Effective April 5, 2021, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), sections 604.9.2 and 604.9.5, to reflect a change in the time limit for customers to apply for extra service refunds.
DMM Exhibit 604.9.2.1, “Postage and Fee Refunds,” specifies that for Priority Mail Express® with an extra service, customers must apply for an extra service refund no sooner than 10 days and no later than 30 days from the mailing date. For all other classes of mail with an extra service, customers must apply for an extra service refund no sooner than 10 days and no later than 60 days from the date the service was purchased.
Certain extra services (e.g., Certified Mail®) have workflow timelines that extend beyond the current 10-day limit to file for a refund. As a result, to meet the required workflow timelines for these extra services, and for consistency in applying the refund processes, the Postal Service is extending the time limit to apply for a refund for Priority Mail Express with an extra service to no sooner than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the mailing date. For all other classes of mail with an extra service, the 10-day time limit will be extended to 30 days from the mailing date before customers may file for a refund.
The Postal Service believes this change will provide customers with a more efficient process and a consistent customer experience.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
* * * * *
604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
* * * * *
9.0 Exchanges and Refunds
* * * * *
9.2 Postage and Fee Refunds
* * * * *
9.2.1 General Standards
* * * * *
Exhibit 9.2.1 Postage and Fee Refunds
* * * * *
* * * * *
9.2.4 Postage and Fee Refunds Not Available
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item h. to read as follows:]
h. Fees paid for extra services, as allowed under 9.2.3, when the refund request is made by the mailer less than 30 days or more than 60 days from the date the service was purchased, unless otherwise authorized by the manager, Revenue and Field Accounting (see 608.8.0 for address).
* * * * *
9.5 Priority Mail Express Postage and Fees Refunds
* * * * *
9.5.4 Conditions for Refund
[Revise the text of 9.5.4 to read as follows:]
A postage refund request, as allowed under 9.0, must be made within the time limits provided in Exhibit 9.2.1.
* * * * *
The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 3-11-21
