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Postal pointers

Measuring up

Your letter's length, width, thickness and weight will determine how much postage you pay.

A small letter must be no larger than 240mm long and no thicker than 5mm. It must also weigh less than 250grams.

Large letters and parcels

A large letter can be up to 360mm x 260mm in size, 20mm thick and weigh up to 500 grams. Anything larger than this is a parcel. Parcels need to be packed carefully so that their contents arrive safely. Post offices sell enough special packaging materials to wrap almost anything you can imagine!

Your local post office will calculate the postage cost or you can use the postage calculator on the Australia Post website: auspost.com.au/pac

Addressing your envelope

It is very important to address your envelope correctly so it can be delivered as quickly as possible.

Here's how to do it!

Front of envelope

1. The person to whom you are sending your letter
2. Street address
3. Suburb and state in CAPITAL letters
4. Postcode (in postcode squares if handwritten or after the state on the last line)
5. Place the postage stamp here

Back of envelope

1. Your name
2. Your street address
3. Your suburb and state in CAPITAL letters
4. Your postcode

Always remember to:

• Write clearly and carefully.
• Include the postcode! Hand write it in the postcode squares. (See Tips for Writing Business Letters for how to type an address on an envelope.)
• Keep the left-hand margin of the address straight.
• Make sure there are no punctuation marks or underlined words.

Remember the postcode!

Postcode numbers on envelopes are essential to ensure your letter arrives as quickly as possible. Every town and suburb has a postcode and each state has its own distinctive numbers.

Pick up a booklet of postcodes from your local post office. Postcodes can also be found on the Australia Post website: auspost.com.au

Printed or typed addresses do not need to use the postcode squares on the envelope, but the postcode should be on the last line, after the suburb and state.

What about the postage?

Make sure you have put the correct amount of postage on your mail. Take your letter or parcel to a post office, or use the postage calculator on the Australia Post website: auspost.com.au/pac to find out how much postage you will have to pay.

When you receive a Reply Paid envelope with a letter, it means that the business that sent it to you has been issued with a special number and will pay for the postage when they receive your reply in the envelope provided. (Sorry, you can't use a Reply Paid envelope to send a letter to anyone else!)