How to Avoid the Nonmachinable Surcharge
The nonmachinable surcharge is $0.49 per letter, charged when an envelope cannot go through the sorting machines. Avoid the seven triggers below, the ones that matter for invitations, and you never pay it.
Your answer
Standard letter
No extra postageRegular letter postage. No surcharge.
- Postage per piece
- $0.82
- 100 invitations
- $82.00
Stamps for each one
1 × Forever (1 oz letter)
Why
- This is a standard letter: within 6.125 x 11.5 in, no thicker than 0.25 in, and length divided by height is 1.38 (it must be between 1.3 and 2.5). USPS rule
Rates last verified on
100 invitations: $82.00 in postage ($0.82 each, standard letter)
What the surcharge is
Most letters are sorted by machines that grip them, bend them around rollers and read the address at speed. A letter the machines cannot handle is sorted by hand, and the surcharge covers that. It is the same $0.49 at every weight and is charged once per piece, however many triggers apply.
It applies only to letters. Postcards and large envelopes do not pay it.
The seven triggers and how to avoid each
- Shape. Long side divided by short side must be 1.3 to 2.5. Avoid it: use a rectangle such as an A7, not a square.
- Address direction. The address must run along the longer side. Avoid it: address envelopes in landscape, even for a portrait card.
- Closures. Clasps, strings, buttons and ribbon ties. Avoid it: use the gummed flap, and keep ties off the outside.
- Uneven thickness. Wax seals, charms, knots, coins, keys. Avoid it: use flat adhesive seals and paper belly bands.
- Rigidity. Acrylic, wood and stiff board. Avoid it: use card stock that bends, and never add a cardboard stiffener.
- Plastic or non-paper outside. Cello sleeves, polybags, fabric or wooden envelopes. Avoid it: mail in a paper envelope and put any sleeve inside it.
- Too thin for its size. Over 4 1/4 x 6 in but under 0.009 in thick. Avoid it: this only affects a single light sheet in a large envelope; any card clears it.
Two more ways to pay extra that are not the surcharge
A piece over 1/4 in thick, over 6 1/8 in high or over 3.5 oz is not a letter at all. It is a large envelope, starting at $1.69. And every ounce over the first adds $0.29. Neither is the nonmachinable surcharge, but both show up as "extra postage"; see heavy invitations.
When to pay it on purpose
On 100 invitations the surcharge is $49.00. If a square envelope or a wax seal is central to the design, that can be money well spent. Because it is charged once, a square envelope with a seal and a ribbon costs the same as a square envelope alone. If you are going to pay it, get your money's worth.
What does not work is ignoring it. A nonmachinable letter with only regular postage is short paid, and USPS returns those to the sender.
Check yours
Put your envelope into the calculator above and tick anything that applies. If the result says "Standard letter", none of the triggers caught you.
Compare the options
| Option | Mail class | Each | For 100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain A7 | Standard letter | $0.82 | $82.00 |
| Addressed along the short side | Nonmachinable letter | $1.31 | $131.00 |
| With a wax seal | Nonmachinable letter | $1.31 | $131.00 |
| In a clear plastic sleeve | Nonmachinable letter | $1.31 | $131.00 |
| Seal, ribbon and rigid card together | Nonmachinable letter | $1.31 | $131.00 |
Questions and answers
What is the nonmachinable surcharge?
An extra $0.49 per letter for envelopes that cannot go through USPS sorting machines and have to be sorted by hand.
What envelope size avoids extra postage?
Any rectangle whose long side is 1.3 to 2.5 times its short side, up to 6 1/8 x 11 1/2 in. A1, A2, A6, A7, A7.5, A9, A10 and #10 all qualify.
Is the surcharge charged twice for a square envelope with a wax seal?
No. It is charged once per piece, so that envelope pays a single $0.49.
Does hand-cancelling avoid the surcharge?
No. Hand-cancelling is a courtesy some post offices offer. A nonmachinable letter still needs the surcharge paid.
Do large envelopes pay the nonmachinable surcharge?
No. It applies only to letters. A rigid or lumpy large envelope is instead charged as a package.