All Postal Retail Units (PRUs) must submit foreign-issued (exchanged) International Reply Coupons (IRCs) accepted through December 31, 2023, to the Kansas City Stamp Fulfillment Service (SFS) center.
Foreign-issued IRCs (shown here) with expiration dates of December 31, 2025, are the only versions of IRCs that SFS will accept.
SFS will accept exchanged IRCs beginning January 1, 2024. The due date for submission by PRUs is January 31, 2024.
Redemption rates for all foreign-issued (exchanged) IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2025, are based on the round date stamp (on the right-hand side of the coupon), and are acceptable for return to SFS.
Expiration dates are printed on the back of the IRCs. Do NOT send in IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2021, or earlier to SFS for any reason. Follow the procedures below:
n IRCs with an expiration date on or before December 31, 2021, that have not been returned (as advised in past Postal Bulletin articles), must be removed from the unit inventory, destroyed locally (no value), and posted as a shortage (AIC 767) to the unit reserve stock inventory. Retail System Software units must enter a count in the “Count Inventory and Cash” workflow; select “Close Credit/Transfer to Another Employee.” Single Drawer Accountability (SDA) sites will use AIC 622 to post the shortage.
n Unit reserve custodians may submit a claim for loss via the eIWS Online Forms (OLF) application by following the procedures in Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, subchapter 8-7, “Claim for Loss.” Upon receipt of an approved claim for loss, clear the stamp credit shortage AIC 367 (SDA will use AIC 222) and offset to AIC 633, Claim for Loss; use Reason Code 10, Uncollectible Employee Items.
n Bind foreign-issued (exchanged) IRCs in bundles of 100 or less.
n Prepare PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return (May 2007), in triplicate and annotate “IRC Return.”
n Include a shipment number on PS Form 17 or the shipment will be returned to the originating unit. Include the SFS Destruction finance number (receiving unit location ID).
n Submit the original and copy 1 of PS Form 17 with the stock. File copy 2 locally with all supporting documentation.
n Use only one PS Form 17 for all your IRCs. You do not need to attach PS Form 17 on the outside of the return. The office must write “IRC” on the outside of the return package.
n Ship Priority Signature confirmation to:
Kansas City SFS (289995-0000)
KANSAS CITY SFS
STAMP FULFILLMENT SERVICES
IRC RETURN
8300 NE UNDERGROUND DRIVE, PILLAR 225
KANSAS CITY, MO 64162-9998
Note: SFS will not accept Migratory Bird stamps or any other stock at this time; you must submit these items only during your regular destruction schedule. You must send IRCs in separately.
SFS will be responsible for the consolidation and batching of IRCs from the PRUs. SFS will send an email notice of the IRCs to be exchanged to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center (ASC) International Accounting Branch (IAB) by February 28 of each calendar year.
SFS will send the IRC notice to the International Accounting Management team at the following email address: IAMgmt@usps.gov. The notice will provide the quantity of IRCs to be exchanged and the number of boxes to be returned to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Bureau. SFS will be responsible for the shipment of exchanged IRCs to the UPU International Bureau.
Once SFS receives the completed IRC cover letter, CN 03 form, and the shipping information packing list from the St. Louis ASC IAB, SFS will prepare the IRCs for shipment.
SFS will ship the IRCs via Priority Mail Express International® with the Customs Declaration, PS Form 2976-B, Priority Mail Express International Shipping, and PS Form 2865, Return Receipt for International Mail.
SFS will return the IRCs in accordance with the Regulations to the Convention Final Protocol Manual, International Reply Coupons, currently Final Protocol — cep_plen-2_do12; Published in English 18.11.2021, 17.29; Article 18–106.
SFS will ship the IRCs to the following address:
UPU INTERNATIONAL BUREAU
INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS
PO BOX 312
CH 3000 BERNE 15
SWITZERLAND
SFS will include the Cover Letter, CN 03 in duplicate, and the shipping information packing list in the box labeled as Box 1 of X.
The return address for this shipment will be:
INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING BRANCH
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 80408
SAINT LOUIS, MO 63180-0408
USA
SFS must use their USPS Corporate Account Number as the method of payment.
The St. Louis ASC IAB will send an email to SFS at SFS_OPERATIONS@usps.gov that includes the following forms:
1. The IRC cover letter, signed by the manager, International Accounting Branch.
2. A completed CN 03 form (with the quantity of IRCs to be returned), signed by the manager, International Accounting Branch. Reply coupon values are provided in the Regulations to the Convention Final Protocol Manual, International Reply Coupons, currently Final Protocol – cep_plen-2_do12; Published in English 18.11.2021, 17.29; Article 18-106.
3. A completed shipping information packing list that provides the IRC quantity and the number of boxes to be returned.
When the St. Louis ASC IAB receives the returned CN 03 form from the UPU International Bureau, the document is then given to the settlement group leader. The settlement group leader will check that the payment was reported as received as international funds from Switzerland on the Cash Position Report from Corporate Treasury. Once the funds have been identified, the St. Louis ASC IAB will create a manual invoice.
After the St. Louis ASC IAB creates the manual invoice (in accordance with IAB procedures), the settlement group leader will clear the receipt.
For more information, see Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, which is available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet website:
n Go to blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column, click Essential Links, and then click PolicyNet.
n Go to the right-hand side under “Published Forms and Directives.”
n Click Handbooks.
The direct URL for Handbook F-101 is blue.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/hand/f101.pdf.
— Revenue and Field Accounting,
Controller, 12-28-23
