Effective February 7, 2011, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 604 to clarify standards that apply to processing refund requests for unused postage evidencing system indicia.
This revision clarifies that the amount refunded is dependent upon the total face value of the indicia. If the face value is $350 or less, the refunded amount is 90 percent of the face value. If the face value is greater than $350, the amount refunded is the total face value reduced by $35 per hour or fraction of an hour spent to process the refund, with a minimum charge of $35.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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600 Basic Standards for all Mailing Services
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604 Postage Payment Methods
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9.0 Refunds and Exchanges
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9.3 Refund Request for Postage Evidencing Systems and Metered Postage
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9.3.2 Unused, Dated Postage Evidencing System Indicia, Except PC Postage Indicia
[Revise the introductory text of 9.3.2 as follows:]
Unused, dated postage meter indicia are considered for refund only if complete, legible, and valid. See 9.3.3 for PC Postage indicia refunds. Submit refund requests for unused dated postage meter indicia as follows:
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[Revise 9.3.2h as follows:]
h. Submit a refund request with a separate Form 3533 for each meter for which a refund is requested. Complete all identifying information and sections of the form. Charges for processing a refund request for unused, dated meter indicia are as follows, depending on the total face value of the indicia:
1. When the total face value of the indicia is $350 or less, the amount refunded is 90% of the face value. USPS may process the refund payment via a no-fee postal money order; or
2. When the total face value of the indicia is more than $350, the amount refunded is the total face value reduced by $35 per hour for the USPS time to process the refund, with a minimum charge of $35. The charge is $35 for each hour spent, with the last fraction of an hour treated as a full hour. For example, if the time to process the refund is 2 hours and 12 minutes, the charge is $35 for 3 hours ($105), which is deducted from the total face value of the indicia. Payment processing is through the Accounting Service Center.
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9.3.4 Unused, Undated Metered Postage
[Revise the introductory text of 9.3.4 as follows:]
Unused, undated postage meter indicia are considered for refund only if complete, legible, and valid. See 9.3.5 for PC Postage indicia refunds. Submit a refund request as follows:
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[Revise item f as follows:]
f. Submit a refund request with a separate Form 3533 for each meter for which a refund is requested. Complete all identifying information and all sections of the form. Charges for processing a refund request for unused, undated metered indicia are as follows, depending on the total face value of the indicia:
1. When the total face value of the indicia submitted for refund is $350 or less, the amount refunded is 90% of the face value. USPS may process the refund payment via a no-fee postal money order; or
2. When the total face value of the indicia is more than $350, the amount refunded is the total face value reduced by $35 per hour for the USPS time to process the refund, with a minimum charge of $35. The charge is $35 for each hour spent, with the last fraction of an hour treated as a full hour. Payment processing is through the Accounting Service Center.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the DMM and into the next update of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 1-13-11
