Effective June 18, 2009, postal retail units (PRUs) with POS ONE are required to perform a daily financial reconciliation of PO Box/Caller Services transactions with WebBATS. If an error occurs at the retail associate (RA) front office, the supervisor or closeout person is required to perform the correction in the WebBATS application as well as do a POS ONE back office adjustment. Ultimately, the RA may rectify the PO Box transaction. At close of business, the supervisor or closeout person will reconcile the POS Post Office Box/Caller Service Report (Unit) and WebBATS Daily Receipt Report.
Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures
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6 Revenues
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6-6 Post Office Box and Caller Service
[Delete text under 6-6. Add parts 6-6.1 to 6-6.4 to read as follows:]
6-6.1 AICs to Use
Report Post Office box rental fees as follows:
n Use AIC 115 to record funds collected for 12-month (annual) Post Office box fees.
n Use AIC 158 to record funds collected for 6-month (semi-annual) Post Office box fees.
Report Caller Service fees as follows:
n Use AIC 166 to record funds collected for 12-month (annual) caller services.
n Use AIC 167 to record funds collected for 6-month (semi-annual) caller services.
Use AIC 123, Lobby Services Revenue, for the following:
n Post Office box key deposits.
n Post Office box lock replacement.
n Resetting of a Post Office box combination lock.
For refunds of Post Office box rents, Caller Service fees, and key deposits, see subchapter 21-7.
6-6.2 RA Procedures
RAs process payments for Post Office box and Caller Service fees as follows:
1. Enter the payment in the appropriate AIC on PS Form 1412. For POS units, enter payments using the POS workflow for Post Office Boxes and Caller/Reserves.
2. Provide the customer with a PS Form 3544, USPS Receipt for Money or Services, (eMOVES), or a system-generated receipt (IRT and POS).
3. When closing out the day’s business, do the following:
n IRT and eMOVES Units. Verify receipts, reports, and/or PS Forms 3533 with amounts reported on PS Form 1412 in AICs 115, 158, 166, 167, 123, and 535.
n POS Units. Print and review the Post Office Box/Caller Service Report (Clerk). Make any necessary adjustments following the guidelines in the table in part 6-6.3.
6-6.3 Correcting POS ONE PO Box/Caller Service Errors
AIC
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Condition
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RA Accounting Entry
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Supervisor/Closeout Person
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115, 158, 166, and 167
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Entered incorrect PO Box number.*
RA must re-enter to the correct PO Box.
*If incorrect transaction was tendered to check, make sure to “Void Check Payment”.
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To offset the original incorrect entry:
1) Clerk Services>Money & Accounts> GL Activity>Financial Differences over/short>Shortage 647>Use reason code #12, this tenders to cash automatically.
2) Keep system-generated POS cash receipt for AIC 647 as supporting document to be submitted to supervisor/closeout person.
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POS ONE Adjustment:
Non-retail>Back Office>Unit Options>General Ledger Adjustment>Direct GL entry>247 (incorrect amount) offset AIC 115,158,166, or 167 (as negative entry).
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Entered incorrect amount into a PO Box number.*
(Entered 6-month fee instead of 12-month or entered 12-month fee instead of 6-month fee.)
*If incorrect transaction was tendered to check, make sure to “Void Check Payment”.
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RA cannot access the same PO Box number until original transaction is voided in WebBATS.
Once the transaction is voided in WebBATS, re-enter the transaction correctly and tender out with original payment method.
To offset the original incorrect entry:
Clerk Services>Money & Accounts> GL Activity>Financial Differences over/short>Shortage 647>Use reason code #12.
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WebBATS Application:
Void the payment in WebBATS immediately.
POS ONE Adjustment:
Non-retail>Back Office>Unit Options>General Ledger Adjustment>Direct GL entry>247 (incorrect amount) offset AIC 115,158,166, or 167 (as negative entry).
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123
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Overstated (issued more PO Box keys than requested).
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Use the POS PO Box Key Refund workflow and refund the overstated key amount.
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No back offices adjustment required.
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Understated (issued less PO Box keys than requested)
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Use the POS PO Box Key Issued workflow and issue another key.
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No back offices adjustment required.
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535
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Closed the incorrect PO Box number.
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RA must re-enter the transaction correctly.
To offset the original incorrect entry:
Clerk Services>Money & Accounts>GL Activity>Financial Differences over/short>Overage 247>Use reason code #12.
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WebBATS Application:
Re-open the incorrect PO Box in WebBATS immediately.
POS ONE Adjustment:
Non-retail>Back Office>Unit Options>General Ledger Adjustment>Direct GL entry>647 offset to AIC 535 (as negative entry).
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6-6.4 Unit Closeout Procedures
6-6.4.1 eMOVES and IRT Units
The closeout employee provides the following documentation to the Post Office box section for updating box holder information in WebBATS:
a. eMOVES units. Provide the duplicate copy of PS Form 3544. The Post Office box section must return receipts to the closeout employee to be filed with PS Form 1412 supporting documentation.
b. IRT units. Provide the unit’s PS Form 3544 list printed at closeout.
6-6.4.2 POS Units
PO Box and Caller Service transactions entered into POS will automatically update WebBATS. The closeout employee must:
1. Print the POS ONE Post Office Box/Caller Service Report-Unit (Non-retail > Back Office > Back Office Report > Consolidated Closeout).
2. Go to WebBATS application and print a WebBATS Daily Receipt with daily summary data.
Reconcile POS Post Office Box/Caller Service Report (Unit) with WebBATS Daily Receipt Report.
3. Perform any necessary adjustments as follows:
a. POS Adjustments. Refer to guidelines in the table in part 6-6.3.
b. WebBats Adjustments. The supervisor* performs the appropriate adjustment(s); void overstated amounts, etc.
4. After reconciling the POS Post Office Box/Caller Service Report (Unit) and WebBATS Daily Receipt report, sign and date both reports and file locally as supporting documentation for the unit’s PS Form 1412.
WebBATS Exception Report (Reports > Action Required > Exception Report) alerts the unit that the POS transaction did not receive acknowledgement from WebBATS. If the POS transaction did not update WebBATS, then the supervisor * manually enters the transaction into WebBATS.
Post Office–designated personnel are required to enter other additional customer data from PS Form 1093, Application for Post Office Box or Caller Service, into WebBATS.
* WebBATS application adjustments are performed by the unit supervisor (supervisor override is required).
Note: Supervisors must ensure the proper separation of duties (see part 2-4.7).
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next updated version of Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, available on the Accounting website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov/wps/portal/accounting.
n Under “Quick Links”, under “References”, click Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures (FAP).
The direct website address is http://blue.usps.gov/accounting/_pdf/HandbookF-101.pdf.
— Accounting Policy,
Controller, 6-18-09
