Federal Agency Guidance
On February 21, 2024, Fiscal Service published a final rule amending the regulation at 31 CFR Part 208 implementing the statutory mandate requiring the federal government to deliver non-tax payments by electronic funds transfer (EFT) unless Treasury determines that a waiver of the requirement is appropriate.
The final rule, which will be effective on March 22, 2024, strengthens the EFT requirement by narrowing the scope of certain existing waivers from the EFT mandate and requiring agencies to obtain Fiscal Service’s approval to invoke certain waivers.
- Agency Fact Sheet on Key Changes in 31 CFR Part 208
- Final Rule CFR Part 208 update (effective March 22, 2024)
- Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. 31 CFR Part 208 (published 1/10/2023)
- Treasury Financial Manual - Specific agency guidance on compliance with 31 CFR Part 208 and the new agency waiver request process.
- Federal Agency Waiver Request Form
Classifying Payments
- Definitions for the four main categories of payments that the Bureau of the Fiscal Service disburses: salary, benefit, vendor, miscellaneous. By following these definitions, federal agency staff can better classify payments and help Treasury be precise in its reporting.
- Download Classifying Payments Guidance PDF
International EFT
ITS.gov is a comprehensive international payment and collection system used for processing international direct deposit payments to benefit recipients and both electronic and check payments to vendor, foreign payroll, and miscellaneous payment recipients. It offers a government-wide common solution for issuing international payments in established and emerging markets worldwide.
Read more about International Treasury Services
Postage Payments to the U.S. Postal Service
Read about how to format payment records when making ACH credit payments to the U.S. Postal Service for postage.
Or, for additional information, consult one of the following:
- For information on formatting instructions for FPAs making postage payments to the USPS,
- download FPAs Formatting Instructions DOC.
- For information on non-Treasury disbursed record layouts,
- download Record Layout Instructions DOC.
- For frequently asked questions,
- download Postal Payments FAQs DOC.
Agency Relationship Management (ARM) can provide a contact list of agency relationship managers for federal agency staff with questions or issues related to cash management or EFT.