MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
- The USPS® Mail Growth Incentive (MGI) offers eligible mailers a postage discount of up to 30% on additional mail volume over the previous year.
- Registration for the 2026 MGI runs from March 2026 to May 2026.
- Companies have through December of 2026 to surpass an established mail volume threshold to be eligible for postage savings.
- The 2026 USPS postal promotions offer additional postage discounts for direct mailers that incorporate elements like digital technology or sensory components.
For companies that rely on a high volume of direct mail marketing each year, postage costs are serious business. The USPS® Mail Growth Incentive (MGI) program is a major opportunity for high-volume mailers to earn credits toward postage reductions as a reward for increasing the volume of mail sent in a given year.
Postage increases have been a recurring theme over the last few years, and I’ve seen firsthand how the MGI can help our customers cut postage costs and optimize their direct mail programs. Registration for this year’s MGI opens in March 2026 and runs through May 2026, which means marketers need to start planning now for how they will leverage the incentive.
This year’s MGI does look a little different, so here are a handful of key FAQs about the 2026 program to help companies save big on high-volume direct mail marketing.
What’s the maximum amount companies can save on postage with the 2026 MGI?
The maximum amount of postage savings companies can earn in 2026 remains at 30%. This figure has been the ceiling for MGI savings since the program was first launched a couple of years ago. These savings come in the form of credits earned by surpassing a defined threshold of direct mail, which is determined based on the volume of mail sent the previous year.
While the MGI caps the incremental postage savings at 30%, other discounts are available to marketers who take a more strategic approach to direct mail. For example, the 2026 USPS postage discounts provide additional savings for direct mailers that incorporate digital technology, tactile or sensory components, or catalogs to better engage consumers.
Plus, the Informed Delivery® and Sustainability add-ons each offer an additional 1% postage savings. These discounts can be stacked to further reduce costs and optimize your print budget.
What kinds of direct mail qualify for the 2026 MGI?
Not all classes of mail are eligible for the 2026 MGI. Only First-Class Mail® and Marketing Mail® qualify for the 30% discount. While this may seem restrictive, it opens significant cost savings for industries like insurance, healthcare, gaming, and higher education that rely on these mail classes.
In fact, the MGI provides an opportunity for companies in virtually any industry to reduce mailing costs. Established in 2023, the MGI generated more than $500 million in credits in its first year. The MGI not only helps marketers reduce overall costs, it also helps them better allocate print marketing budgets in face of price increases on materials like paper and ink.
This more strategic approach to direct mail is exactly what Quantum’s Supply Chain Manager Paul Fillmore talked about recently when previewing the challenges and opportunities printers will face in 2026 and beyond.
How are the MGI mailing thresholds and credits calculated?
MGI mailing thresholds are typically determined using mail volumes from the previous year. In this case, volumes from January 2025 through December 2025 will define the amount of mail required in 2026 to earn credits.
In the past two years, companies exceeding 1 million pieces of direct mail automatically qualified for credits, but that is not part of the 2026 MGI. This year, the 30% postage credit is available only to those who have registered for the program and surpass an established volume threshold, regardless of whether they eclipse the 1 million mark.
Postage credits are typically issued quarterly, though they can be scheduled during or even after the 2026 performance period. The USPS Business Customer Gateway has everything you need to know about how to qualify and register for the 2026 MGI, and our team of direct mail experts can help you navigate the ins and outs of this year’s MGI en route to significantly reducing your postage costs.
What’s the difference between the incentive performance period vs. the incentive baseline period?
The incentive performance period is the window of time companies have to earn credits toward postage discounts. This year’s incentive performance period runs from January 2026 through December 2026, which means companies have the entire calendar year to increase their mail volume on the road toward 30% savings on postage.
Quantum has decades of experience as a strategic print partner helping marketers print high-quality, high-volume direct mail that boosts response rates and generates revenue. With our print automation platform and years of experience as a data-driven print provider, we are the print partner to help optimize your next direct mail campaign for maximum ROI.
Tell us about your direct mail needs and we’ll get started.
Bob Quirk is Quantum Group’s Vice President of Manufacturing Operations.
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