NOTICE OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE OF MINOR CLASSIFICATION CHANGES RELATED TO THE ISSUANCE OF FOREVER STAMP STATUS TO THE POSTCARD, TWO-OUNCE, THREE-OUNCE, ADDITIONAL OUNCE AND NONMACHINABLE SURCHARGE STAMPS

the United States Postal Service (Postal Service) files this Notice of minor changes in the Mail Classification Schedule (MCS), Section 1105.5. The proposed classification changes (Attachment A) have been approved by the Governors, effective April 26, 2015, and add non-denominated, non-expiring (“Forever”) status to stamps for five different First-Class Mail stamp categories: 1) a postcard stamp; 2) the two-ounce letter stamp; 3) the three-ounce letter stamp; 4) the additional ounce stamp and 5) the first ounce nonmachinable surcharge stamp.1 In addition, these changes modify the definition of Forever stamps in the Mail Classification Schedule’s Glossary of Terms and Conditions (Section 3007) to specifically include these new stamp categories.

These proposed changes reflect the Postal Service’s policy objective to simplify the transactions associated with price changes. The Postal Service seeks to eliminate the need for customers and the Postal Service to acquire and distribute new denominated stamps in anticipation of price changes affecting these stamp types, each time a price change occurs. The change should provide our customers additional convenience in purchasing and maintaining stocks of up-to-date postage.

It is expected that the conversion to Forever stamp status for these additional product categories will reduce Postal Service costs for inventory maintenance and stamp distribution. Once the new categories of Forever stamps are in place, future rate changes should no longer require the retrieval and destruction of outdated denominated stamp stocks and replacement with new denominated stamps. In addition, the ability to continue producing a particular Forever stamp design, without regard to price changes, will enable better management of stamp printing.

USPS notice