PS Form 3526

Checklist

The Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation is a matter of public record once it is published. It is the only public source that reports newsstand returns data. The Postal Service and your competitors review the form and if they disagree with the accuracy, the Postal Service may conduct an audit.

The correct form is dated October 1999. A copy is enclosed with this mailing. Your post office should furnish one to you by Sept. 15 of each year. You also can download it from the USPS web site www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ ps3526.pdf.

General information about the publication management and ownership must be completed on the front of PS Form 3526. Information about the publication’s circulation is entered on the reverse. A good record tracking system is really helpful during this time.

Each newspaper that is authorized Periodical mailing privileges must publish a completed Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation and include all information for the issue of the publication in which the statement is printed.

The information must be adequate to determine if the publication is maintaining its eligibility to continue to qualify for Periodicals mailing privileges.

A reproduction/photo copy may be used. The form may be reduced to fit in the newspaper as long as the type is legible. There is no requirement that the form be reproduced as is. It can run in as a legal notice but must include all the information on both sides of the form.

You must retain a copy of the completed 3526 for your records and return the original form to your post office.

3526 Checklist 

  • Submit the completed 3526 to the post office on time, no later than Oct. 1.
  • Publish the form in its entirety in your newspaper and send a copy of the newspaper that it appears in to the post office for proof of publication. Publications issued more frequently than weekly must publish the form by Oct. 10. Weekly publications must publish the form by Oct. 31.
  • Completely fill out both sides of the form.
  • If your paid circulation is less than 50 percent, an audit will be scheduled to determine if you are an eligible Periodical publication.
  • If paid circulation is between 50 and 60 percent, an eligibility audit will be conducted.
  • On the current issue data, item 15b and 15d should be identical to the current 3541 postage statement.
  • Item 7, use street address, not post office box [optional if no city carrier delivery]. Don’t forget to include the county.
  • Make sure the city address agrees with the masthead address.
  • Download the form at www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps3526.pdf.