Management Instructions

New Management Instruction FM-131-2011-2, Closing the Financial Accountability of a Discontinued Post Office, Station, Branch, or Community Post Office

Management Instruction (MI) FM-131-2011-2, Closing the Financial Accountability of a Discontinued Post Office, Station, Branch or Community Post Office, is effective June 30, 2011. This MI provides the following:

n Comprehensive instructions for closing the financial accountability of a discontinued Post Office™, station, branch, or community post office (CPO).

n Instructions for disposition of postal equipment and systems applications of a discontinued Post Office, station, branch, or CPO.

n A checklist for closing a unit that serves as a guideline to activities to be performed during the 60-day period before closing.

Financial Procedures

Upon approval to cease operations of a Post Office, station, branch, or CPO, the outgoing Postal Service™ official must perform a closeout of the unit’s financial accountability. If multiple units will be consolidated, the financial accountability of the units approved to cease operations must be closed out. The outgoing Postal Service official and a witness must ensure that an overall final financial audit is performed and documented.

Audit and closeout financial accountabilities include the following:

1. Employee accountable cash and stamp credits.

2. Customer trust accounts.

3. Money orders.

4. Employee items.

5. Unit financial differences account (247/647).

6. Voyager and Smart Pay purchasing card accounts.

Prior to the last day of business, the following activities must be performed:

1. Conduct final counts and close out all cash and stamp credits for employees who will not be working on the last day of business.

2. Ensure that there is no pending in-transit stock from or to the stamp distribution center/stamp distribution office or any other unit.

3. Clear as many of these items as possible:

a. Financial differences AIC 247/647.

b. All pending employee items, such as employee shortages, emergency salary advances, and travel advances.

4. Reconcile, as much as possible, the Master Trust balances.

5. Use the “Closing a Unit Checklist,” to check off the tasks associated with closing the unit as they are completed. On the last business day, make sure that all applicable tasks have been checked off.

Financial Accountability

For the last day of business, determine the financial accountability of a discontinued Post Office, station, branch, or CPO. Go to the Accounting Data Mart to find the reports outlined in the MI. The outgoing Postal Service official and a witness must perform and document a final financial audit of the unit’s overall accountability. To close out the financial accountability on the last day of business, use the MS Excel workbook, Closing Out a Unit’s Accountability Forms, available on the Accounting website.