Effective October 2, 2017, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) in various sections to add an online postage and fees refund option for Priority Mail Express® and certain extra services.
Currently, customers requesting a refund for postage and fees must complete PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products, and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts. We will add an online option to allow customers to request postage and fees refunds for Priority Mail Express® (postage, Sunday/holiday premium fee, 10:30 a.m. delivery fee) and these domestic extra services:
n Certified Mail®,
n Return Receipt (hard copy and electronic),
n Signature Confirmation™, and
n USPS Tracking® (for USPS Marketing Mail™ only).
Customers will be able to access the online refund application at usps.com/help (Click-N-Ship® customers and commercial customers using the Business Customer Gateway will be able to access the online refund application through the respective application). Customer appeals of denied online refund requests must be processed online and submitted within 30 days of receipt of denial.
Although we will not publish these revisions in the DMM until October 2, 2017, the online option will be available starting September 30, 2017.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
600 Basic Standards For All Mailing Services
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604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
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9.0 Exchanges and Refunds
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9.2 Postage and Fee Refunds
9.2.1 General Standards
[Revise the intro text of 9.2.1 to read as follows:]
A customer may apply for a refund of postage and fees as provided under 9.2. For information on filing an indemnity claim for loss or damage, see 609. A refund for postage and fees may be made:
[Add new Exhibit 9.2.1, Postage and Fees Refunds, after the bulleted text to read as follows:]
Exhibit 9.2.1 Postage and Fees Refunds
Customers must apply for a refund within the time limits in the chart.
9.2.5 Applying for Refund
[Revise the text of 9.2.5 to read as follows:]
A customer may apply for refunds under 9.2 as follows:
a. Online (preferred) at usps.com/help: For domestic, Priority Mail Express (postage, Sunday/holiday premium fee, 10:30 A.M. delivery fee), and for Certified Mail, Return Receipt (hard copy and electronic), Signature Confirmation, and USPS Tracking (USPS Marketing Mail only), extra services only. Evidence of services purchased must be retained by the mailer until the refund request is resolved. Customers may be required to upload evidence of services purchased (.jpeg, .pdf, or .png) and provide their mailing date. Appeals of denied online refund requests must be processed online and submitted within 30 days of receipt of the denial.
b. PS Form 3533: For all refunds listed under 9.2, a customer may submit PS Form 3533 to the Postmaster and provide the envelope or wrapper (or a part of it) showing the names and addresses of the sender and addressee, canceled postage and postal markings, or other evidence of postage and fees paid. The local Postmaster grants or denies refund requests under 9.2. Payment processing is local or through the Accounting Service Center, as applicable. Adverse rulings may be appealed through the Postmaster to the manager, Pricing and Classification Service Center (see 608.8.0), who issues the final agency decision. Refunds for postage evidencing systems postage are submitted under 9.3.
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[Delete 9.2.7, Applying for Extra Service Refund, in its entirety.]
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9.5 Priority Mail Express Postage and Fees Refunds
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9.5.6 How to Apply for a Refund
[Revise the text of 9.5.6 to read as follows:]
A mailer may apply for a refund online at usps.com/help (preferred) under 9.2.5a, or must complete Part I of PS Form 3533 in duplicate and submit it, along with the original customer copy of Label 11, to any Post Office.
[Revise the heading and text of 9.5.7 to read as follows:]
9.5.7 Refund Payment
a. Online: Refunds are paid by check or as a credit to an account (e.g., USPS Corporate Account or a federal government agency account).
b. PS Form 3533:
1. Immediate Refund: If the USPS can determine immediately that the mailer is entitled to a refund and the Priority Mail Express item had postage affixed, then the USPS refunds the postage immediately in cash or with a no-fee money order for refund amounts up to $1,000.
2. Deferred Refund: If the USPS cannot determine immediately that the mailer is entitled to a refund, then the USPS researches the application and, if appropriate, issues a refund by check or as a credit to an account (e.g., USPS Corporate Account or a federal government agency account) to the mailer within 5 business days.
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[Delete 9.5.8, Deferred Refund, and 9.5.9, Refunds Through a Corporate or Agency Account, in their entirety.]
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609 Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
1.0 General Filing Instructions
1.1 Extra Services With Indemnity
[Revise the text of 1.1 by adding a new last sentence to read as follows:]
***For information on applying for a refund of postage and fees, see 604.9.2.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Marketing, 9-28-17
