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 By Harley Hitchcock
Periodicals Consultant - Texas Press Association
PS FORM 3526 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
The subject of this month’s article is probably everyone’s second favorite postal form, coming right behind the postage statement. PS Form 3526 is required to be completed, filed by October 1, and published by October 31 each year. As the title suggests, it contains information on ownership, management and circulation for your publication. The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) reference is 707.8.3 and is included below.
8.3 Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation
8.3.1 Filing Form 3526
The publisher of each Periodicals publication, including foreign publications accepted at Periodicals prices, must file Form 3526 by October 1 of each year at the original entry Post Office.
8.3.2 Content
The information provided on Form 3526 must allow the USPS to determine whether the publication meets the standards for Periodicals mailing privileges. This information includes, as applicable, the identity of the editor, managing editor, publishers, and owners; the owning corporation and its stockholders; any further corporations and stockholders that own at least 1% of the stock of a corporation owning the publication; known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders; and the extent and nature of the circulation of the publication, including the number of copies distributed, the methods of distribution, and how much of the circulation is paid in whole or in part.
8.3.3 Publication
The publisher of each publication authorized Periodicals mailing privileges as a general or requester publication must publish a complete statement of ownership, containing all information required by Form 3526, in an issue of the publication to which that statement relates; other publications are not required to publish this statement. A reproduction of the Form 3526 submitted to the USPS may be used. The required information must appear in an issue whose primary mailed distribution is produced not later than October 10 for publications issued more frequently than weekly, or not later than October 31 for publications issued weekly or less frequently but more frequently than monthly; or in the first issue whose primary mailed distribution is produced after October 1 for all other publications.
8.3.4 Noncompliance
If a publisher does not comply with the filing or publishing standards of 8.3 and, after notice from the postmaster, further fails to comply within 10 days, that publisher's eligibility for Periodicals prices is suspended until compliance occurs.
A copy of PS Form 3526 is available at the following link.
http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps3526rn.pdf
PS Form 3526 is a three-page document with the third page being instructions. The first page requests information relating to ownership and management. This page is relatively straightforward. It includes information on publication title, frequency, subscription price, address and names of publisher, editor and owner. The second page requests information on circulation, beginning with number of copies printed, and a breakdown of circulation by paid/requested and sample or nonrequested copies, whether mailed or by other means, and copies not distributed. This information is entered in two columns. One column is for the average number of copies per line item for each issue during the preceding 12 months, and one is for the number of copies for the single issue published nearest to the filing date. All copies must be accounted for.
Each line item includes a description of the information requested and is relatively easy to follow. A primary task is differentiating between paid/requested copies and sample/nonrequested copies. DMM Section 707.6.1.2f defines what qualifies as a subscriber and is included below.
f. At least 50% of a publication's distribution must be to persons who have paid above a nominal price. Nominal price subscriptions include those sold at a subscription price so low that the price cannot be considered a material consideration; or at a reduction to the subscriber (under a premium offer or any other arrangement) of more than 70% of the basic annual subscription price that would entitle the subscriber to receive one copy of each issue published during the subscription period. The value of a premium is considered its actual cost to the publisher, its recognized retail value, or its represented value, whichever is highest.
There are two Customer Support Rulings relating to this subject. PS-132 provides additional information relating to Nominal Rate Subscriptions. PS-153 explains how Expired Subscriptions are handled for postage and circulation purposes. All Customer Support Rulings are available through Postal Explorer at http://pe.usps.com
Important points to remember are the filing and publishing date requirements, accurate and current ownership and management information, and the proper accounting for all copies printed and distributed. Please forward any questions to the TPA Periodicals |
