It’s Easy to Stop Royal Mail Surcharges!

 

Are you receiving surcharges from the Royal Mail for underpaid post?

We can help you avoid these costs and save money on your mailing.
To find out more, simply fill in the details below and we’ll get back to you with how you can have cheaper post with no additional fees for underpaid mail.

What are the standard Royal Mail surcharge fees

As with under-stamped mail, the Royal Mail can issue a surcharge on any franked mail that underpays on the postage value. These administration fees cover the cost to recover the underpayment and are kept to a minimum, with lower rates for Mailmark customers due to the technological advantage when processing.

Unlike stamped post, your franked mail will still be delivered as required, rather than returning items, with your unique Die number (Royal Mail license) identifying your business as the sender of the letters.

With Smartmeter and Standard Franking (along with some older Mailmark machines), Royal Mail will then write to you about underpayments the week following any incorrect franking and explain how to cover the administration charge. Though with up to 100 million items of mail per day, it may be possible that some incorrect franks are missed.

New Lower Surcharge Rates for Mailmark at 15p

From the 19th March 2018, Royal Mail have been introducing a simpler process for collecting underpayments, to help save time and costs. Initially applying to Mailmark franking machines with a PB Die (License number – see image), which covers the majority of existing TMR Mailmark customers, the new process will eventually roll out to all Mailmark machines.

Rather than contacting you by letter, any underpaid charges will be collected directly by your franking machine with your standard invoice showing any admin fees and the total underpaid amount.

The new lower Royal Mail admin charges for Mailmark users mean that you would save 80% on UK mail and 88% on international, compared to standard charges, though hopefully you’re just taking advantage of the extra mail savings and avoiding any surcharges…

Royal Mail FAQs re Mailmark surcharge collection

Main Royal Mail Surcharge Reasons

Size Matters

If an item has been franked as a Letter, but was actually a Large Letter, it will create a surcharge.

Easy to avoid with a PiP (Pricing in Proportion) ruler that provides simple slots to check the size of your mail.

Though please note if you have to squeeze or squash your item through, that means it’s too thick for the price band.

Wrong Date

Franked mail has to go on the date postmarked, though you can advance the date on your machine if you’re preparing a mailout.

Please note Mailmark franking machines automatically change to the next day at 5pm, with mail having to be collected on the date shown.

 

UK or International

Often letters to international destinations (i.e. the Republic of Ireland) are franked at UK rates, which can be avoided by using separate sorting trays for the mail to be franked.

Class Size

Correctly franked post in the wrong collection pouches can result in surcharges, so make sure your mail ends up in the correct colour – Red 1st Green 2nd – White Int.

Non-Approved

More likely to produce returned mail, rather than a surcharge, all Franking marks must be printed in Royal Mail approved blue ink (red for standard). As an authorised provider, we only supply approved inks, ensuring your mail is processed correctly and your machine maintenance is covered.

Check Your Size with a PiP Ruler (Pricing in Proportion)

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