Reminder: International Reply Coupons

All postal retail units must submit foreign-issued (exchanged) and U.S.-issued (redeemed) international reply coupons (IRCs) accepted through December 31, 2012, to their assigned destruction stamp distribution center (SDC) or stamp distribution office (SDO) as follows:

n SDCs accepting redeemed or exchanged IRCs: Kansas City, Phoenix, and Atlanta.

n SDOs accepting redeemed or exchanged IRCs: Caribbean, Alaska, and Honolulu.

Redeemed or exchanged IRCs (shown here) with an expiration date of December 31, 2013 (Item Number 330800), are the only version that SDCs and SDOs will accept. Postal retail units must submit IRCs by the January 31, 2013, due date.

The redemption rate for foreign-issued exchanged IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2013, is $1.05. Customer-returned U.S.-issued IRCs are redeemed at 1 cent less than the purchase price.

International Reply Coupons

Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, part 11-6.6, International Reply Coupons, provides instructions for submitting exchanged foreign-issued and redeemed U.S.-issued IRCs to SDCs or SDOs.

Do not return IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2009, and earlier to an SDC or SDO. For IRCs with an expiration date before December 31, 2009, that were not returned as advised in past Postal Bulletin articles, do as follows:

n Remove from your inventory.

n Destroy locally (no value).

n Post as a shortage (AIC 767) to your unit reserve stock inventory (POS units must enter a count in the “Count Inventory and Cash” workflow; select “Close Credit/Transfer to Another Employee”).

Unit reserve custodians may submit a claim for loss to the district finance manager following procedures in Handbook F-101, subchapter 8-7, Claim for Loss. Upon receipt of an approved claim for loss, clear the stamp credit shortage (AIC 367) and offset to AIC 633, Claim for Loss; use Reason Code 10, Uncollectible Employee Items.

Do not return IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2009, and earlier to an SDC or SDO for any reason.

Stamp Distribution Centers and Stamp Distribution Offices

SDCs and SDOs must mail redeemed and exchanged IRCs (with an expiration date of December 31, 2013, only) received from postal retail units by February 28, 2013, to the following address:

Eagan ASC Finance Branch
Financial Reporting
U.S. Postal Service
2825 Lone Oak Pkwy.
Eagan, MN 55121-9617

Handbook F-101, part 12-2.8, provides instructions for submitting exchanged foreign-issued and redeemed U.S.-issued IRCs to the Eagan ASC.

Handbook F-101 is available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet® website:

n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

n In the left-hand column, under “Essential Links,” click PolicyNet.

n Click HBKs.

(The direct URL for Handbook F-101 is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/hand/f101.pdf.)