.dat files to make corrections without having to regenerate them.
