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What is the most important form in a rural carrier’s work life?

THE PS FORM 4003

This form is to update a route for regular carriers, but it also affects a relief carrier’s paycheck if it is not updated.  RCAs also need to know this information!!

The PS Form 4003 contains all the route’s current, active delivery data including an official line of travel, current number of deliveries, miles traveled, authorized dismounts, etc… This form is used to update any changes that occur on a rural route between mail counts.

The PM or supervisor must complete Form 4003 for submission to the district at the end of each pay period if there are ANY changes. The effective date for each 4003 should be the first day of the PP which will always be a Saturday.

Some managers will do this automatically when you turn in your edit book, but double check that your manager has updated your 4003. If your manager updates your edit book but not your 4003, you will not get credit for any new boxes added or any other changes.

Form 4003 controls your pay check. The rural carriers pay can ONLY be adjusted when Form 4003 is submitted and processed. Updating the Edit Book does NOT update any box counts on Forms 4003 nor Forms 4241-A, but edit book updates should match the 4003 updates.

Once your 4003 has been updated, you should receive a PS Form 4241A, usually a couple of weeks later. This will show the current status of your route. It will show miles, boxes, salary, etc.

Rural carrier adjustments are done in one hour increments. So if you do not have enough additions that add up to a full hour, it will be added to your “bank time”. (Click here for a chart that shows how many boxes are needed for a one hour change)

“Bank Time” is a term used to define the time accumulated on a route as a result of adding new boxes, miles, etc. to the route. This time is accumulated each time a PS Form 4003 is submitted with new data. This accumulated time is printed on the bottom of the PS Form 4241-A until the route accumulates an additional one hour of time. At that time an interim adjustment is triggered in the route’s evaluation. The “bank” disappears each time an interim adjustment becomes effective, or when the route undergoes a mail count.

Both of these forms should be kept in the route book at your case! Become familiar with them, learn them, know them!!

AGAIN, JUST SIMPLY UPDATING YOUR EDIT BOOK DOES NOT UPDATE YOUR PAY- YOUR MANAGER MUST UPDATE THE OFFICIAL 4003 BEFORE YOUR PAY WILL BE UPDATED.  MAKE SURE YOUR 4003 GETS UPDATED ALSO. 

18 Comments
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Jody Bruton
Jody Bruton
9 years ago

Edit book

Beth Crouch
Beth Crouch
9 years ago

Clearance slip.

Tom Newman
Tom Newman
9 years ago

Retirement papers

Lilli Royter
Lilli Royter
9 years ago

3971

Liz Lightfoot
Liz Lightfoot
9 years ago

So this is just for outside the office route work? There are alot of changes happening with in office duties. Wondering if we have to wait til February for those changes?

Lisa
Lisa
9 years ago

I’m so frustrated with my PM right now regarding 4003’s! May 2013 I submitted many additions to the edit book. It took until Dec. 2013 to finally find out that it gave me 54 minutes towards an hour. In Nov. I submitted further growth on my route which didn’t get submitted to 4003 until last month. I’m not even on that route any longer, but have learned that these changes from last November gave me 2 hours a week for 17 weeks (until I transferred to current route). Now I’m trying to get paid retroactive, which is like banging my… Read more »

nc state
nc state
Reply to  Lisa
8 years ago

get copies of the edit book front page that shows the number of boxes to prove they should have done the 4003 and pay you.

Melinda Aikey
Melinda Aikey
9 years ago

Time off slip

Julie Eastman
Julie Eastman
9 years ago

Pay check

Dot Kelly
Dot Kelly
9 years ago

8127

Derek K. Franklin
Derek K. Franklin
9 years ago

Overtime list

Cindy J Goodrich Isgrigg
Cindy J Goodrich Isgrigg
9 years ago

4003

Brian Poage
Brian Poage
9 years ago

4240, 3849 and 50 🙂

Donna McCracken
Donna McCracken
9 years ago

3849. Lol

Marla Brumett
Marla Brumett
9 years ago

If it hasn’t been updated with the edit book, can we turn in a written request and ask that it be done effective the date of the last edit book update? I had enough new boxes about three weeks ago to add an hour to my route, which should’ve gone into effect on this week’s check, but it didn’t show up. My last 4003 is from the last mandatory mail count in 2012. I asked my PM about getting an updated copy a few months ago, and he told me the are generated automatically.

Ruralinfo.net
Ruralinfo.net
9 years ago

If you did not receive an updated 4241a, then your 4003 did not get updated. A call to the union should get this straightened out if your PM refuses to believe he/she is doing it wrong.

Angel Brown
Angel Brown
9 years ago

They are getting held up at the district level. Nothing is getting processed in a very timely manner.

Rere
Rere
9 years ago

Just have to grieve this. My postmaster hasn’t updated mine since March. It was always I’m getting to it..next on my list….yeah right.