What Publishers & Organizations Need to Know About the New USPS Enterprise Payment System

On October 1, the United States Postal Service retired the current Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS) and are instead using the newly launched Enterprise Payment System (EPS) for its electronic payment process for customers.

CAPS was an electronic payment system for postage that would allow businesses to use a central account as an alternative to providing checks or cash for postage items.

The Enterprise Payment System (EPS) allows customers to pay for their postal products and services through a single account, while also managing other USPS business functions. This single account is called the Enterprise Payment Account (EPA).

Benefits of EPS

The new Enterprise Payment System features a number of benefits to businesses and organizations that use mailing services to distribute print materials. This includes the ability to pay for USPS services through a single account, intuitive mailing reports, mobile check deposits, ACH Debit or Trust Account funding options, improved security and account management features and an enhanced self-service customer experience.

Important dates to note

There are two important dates to be aware of when planning to transition a CAPS account to the EPS.

October 1, 2018

CAPS customers can begin migrating accounts to the Enterprise Payments System. New CAPS accounts will be discontinued, meaning all new accounts must be created using the EPS.

April 1, 2019

All existing CAPS accounts must be migrated to an EPS account. The USPS will no longer provide customer support for CAPS.

How to create an EPS account

The steps below are intended to provide publishers, marketers and organizations that rely heavily on USPS mailing services an overview of the EPS account creation process. Please refer to the EPS Migration Fact Sheet for specific account setup instructions.

To create an EPS account, you will first need a Business Customer Gateway account. You can sign up for a Business Gateway account by visiting https://gateway.usps.com/.

Once your Business Customer Gateway account is activated, you may request an invitation code to participate in EPS by either contacting your local business mail entry unit or emailing postalone@usps.gov.

The EPS invitation should arrive in your email inbox within two business days. Click the link in the email and use your newly created Business Customer Gateway username and password to log in. Enter the invitation code included in the email and agree to the Terms and Conditions. Click “Other Services” and then click the “Go to Service” button located next to Enterprise Payment System.

When setting up your Enterprise Payment Account (EPA), you have several options depending on the status of your current CAPS account. According to the EPS Migration Fact Sheet, “If you are a new Payment Account customer or an existing Local Trust Account customer, you must select ‘Create New Account’. If you are a CAPS customer you have two options, ‘Create a New Account’ or use the last 5-digits of your existing CAPS Account Number to create your EPA Number.”

Once your EPA is created, you may manage user roles for all individuals that need access to your postal account records. This could include yourself, other team members as well as your printer, presort vendor or mailing services provider. User roles include Administrator, Payment Manager and Subscriber.

The EPS provides organizations with flexible payment options. You may choose to fund your EPA using a Trust Account which includes payment options for cash, checks, money orders, Fedwire transfers or ACH Credit. Organizations may also choose to fund their EPA through an ACH Debit. Please refer to the EPS Migration Fact Sheet for details on how to set up each payment method.

After you have selected your preferred payment option, it’s important to correctly link your organization’s current permits and publications to ensure you are receiving the appropriate postal rate. This can be found by navigating to the “Manage Account” screen, selecting “Products & Services” and choosing “Manage Permits”.

Finally, if applicable, contact your mail service provider to notify them of your new EPA number and any account changes.

Throughout the account creation process, if you get stuck or have questions, contact the PostalOne Customer Care team.

Questions?

For more information about EPS, feel free to contact us or review the Enterprise Payment System FAQs page. If you are a current Allen Press customer, our Account Management team is standing by to help make the EPS transition as smooth as possible.