Finance

Handbook F-1 Revision: New Finance Forms for POS ONE Offices
Use of Non-Authorized Credit Cards
Handbook F-1 Revision: Update Exhibit 213, AIC Amount Multiples
Reminder: Reporting Postage for Periodicals
Handbook F-1 Revision: PVI Training Labels
Handbook F-1 Revision: Business Reply and Postage Due Mail
Handbook F-1 Revision: New Annual Fees and Business Reply Mail Quarterly Fee

New Finance Forms for POS ONE Offices

Effective immediately, two new forms are available on the POS ONE Web site: PS Form 3582-P, Business Reply Mail/Postage Due Invoice, to be used by POS ONE offices (see "Business Reply and Postage Due Mail" on page 4) and PS Form 3294-C, Cash Credit Count and Summary, to be used at POS ONE and postal stores when conducting counts for cash credits. Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, 487 is revised to incorporate PS Form 3294-C for cash credit counts.

This revision will be incorporated into the next update of the online Handbook F-1 located on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policies and Procedures, then Handbooks) and in the next printed edition.

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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4 Managing Accountable Paper

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48 Managing Accountable Paper and Cash at Offices With Segmented Inventory Accountability

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487 Conducting Counts

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487.32 Documenting Count Results

>> Form 3294-C, Cash Credit Count and Summary, will be used for each count of the unit cash retained and results posted to Form 3368. Form 571 is required for differences of $100 or more. If an employee immediately repays the shortage in excess of tolerance, Form 3368 and Form 3294-C should indicate "paid by personal funds."

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487.45 Documenting Count Results

>> Form 3294-C will be used for each count of employee cash credit and results posted to Form 3368. Form 571 is required for differences of $100 or more. If an employee immediately repays the shortage in excess of tolerance, Form 3368 and Form 3294-C should indicate "paid by personal funds."

- Post Office Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01

Use of Non-Authorized Credit Cards

The Postal Service purchase card (presently the IMPAC VISA credit card issued under the GSA SmartPay program) is the primary means of paying for local buys. With the exception of the GSA SmartPay Voyager Fleet credit card to purchase commercial fuel, oil, and routine maintenance, use of other bank or commercial credit cards is prohibited without approval from the vice president, Finance, Controller. When Postal Service-authorized credit cards are not accepted, Administrative Support Manual (ASM) 722.631 outlines other acceptable methods of payment.

- Finance, Controller, 1-11-01

HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

Update Exhibit 213, AIC Amount Multiples

Effective January 7, 2001, Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, is revised to reflect the rate change effective that day. AICs 115, 155, 197, and 264 have been added to Exhibit 213 and AICs 099, 199, and 499 have been deleted.

This revision will be incorporated in the next printed edition of Handbook F-1 and in the next update of the online version accessible on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policies and Procedures, then Handbooks).

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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2 Financial Reporting Procedures

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Exhibit 213 AIC Amount Multiples

[Replace Exhibit 213 with the following:]

- Corporate Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01

REMINDER

Reporting Postage for Periodicals

Post offices are required to report periodicals postage from mailer's postage statements (PS Form 3541 series) separately for In-County and Outside-County activity using the following account identifier codes (AICs):

· AIC 224, In-County Revenue (only), from PS Form 3541 series.

· AIC 135, Outside-County Revenue (only), from PS Form 3541 series.

Foreign-destinating postage from PS Form 3541 series (if any) is reported separately in AIC 238.

Bulk mail acceptance personnel and mailers are required to compute postage based on the most recent rate schedule using the appropriate postage statement edition (January 1999, February 2000, etc.). The total and subtotal lines on the new postage statements for periodicals list the AICs for daily reporting.

Descriptions of AICs 135, 224, and 238 were published on page 28 of Postal Bulletin 21988 (12-31-98) and on page 31 of Postal Bulletin 21998 (5-20-99).

- Corporate Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01

HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

PVI Training Labels

Effective immediately, Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, is revised to include section 715.6, PVI Training Labels. The current practice of using standard postage validation imprinter (PVI) labels (live postage) for training and testing purposes is discontinued. The new PVI training label has a visible message imprinted on it identifying it as a "training label."

Orders must be placed for a minimum quantity of one box (1,000 labels/roll; 12 rolls/box) up to a maximum quantity of 20 boxes. Depending on the size of the order and its urgency, shipments are sent Express Mail, Priority Mail, or Parcel Post. District offices will order directly from the vendor using the I.M.P.A.C. U.S. Bank VISA credit card.

Order PVI training labels from MOS International, Inc., at 714-754-7841, and emphasize that you are ordering "PVI training labels" to ensure that the correct labels are shipped. (Note: Intermec Media Products is the current mandatory vendor for standard PVI labels.)

Once you receive the PVI training labels, forward all inventories of standard PVI labels to the local postmaster to include in his or her retail unit inventory.

This revision will be incorporated into the online version of Handbook F-1 located on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policiesand Procedures, then Handbooks) and in the next printed edition.

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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7 Accounting for Nonstamp Revenue

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71 Postage Meters

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715 Using Postage Validation Imprinter

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[Add new 715.6 as follows:]

715.6 PVI Training Labels

Training sites, postal/vendor testing facilities, district accounting offices, and any other non-retail units must use PVI training labels only. Using standard PVI labels at the aforementioned sites or facilities is prohibited. The use of standard PVI labels (live postage) is restricted to retail units serving the public. Districts can obtain these PVI training labels by ordering directly from the vendor using the I.M.P.A.C. VISA credit card.

- Corporate Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01

HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

Business Reply and Postage Due Mail

Effective immediately, Handbook F-1, Post OfficeAccounting Procedures, 764.3 is revised to include POS ONE office procedures. POS ONE offices will record all BRM and postage due mail paid through advance deposit accounts to AIC 114, Postage Due Invoices. New PSForm 3582-P, Business Reply Mail/Postage Due Invoice, will be used for this purpose. The new PS Form 3582-P is posted to the POS ONE Web site. Post office postage meter strips and postage validation imprinter (PVI) labels will not be affixed to the new PS Form 3582-P in POS ONEoffices. Clarification for section 761, Handling Over-the- Counter Pickup, is also included.

This revision will be incorporated into the next update of the online Handbook F-1 located on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policies and Procedures, then Handbooks) and in the next printed edition.

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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7 Accounting for Nonstamp Revenue

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76 Business Reply and Postage Due Mail

761 Handling Over-the-Counter Pickup

>> Over-the-counter postage due mail is short-paid or business reply mail for which postage is collected directly from the customer upon delivery. Postage is not withdrawn from a Postage Due/BRM trust account.

>> Upon receiving payment for the required postage and piece rates, affix stamp(s), meter strip, or PVI label to the article for the amount paid. Cancel postage stamp(s) before giving the article to the customer. Posting of collected funds is based on the type of postage affixed as follows:

· AIC 090 for postage stamps.

· AIC 109 for PVI labels.

· AIC 110 for postage meter strips.

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764 Advance Deposits for BRM and Postage Due Mail

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764.3 Withdrawing Postage Payments From Advance Deposit Accounts

IRT and Manual Offices

1> Withdraw the amount of business reply mail (BRM) and postage due mail from the customer's advance deposit account.

2> Record to AIC 453, Withdrawal From Postage Due and Business Reply Advance Deposits, on Form 1412 and Form 3083, Trust Account Receipts and Withdrawals. The offsetting entry to AIC 453 depends on the method of postage payment:

· AIC 090 for postage stamps.

· AIC 110 for postage meter strips.

· AIC 109 for PVI labels.

3> Use Form 3582-A, Postage Due Bill, for receipt(s)to the customer with the amount of postage payment affixed.

POS ONE Offices

BRM and postage due mail paid through advance deposit accounts is handled as follows:

1> Withdraw the amounts of BRM and postage due from the customer's account(s).

2> Enter amount to AIC 453, Withdrawal From Postage Due and Business Reply Advance Deposits, on Form 1412 and record on Form 3083.

3> For AIC 453, the offset entry is to AIC 114, Postage Due Invoices, on Form 1412.

4> Use Form 3582-P, Business Reply Mail/Postage Due Invoice, for receipts to the customer unless an authorized electronic postage due system provides individual receipts.

5> When using Form 3582-P as support, prepare in du- plicate, calculate, and sign to certify the amount to be withdrawn from the customer's advance deposit account.

6> Use the original Form 3582-P as the customer's receipt; the duplicate copy is the supporting document for AIC 114.

7> The postage due employee will add the total of Form 3582-P and certify that the amount equals the summary amount withdrawal on Form 3083.

8> File copy locally.

9> Enter one transaction in POS ONE for the total of all withdrawals and retain that receipt in the postage due section affixed to the retained copy of the daily Form 3083.

- Post Office Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01

HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

New Annual Fees and Business Reply Mail Quarterly Fee

Effective January 7, 2001, the following AICs will be used for new fees resulting from the R2000-1 rate case implementation:

This revision will be incorporated into the next update of the online Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, located on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policies and Procedures, then Handbooks) and in the next printed edition.

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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Appendix A Account Identifier Code and General
Ledger Account Crosswalk

[Add the following entries:]

- Post Office Accounting, Finance, 1-11-01