As a reminder, local refunds can be issued for a maximum of $1,000. Refunds for $25 or less can be paid in cash. If the refund is paid in cash, instruct the payee to sign and date Part 5, “Disbursements for Refunds,” on PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products, and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts.
If the refund amount is greater than $25, a no-fee money order must be issued to the customer. Ensure the fee amount is reported in AIC 586, No-Fee Money Orders, (see Appendix B, Exhibit B-4, for the list of reason codes to use for AIC 586). Record the money order serial number and date issued in Part 5, “Disbursements for Refunds,” on PS Form 3533. Do not submit PS Form 3533 to the Scanning and Imagining Center for locally issued refunds.
Single Drawer Accountability (SDA) offices are still limited to cash refunds of $25, with the exception of PO Box™ cash refunds. See section 24-10.1.1 of Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, for SDA refund procedures.
Exceptions to the local refund process are:
n Postal Retail Units (PRUs) do not locally refund balances from customer trust accounts, regardless of the amount. See sections 16-5.5, 17-6.3, or Appendix C of Handbook F-101 for procedures for refunding customer trust account balances.
n PRUs do not locally process refunds for Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS) customers. Complete PS Form 3533 and email to OMAS HQ to process refunds via OMAS.
n PRUs do not locally process Value Added Refunds (VARs). All VARs are to be processed in PostalOne!.
Refund amounts for more than $1000 will continue to be processed and issued by Accounting Services.
— Revenue and Field Accounting,
Controller, 5-26-16
