# Frequently asked questions > Common questions about mailnow.ai's mail and check services, pricing, security, and onboarding. Canonical URL: https://mailnow.ai/faq The questions we get asked most often, with answers. If yours isn't here, contact us at hello@mailnow.ai. ## About mailnow.ai ### What is mailnow.ai? mailnow.ai is a US virtual mailbox and check-deposit service for small businesses. It gives your business a real US street address (not a PO Box), opens and scans every piece of mail with AI, and physically deposits any checks you receive at the bank — usually within one business day. ### How much does mailnow.ai cost? Mail processing is a flat $10/month for unlimited incoming mail with all scans included. Check deposit is $5/check on a pay-as-you-go basis. There are no setup fees, no per-scan charges, and you can cancel anytime. ### Is mailnow.ai safe to use? Yes. Mail is opened in a secure facility by trained staff, scans are encrypted at rest, and account access requires a verified Clerk-backed sign-in. Check deposit is performed under a Limited Power of Attorney executed during onboarding. US mail receipt is authorized via a notarized USPS Form 1583. See /legal/privacy and /legal/check-deposit-agreement for full details. ### Where is mailnow.ai located? mailnow.ai operates from a real US street address used as your business mailing address. It is a real street address, not a PO Box and not a CMRA-only mail drop, suitable for LLC registration, banking, and tax filings. ### What does mailnow.ai do that other virtual mailbox services don't? mailnow.ai opens and scans every page of every mail item (not just envelopes), summarizes and classifies each item with AI, automatically extracts checks and invoices, and physically deposits checks at the bank — all included in the flat monthly mail fee, with no per-scan charges. ## Mail service ### Is this a real street address? Yes. You get a real US business street address — not a PO Box and not a CMRA-only mail drop. You can use it on your website, register your LLC with it, give it to your bank, and put it on tax filings. ### How fast do I see new mail? Most mail items are opened, scanned, and posted to your dashboard within 24 hours of arrival. You'll get a notification the moment your scan and AI summary are ready. ### Can I forward physical items to me? Yes. From your dashboard you can request that any item — or a bundle of items — be physically forwarded to any address. You pay actual postage; there's no markup or handling fee on top of our monthly service. ### What about junk mail? You set a junk-mail rule once during onboarding (shred, recycle, or scan-anyway). We follow it for everything that's clearly junk so your dashboard stays clean. You can change the rule anytime. ### Is my mail private and secure? Mail is handled by trained staff in a secure facility. Scans are stored encrypted at rest, access requires a verified Clerk-backed sign-in, and you can grant teammates limited role-based access. We never share your mail or its contents with third parties. ## Check service ### How do I send checks to you? Once you sign up, you'll get our secure check-processing address. Mail your checks to that address — or have customers send them directly. We open every envelope the day it arrives. ### When will my check be deposited? Every check is opened, scanned, verified, and queued for deposit within 24 hours of arriving at our facility. If your bank has a branch near our processing facility, your check is hand-deposited within 24 hours of processing. If your bank isn't local, we mail the endorsed check directly to your bank on your behalf — there's a small extra processing fee for postage and handling. ### What if my bank isn't local? No problem — we'll endorse the check and mail it directly to your bank on your behalf. If your bank isn't local, we mail the endorsed check directly to your bank on your behalf — there's a small extra processing fee for postage and handling. You'll see a clear line item for the extra fee on every check that needs to be mailed. ### What happens if a check bounces? If a check is returned by the bank (insufficient funds, stop payment, etc.), we record the return reason in your dashboard and notify you immediately. The original scan stays on file so you have everything you need to follow up with the payer. ### Is there a per-month fee? No — check processing is pay-as-you-go at a flat $5 per check. You only pay when we process a check for you. There are no monthly minimums and no setup fees. ## Pricing & billing ### Is there a setup fee? No. There's no setup fee, no onboarding fee, and no per-scan charge. You pay the flat monthly fee for mail and the flat per-check fee for deposits — that's it. ### Can I cancel anytime? Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your billing settings. Mail-handling stops at the end of your current billing period and we'll forward or shred any remaining mail per your standing instructions. There are no cancellation fees. ### Do you charge per scan or per item? No — your monthly fee covers unlimited incoming mail. Every item is opened, scanned, and AI-processed at no additional charge. Most mail items are opened, scanned, and posted to your dashboard within 24 hours of arrival. ### How is forwarding postage charged? Physical mail forwarding postage is passed through at cost — no markup, no handling fee. ### Are taxes included? Prices shown do not include sales tax. Where applicable, sales tax is calculated at checkout based on your billing address. ## AI ### Which AI models do you use? We use third-party large language models from established providers (currently OpenAI) for OCR enrichment, summarization, classification, and extraction. The current list of model providers is published in our Subprocessors page and is kept up to date there. ### Can I turn AI features off? Scanning and storage of your mail will always work without AI. AI summaries, classification, and extraction are part of the standard service today; if you have a specific compliance or policy requirement to disable them on your account, contact us and we'll work with you. ### Is my mail used to train AI models? No. Our model providers are configured so that your mail and check contents are not used to train their models. See our DPA and Subprocessors page for the contractual details. ### How accurate is extraction? In most cases, summaries and classifications are accurate enough to skim your dashboard instead of opening every PDF, and check fields are typically extracted cleanly from a clear scan. AI can still make mistakes, so important amounts (especially on checks) should be reviewed before you act on them — and the original scan is always one click away. --- For more, see [/llms.txt](https://mailnow.ai/llms.txt) (link list) or [/llms-full.txt](https://mailnow.ai/llms-full.txt) (single-document version).