Effective March 7, 2009, all Post Offices™, postal retail units, and business mail entry units (BMEUs) are to use the August 2008 edition of PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts. Previous versions of PS Form 3533 dated before August 2008 are obsolete and must be disposed of properly.
The Scanning and Imaging Center (SIC) will only accept and process the August 2008 versions of PS Form 3533 that are properly completed and authorized with signatures. All previous versions or incomplete versions with missing signatures of PS Forms 3533 sent to the SIC will not be processed and will be returned to the unit.
The revised PS Form 3533 will no longer be available to the public at www.usps.com. Therefore, Post Offices, postal retail units, and BMEUs are advised to order the hardcopy version of the revised PS Form 3533 to have available for our mailing agents and customers. Hardcopies of PS Form 3533 are available at the Material Distribution Center (MDC) (See “Ordering PS Form 3533” below).
PS Form 3533 is revised with a barcoded invoice number making each form unique. Make sure no duplicate copies are made of blank PS Form 3533 for future use. Each PS Form 3533 is unique, and one form is used per customer refund or reimbursement.
PS Form 3533 is revised as follows:
1. There is a 20-digit “unique barcode invoice number” on each form, therefore, each customer refund or reimbursement transaction must be processed on a separate PS Form 3533. Do not make duplicate copies of blank PS Form 3533 for future use.
2. In section Request Disbursement For:
n Refund Postage and Fees (AIC 553).
n Post Office PVI Error — Issued Locally: New instructions provide for the following: (If actual PVI Label is attached, no witness signature is required). Refund claims with no PVI Label attached must include a witness signature.
n Refund of Permit Postage and Fees (AIC 528): Check one of the two new check boxes:
n Postage Affixed in BRM Pieces.
n Damaged Mailings, Refund of Annual Fees.
3. In Part 2: Verification of Disbursements, see Note: Customer Signature Required in Part 1.
4. In Part 3: Postage Affixed on BRM or Meter Stamps (excluding PC Postage):
n The last sentence is revised as follows: Charges for postage affixed on BRM pieces or meter stamps are assessed at 10 percent off the face value of the indicia, if the total is $350 or less. If the total face value is more than $350, a charge of $35 per hour is assessed for the actual hours to process postage affixed on BRM pieces or meter stamp refunds; the minimum charge is $35.
n A refund is requested only for the postage meter number (must be the same as Part 1). This requires one PS Form 3533 per postage meter number. Do not commingle multiple postage meter numbers.
5. In Part 6: Disbursements Processed by the Accounting Service Center (ASC):
n Bullet 5 to read: Maintain a copy of PS Form 3533 locally as a support document for PS Form 1412.
The primary change in the revised PS Form 3533 is the “unique barcode invoice number” on the top right-hand side of the form. The barcode will be used to track individual customer refund transactions initiated at the Post Office or postal retail unit with POS ONE, IRT, or eMOVES reporting system. BMEUs will also use the revised PS Form 3533 and process it as usual.
Authorized refunds of more than $500 or withdrawal of any amount from a customer trust account will require reporting the amount into AIC 280, Disbursement to ASC. POS ONE, IRT, and eMOVES require the scanning or input of the “unique barcode invoice number” into the reporting system at the time of transaction. At the close of business, submit PS Form 3533 to the SIC for the reimbursement process.
BMEUs will ensure that the revised PS Form 3533 is completed and authorized with signatures, and will process it as usual. Submit completed PS Form 3533 with supporting documentation and system-generated PS Form 3533-X to the USPS® SIC.
Following is the process for POS ONE offices:
a. In the refund workflow, enter one customer refund or reimbursement.
b. If the refund amount is more than $500 or there is a withdrawal of any amount from a customer trust account, the POS software will tender the transaction using AIC 280, Disbursement to ASC.
c. The POS software will prompt you to enter the customer name, address, and account number and to scan or input the “unique barcode invoice number” of the revised PS Form 3533 for this individual customer refund.
Following is the process for IRT offices:
a. Install the IRT version update floppy disk.
b. Enter each individual customer refund or reimbursement to the appropriate AIC.
c. If the refund amount is more than $500 or there is a withdrawal of any amount from a customer trust account, offset this transaction using AIC 280, Disbursement to ASC.
d. IRT will prompt you to enter the customer name, address, and account number and to scan or input the “unique barcode invoice number” of the revised PS Form 3533 for this individual customer refund.
Following is the process for eMOVES offices:
a. Enter each individual customer refund or reimbursement to the appropriate AIC.
b. If the refund amount is more than $500 or there is a withdrawal of any amount from a customer trust account, enter the offset using AIC 280, Disbursement to ASC.
c. The eMOVES application will prompt you to enter the customer name, address, and account number and to input the “unique barcode invoice number” of the revised PS Form 3533 for this individual customer refund.
After the completed PS Form 3533 has been scanned/entered in POS, IRT, or eMOVES, submit the form along with proper documentation (PS Form 3544, Post Office Receipt for Money, or PS Form 1412, Daily Financial Report) to the SIC at the following address:
USPS Scanning and Imaging Center
PO Box 9000
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-9000
The revised PS Form 3533 will be available online via the Postal Service™ Intranet at http://blue.usps.gov/form mgmt/forms.htm. The online postal forms version of PS Form 3533 will be available in the interactive Adobe Form Client format. The user must initiate the form by entering the Post Office ZIP™ Code, finance number, and unit ID. This will activate the barcode invoice number. Then, continue with Part 1 through Part 6 as appropriate.
Use the eBuy on-catalog requisition system to order PS Form 3533 from the MDC; search for items using the PSN listed below (without the dashes). If your office does not have access to eBuy, you may order using touch-tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-273-1509.
Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 1, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after registering before placing your first order.) For complete TTOE ordering instructions, visit the Materials Customer Service website at http://blue.usps.gov/purchase/_doc/ops_ ttoeins.doc or call 800-332-0317, option 4, option 4.
Use the following ordering information to order PS Form 3533:
PSIN: PS3533
PSN: 7530-01-000-9932
Unit of Measure: SH
Minimum Order Quantity: 100
Quick Pick Number: 173
Bulk Pack Quantity: 4000
Price: $0.0154
Edition: 08/08
— Accounting Policy,
Controller, 2-12-09
