Are You Ready For the Decertification of USPS Postage Meters?

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The sending and receiving of physical mail has been ingrained in our society for so long that it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without it. It’s our reliable and safe method of getting letters, packages, and other bulk objects from one place to another. And even in our digitized, modern world, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. But in the world of mailing, there is some big ongoing news that everyone, especially businesses who rely on mail, should be aware of: by the end of 2024, the standard postage machines that most businesses use to process their mail will be obsolete and in need of replacement.

What is This Decertification, And Why’s it Happening?

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Postage meters are what many businesses use to print postage onto bulk amounts of mail, allowing them to process many pieces of mail at once without the need for individual physical stamps. These meters use either Information-Based-Indicia (IBI) or Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) technology to evidence payment, or postage. IBI postage meters are the kind that is getting decertified and going obsolete. By December 31st, 2024, all of these meters will need to be removed from the field and replaced with IMI meters. Why is this the case? Well, IBI meters use a more outdated form of technology: they use two-dimensional barcodes encoded with postage amount, origin zip code, destination, class of mail, weight, confirmation/tracking numbers, and a cryptographic signature, as well as human-readable information. IMI meters, which will be the standard in 2025, are encoded with all of that information plus more information that helps USPS manage mail more efficiently, automate processes, improve security, and reduce costs. 

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The USPS announced in December 2020 that it will decertify all postage meters that are not IMI compliant on December 31, 2024, and all postage that is paid for using non-IMI postage meters won’t be valid after June 2025.

What Are the Benefits of the New IMI Standards?

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Postage meters are all about efficiency. They improve the accuracy and speed of mailing tasks, and help businesses save money by eliminating trips to the post office and maximizing quantities of mail sent each day. Therefore, it only makes sense that USPS would make the shift to the most efficient method of postage. There are three main reasons why IMI is more efficient than IBI:

Boosted Security

IMI systems follow all of the data encryption requirements and standards that are the most up to date. This ensures that data is transmitted securely to and from the postage meter, freeing the need for frequent checking and further concerns about safety. 

More Accurate Postage

With this new IMI technology, the USPS has removed the ability to manually key in postage. This meant that before this change, millions of mail pieces entered the mail stream with incorrect postage, mail class, and other information, which caused countless errors and service delays for businesses. 

More Frequent Automatic Updates

IMI systems are required to connect with manufacturers’ servers every 72 hours. With such frequency, this increased communication will allow the USPS to better manage the amount of mail being processed and give postage meter customers far more updates on a more regular basis. 

Conclusion

This key information cannot be ignored or underestimated - it is very important for businesses to know that the USPS will decertify all postage meters that are not IMI compliant on December 31, 2024, and all postage that is paid for using non-IMI postage meters will not be valid after June 2025. Don’t become obsolete - make sure all your postage meters are using IMI technology by the end of this year!

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