What is a Proof of Mailing?
At some point, almost every business needs to have documentation to prove that they have sent mail to an intended recipient, whether it’s to an individual or a business. This is called a Proof of Mailing, and it comes in several forms that are available depending on how much documentation you need.
The simplest and cheapest version of a Proof of Mailing is a Certificate of Mailing. This version is essentially what it sounds like, a dated receipt from the postal service indicating that they received a piece of mail from you to send. It does not provide you with tracking information or acknowledgement that it was received by the recipient.
The more well-known version of Proof of Mailing is Certified Mail. Certified Mail is more expensive than a Certificate of Mailing, but it DOES provide tracking and a delivery record, in addition to being a record that the postal service has received your mail. If you need to have documentation of the recipient signature you can add a Return Receipt (or green card) to your mailing for an additional three dollars.
Many people are only familiar with physical documentation for their Proof of Mailing, but the postal service provides digital documentation too! Not only can you get Proof of Mailing with digital Certificate of Mailing and Certified Mail, but you also have the option to add an Electronic Return Receipt (ERR) to your certified mail.
Create a Postalocity account and get started with digital documentation on your mailings!
Digital Proof of Mailing and Electronic Return Receipts
Online mailing can actually become an advantage and a cheaper alternative to purchasing and maintaining a record of hard copy Proof of Mailing, especially when you want or need a signature to serve as your documentation. USPS charges less to add an Electronic Return Receipt to certified mail when you request it as Proof of Mailing electronically than it costs to include a physical green card as part of your certified mail. You also don’t have to worry about the physical card with the recipient’s signature making it back through the postal system to you for your records.
When you upload your mail, you can request your documentation without ever needing physical paperwork with proof or the tracking information you need to go look up your mail status online because it’s provided to you electronically. When your recipient signs for certified mail, an ERR captures their signature and a precise delivery timestamp, no green card needed.
Digital proof is easier to incorporate into your record keeping because you can simply save the electronic files as clean copies to wherever you maintain your documentation. In the case of an Electronic Return Receipt, a downloadable PDF signature record is generated from the timestamped signature that is captured, and this PDF integrates directly into document management systems.
Want a physical paper trail? While most businesses have moved their documentation online for easier access and management, you’ll still be able to print out hard copies from the PDFs if you also keep documentation on hand in a physical format.
Another advantage to automating your mailing online is that you can reference or maintain additional information about your mailing even if you don’t need it for legal reasons. This includes tracking details for each piece mailed and individual proof PDFs that include the envelope and actual mail piece.
No matter how much information you want about your mail job, having it available electronically is only helpful if it is easily accessible and in a file format that is easy to save or incorporate in your record keeping system. Postalocity packages all information you could need about your mail job in an easy to download zip file.
The zip file includes PDF proofs of envelopes and actual mail pieces along with the receipt for the job, Postalocity mailing affidavit and affidavit. If a job is certified or priority, the zip file will also include USPS tracking details and an electronic return receipt if it is requested for certified mail. Simply download and unzip your file and save PDF documents into the appropriate folders or systems of record for a digital audit trail.
Industry Proof of Mailing Requirements
Many different industries rely on proof of mailing for communications they send out to customers, clients, employees or tenants and can benefit from moving mailings online and using electronic return receipts.
Don’t know if there is a need for proof of mailing within your industry? You may be surprised. Below is a list of industries and common communications they send out where some form of proof of mailing is recommended.
- Legal & Law Firms
- Litigation & Court Filings: Process service notifications, subpoenas, court summonses, and formal motions. Proof of delivery establishes that statutory deadlines or legal notification requirements were met.
- Demand Letters & Settlement Communications: Formal settlement offers or debt demands where proving the opposing party received the notice is critical.
- Banking, Finance & Credit Services
- Collections & Default Notices: Late notices, right-to-cure warnings, loan default letters, and repossession notices. Regulators require lenders to prove that required cure periods were offered to borrowers before action was taken.
- Credit Reporting & Disclosures: Official notification of credit denial (Adverse Action notices), privacy policy updates, or changes to account terms.
- Real Estate, Property Management & Construction
- Eviction Notices & Lease Terminations: Notice to quit, non-payment of rent, or lease violation notices. Judges often require a signed delivery receipt (ERR) before allowing eviction proceedings to move forward.
- HOA Notices: Violation notices, special assessment announcements, or election/meeting ballots.
- Mechanic’s Liens: Contractors and suppliers sending pre-lien notices or formal intention-to-lien letters to property owners.
- Government & Public Sector Municipalities
- Tax Administration: Tax delinquency notices, tax liens, audit notifications, and assessments.
- Zoning & Code Enforcement: Notices of ordinance violations, public hearing announcements sent to neighboring property owners, and eminent domain notices.
- Insurance (Property, Casualty, Health & Life)
- Policy Cancellations & Non-Renewals: State laws typically mandate that insurers maintain verifiable proof (like ERR) that a policyholder was given advance notice before coverage is canceled for non-payment or risk changes.
- Claim Determinations & Denials: Formal coverage decision letters and dispute resolutions.
- Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
- Patient Records & Privacy: Formal notifications regarding HIPAA disclosures, medical records requests, or patient discharge from practice notices.
- Product Recalls: Medical device manufacturers or pharma companies sending mandatory safety/recall notices to providers and hospitals.
- Human Resources & Corporate Compliance
- COBRA & Benefits Administration: Election notices for continued health coverage, which must meet strict statutory mailing deadlines.
- Termination Notices & Non-Compete Enforcement: Documenting that departing employees received cease-and-desist letters or official employment termination notices.
If you fall into one of these categories and send these types of communications, consider moving your mailings online. Not only will the mailing process be more convenient than doing it manually with a postage meter, but you’ll be able to receive all of your mailing documentation conveniently packaged in a zip file so that you can track mail pieces and save files easily to your digital record keeping system.
Create your Postalocity account and get started with digital documentation today.
