Charges Begin June 1 for Merlin Non-Compliance
The U.S. Postal Service will begin assessing additional postage June 1 for flats that have Merlin barcode readability errors, though it will offer a 60-day extension for sites where Merlin has been fully activated.Merlin, or Mail Evaluation Readability and Lookup Instrument, is a USPS program that verifies barcode readability and other mail requirements. Mailings that fall short of a 90 percent readability rate can be assessed extra postage.
The postal service last month delayed charging added fees for mail that did not comply with Merlin specifications after mailers complained of quality issues with the Merlin machines.
