Have you heard of decertification? If you currently use IBI-enabled postage meters for mailing and shipping this means, you will need to update your equipment. As of December 2024, the United States Postal Service will no longer accept these indicias, with a few exceptions.
What is IBI?
IBI stands for (Information-based Indicia) an old technology that has been around since late 90’s. IBI has limitations and no longer meets USPS® business needs or standards. The NEW standard is IMI (Intelligent Mail Indicia), and while it has been around for over 10 years, it has not been fully adopted by all mailers. The IMI standard provides much more detailed real-time transaction data, enabling the USPS® to automate operations, employ better security standards, and ensure correct postage is used.
Is your postage meter IMI compliant?
To become IMI compliant, you will need to acquire a postage meter that is able to send and receive data from USPS®. This change will also ensure your company’s mail system will be able to receive automatic updates such as rate changes.
How will this change improve your mailing and shipping processes?
IMI provides several significant features that add up to faster, accurate, and secure mail processing for both mail senders and recipients. In addition, IMI is more cost-effective and allows businesses and the USPS® to be much more efficient. The upgrade enables organizations to:
- Receive more frequent USPS® updates - The old IBI system requires postage meters to connect to the server for updates every 90 days. However, a lot can change in three months. Meters with Intelligent Mail Indicia must connect every 72 hours. A failure to comply with the 72-hour connection mandate will result in a locked-out meter.
- Automatic postage calculation. The new regulation requires that you select a Service Class for each piece of mail, meaning the postage is calculated automatically, guaranteeing the correct amount is paid every time.
- Takes the guesswork out of postage - Even the most careful manual data entry is likely to produce errors. Since postage is automatically calculated, you no longer need to worry about overspending.
Important timeline dates
- June 30, 2024 - The USPS® plans to decertify all postage meters that use IBI (Information-based indicia) technology.
- December 31, 2024 - IBI meters will be considered non-compliant by the USPS® and must be withdrawn from service. Postage meters with IBI must be replaced, registered, and in working order with IMI-compatible meters.
- June 30, 2025 – Refund requests for all unused postage indicia need to be completed before this date
What if my machine is already IMI compliant?
Customers who purchased IMI-compatible postage meters must ensure their meters are properly registered with the USPS®. Quadient's iX-series mailing systems are fully IMI compliant and USPS® approved.
Don’t delay this necessary transition
The USPS® mandate to decertify IBI-enabled postage meters and require customers to use IMI-compatible meters is an important step towards improving the security and accuracy of the USPS® postage payment system.
Now is the time to take steps to upgrade your equipment and avoid mail disruption. It is also a great opportunity to reevaluate your mailing and shipping solutions as a whole. Speak to a Quadient mail expert who can help identify the best suite of solutions to meet your needs and help guide you through the process.
