Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR)

Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) is a near real-time, single source for all domestic-bound mail and mail aggregate tracking information.

Who is IV-MTR for?

Commercial mailers who are tracking domestic-bound barcoded letters, flats, bundles, handling units (trays, tubs, and sacks), and containers

First Class Mail

First Class Mail

Periodicals

Periodicals

Standard Mail

Standard Mail

Description

IV-MTR provides the mailing industry with powerful insight into the Postal mailstream. The application:

  • Provides near real-time mail tracking data for domestic-bound letters and flats
  • Leverages the intelligence of Full-Service Intelligent Mail® and nesting associations to create assumed handling events
  • Offers logical handling events, such as logical delivery events, based on business rules
  • Provides multiple data file formats and delivery methods
  • Enables roles and permissions management to determine a user's application functionality and data visibility
  • Offers flexible data delegation to receive and provide data visibility

With IV-MTR, the mailing industry can leverage key information about their mailings to manage operations, refine processes, and adjust marketing campaigns as needed.

 

Release Schedule

Release

Scope

August 24, 2024
  • New USPS Ship data feed: Variance
August 3, 2024
  • New USPS Ship data feed: Outbound Transactions Payment Details 
  • New data fields for several existing USPS Ship feeds
  • New data fields for existing Enterprise Payment System (EPS) Outbound Transactions data feed
July 13, 2024
  • New data fields for Enterprise Payment Systems (EPS) Commercial Mailing Details data feed:​​​
    • Promotions Type
    • Promotions Pieces Awarded
    • Promotions Discount
June 30, 2024
  • New Promotion Discount data fields for the Package Attributes feed.
June 1, 2024
  • New USPS Ship feed data types: 
    • IMpb Error Details Returns
    • IMpb Daily Returns
    • IMpb Monthly Returns
    • IMpb Monthly Transactions
April 13, 2024
  • New Enterprise Payment System (EPS) data feed type: eDoc Submitter
October 28, 2023
  • New data fields added to Census Attribute data feed for USPS Ship data: 
    • SKU
    • Zones
    • Price Group
March 26, 2022
  • New data feed type: Statistical Quality Assessment (SQA)
  • New data fields added to Census Attribute and Pricing Notification data feeds
August 28, 2021
  • Option to only include Transactions with ACH Withdrawal ID for select Enterprise Payment System EPS) data feeds.
May 22, 2021
  • New pass-through data type, Package Errors and Warnings, which provides details on the errors and warnings on the packages within a manifest. 
September 12, 2020
  • New Enterprise Payment System (EPS) data types:
    • Commercial Postal Store Transaction Details
    • Commercial Postal Store Order Item Details
    • Credit Card Payments
  • New Package Platform Concept (PPC) data types: 
    • Unmanifested Packages
    • Duplicate Packages – Outbound
Future Enhancements
  • Operational Status indicator for pieces to show impacts due to operational events, weather, holds, and redirects
  • Enhanced tracking for certified IMpb barcodes
  • Exchange of breadcrumb data with mailer transported volume to IV to determine moment of arrival
  • Service Measurement Indicator for pieces to provide exclusion reasons
  • Ability to receive IMpb Compliance reports

Note: Additional functionality may be included in these planned releases.

IV-MTR Latest News

Fact Sheets
04/26/2022
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Fact Sheet

This fact sheet provides an overview of the benefits of the IV-MTR application and where to go for more information.

Release Notes
08/26/2024
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Release Notes

These release notes summarize new features and enhancements implemented in deployments to the IV-MTR application.

Getting Started with IV-MTR

Presentations
05/07/2021
Orientation Training for Informed Visibility® - Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR)

This presentation provides an introduction to the IV-MTR application, including its purpose, user access, layout, navigation controls, and support resources.

User Guides
07/16/2024
Applying for Access to Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR)

This presentation provides instructions for applying for access to the IV Mail Tracking & Reporting application (IV-MTR). The instructions include how to register for a Business Customer Gateway (BCG) account, add the IV-MTR service in the BCG, and receive and enter the authorization code.

Quick Service Guides
06/19/2020
Quick Start Guide for Informed Visibility® - Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR)

This document provides high-level instructions for completing One-Time Queries and Data Feeds in the IV-MTR application.

IV-MTR User Guides and Training

User Guides
06/28/2021
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) User Guide

The User Guide describes the prerequisites for receiving mail tracking data through IV-MTR, the data provisioning options available, and how to use the application for tracking commercial domestic-bound barcoded letters and flats.

User Guides
04/26/2022
Provisioning Enterprise Payment (EPS) and USPS Ship (formerly Package Platform (PPC)) Data through Informed Visibility® (IV®)

This guide provides instructions for receiving Enterprise Payment System (EPS) and USPS Ship (formerly Package Platform Concept (PPC)) data through the IV Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) application.

User Guides
11/13/2020
Provisioning Informed Delivery® Post-Campaign (IDPC) Data in Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR)

This guide provides instructions for receiving Informed Delivery Post-Campaign (IDPC) detailed data through the IV Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) application.

User Guides
11/13/2020
Provisioning Mail Quality Data with Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking and Reporting

Mail Quality Data (MQD-IV) leverages the Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) application to enable mailers to receive uncapped Mail Quality Data.

Tech Guides
03/22/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Mail.XML Guide

This guide provides information about using MailXML™ to receive mail tracking data through the IV-MTR application.

User Guides
06/06/2020
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Business Service Administrator (BSA) Instructions

This document provides an introduction to the Business Service Administrator (BSA) user level and information on its role in the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) business service.  It also provides step-by-step instructions for the tasks BSAs and BSA Delegates are responsible for.

IV-MTR Data Dictionaries

Data Files
05/07/2021
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) External Facing Data Dictionary

This document describes the data attributes available in the external-facing IV-MTR application.

Data Files
05/07/2021
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Sample Data Set

This workbook provides sample data for each data attribute available in the IV-MTR application for each mail object type.

Data Files
09/19/2023
Informed Delivery® Post-Campaign (IDPC) Data through IV-MTR® Data Dictionary

This document describes the Informed Delivery Post-Campaign (IDPC) data fields available through the IV-MTR application.

Data Files
06/17/2020
Informed Delivery® Post-Campaign (IDPC) Data through IV-MTR® Sample Data Set

This workbook provides sample data for each Informed Delivery Post-Campaign (IDPC) data field available in the IV-MTR application.

Technical Specifications
08/07/2024
Data Files
08/28/2024
USPS Ship Data Dictionary

Detailed information on the USPS Ship (Formerly Package Platform) data elements available through the Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) application.

Technical Specifications
11/09/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Mail Object Navigator Data Fields

This document lists the fields available in the One Time Query's Mail Object Navigator.

IV-MTR Reference Materials

Data Files
10/02/2024
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Operation Codes List

This spreadsheet provides a list of operation codes (opcodes), also known as Scan Event Codes, for the IV-MTR application.

Data Files
10/07/2024
Automated Zone Indicator (AZI) Table

The AZI table lists each five-digit ZIP Code™ and is an indicator of the type of processing that typically takes place on letter mail destined for each ZIP Code.

Data Files
03/29/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) WSDL and XSD Files

This ZIP file contains the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and XML Schema Definition (XSD) files necessary to use MailXML™ to receive mail tracking data from IV-MTR.

Data Files
05/13/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Mail.XML Test Pull Messages

This ZIP file contains MailXML messages to test sending a pull request to the IV-MTR application.

Data Files
06/17/2016
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Mail.XML™ Test Message SSL Certificate

This ZIP file includes the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for MailXML™ test pull messages in the IV-MTR application.

Data Files
08/18/2021
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Production Environment SSL Certificate

This ZIP file includes the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for the IV-MTR application at iv.usps.com.

Data Files
05/21/2020
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Test Environment SSL Certificate

This ZIP file includes the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for the Customer Acceptance Testing (CAT) IV-MTR application at qiv.usps.com.

Data Files
05/04/2023
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) SFTP Server Certificate

This ZIP file includes the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server certificate for the IV-MTR application at ivsftp.usps.com.

Request for Assistance Forms

Applications/ Forms
08/10/2020
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Scan Data Delegation Request

This form allows a Delegating Company (i.e., Mailer ID [MID] Owner) to provide authorization for delegation of mail tracking visibility to a Receiving Company within the IV-MTR application. 

Applications/ Forms
08/14/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Piece-Level One-Time Query Request

This form is to help users prepare to submit a one-time query for piece-level data, either on their own through the IV-MTR web application or assistance from the IV Solutions Center.

Applications/ Forms
08/10/2020
Informed Delivery® Post-Campaign (IDPC) through IV-MTR® Data Delegation Request

This form allows a Delegating Company (i.e., Mailer ID [MID] Owner) to provide authorization for delegation of Informed Delivery Post-Campaign (IDPC) Detailed data visibility to a Receiving Company within the IV-MTR application.

Applications/ Forms
05/28/2020
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) One-Time Query Request for Informed Delivery® Post-Campaign Data (IDPC)

This form is to help users prepare to submit a one-time query for Informed Delivery Post-Campaign (IDPC) Detailed data, either on their own through the IV-MTR web application or with assistance from the IV Solutions Center, after June 20, 2020.

Applications/ Forms
09/11/2020
Enterprise Payment System (EPS) through IV-MTR® Data Delegation Request

This form allows a Delegating Company (i.e., Mailer ID [MID] Owner) to provide authorization for delegation of Enterprise Payment System (EPS) data visibility to a Receiving Company within the IV-MTR application.

Applications/ Forms
09/11/2020
USPS Ship (Formerly Package Platform) through IV-MTR® Data Delegation Request

This form allows a Delegating Company (i.e., Mailer ID [MID] Owner) to provide authorization for delegation of USPS Ship (Formerly PPC) data visibility to a Receiving Company within the IV-MTR application.

Applications/ Forms
08/10/2020
Mail Quality Data (MQD) through IV-MTR® Data Delegation Request

This form allows a Delegating Company (i.e., Mailer ID [MID] Owner) to provide authorization for delegation of Mail Quality Data (MQD) visibility to a Receiving Company within the IV-MTR application.

Applications/ Forms
04/03/2019
Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Routing Code Visibility Request

This form allows the IV Solutions Center® to provide visibility of mail tracking data within the IV-MTR web application for specific Routing Codes (Zip Codes) based on a company’s business need.  

IV-MTR API

Tech Guides
05/01/2023
IV-MTR API Developer Toolkit

The Developer Toolkit provides information about using the Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Application Programming Interface (API). The API enables the mailing industry to integrate mobile and web-based applications with near real-time IV-MTR data through a lightweight data exchange.

FAQs
05/01/2023
FAQs for the IV-MTR API

This document provides answers to FAQs for the IV-MTR API.

Release Notes
02/27/2020
IV-MTR API Release Notes

These release notes summarize new features and enhancements implemented in deployments to the Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV®-MTR) Application Programming Interface (API).

MTAC User Group 4 for Mail Visibility

Fact Sheets
04/02/2020
About Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) User Group 4

This document provides a brief description of MTAC User Group 4 for mail visibility and provides a contact for requesting to join the group.

Mail Tracking Vendors (not affiliated with USPS)


If your organization would like to have a third party handle your mail tracking data, the resources below provide contact information for a number of third party service providers who offer mail owner and mail service provider solutions.

 

The listed vendors are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only.  This list does not constitute endorsement or approval by the United States Postal Service.   The list is open to all interested third party vendors.  To be added to the list, please use the form below.

Contact Lists
07/17/2023
Mail Tracking Vendor List

This document provides contact information for a number of third-party service providers who offer mail owner and mail service provider solutions.

Applications/ Forms
02/27/2020
Mail Tracking Vendor List Request Form

Use this form to add your company’s contact information to the Mail Tracking Vendor List or to request changes to your existing entry. 

Related Products

Electronic Documentation (eDoc)

To participate in Full-Service Intelligent Mail®, mailers must submit information electronically. This computer-consumable version replaces existing hardcopies and includes the following: postage statement and qualification report.

Enterprise Payment System

The Enterprise Payment System (EPS) allows customers to pay for products and services through an Enterprise Payment Account (EPA) funded as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) Debit or Trust Account. The EPS payment account management provides enhanced security features, centralized balance and account management, and a self-service customer experience.

Mail Quality Data through IV®-MTR

Mail Quality Data (MQD-IV) leverages the Informed Visibility® Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) application to enable mailers to receive uncapped Mail Quality Data. Detailed error data from the Mailer Scorecard is available for Full Service, Move Update, eInduction, and Seamless Acceptance.

Contact

For more information, contact the IV Solutions Center at 1-800-238-3150, option #2 or InformedVisibility@usps.gov.