pended balances, for personal credit, to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States, or transfer them to another disbursing officer of the same department if such action is authorized by the regulations of that department. § 208.13 Supply of blank checks and use of symbol numbers.

All disbursing officers will, upon request, be supplied by the Treasury Department with blank checks under the provisions of Treasury Department Circular No. 8, as from time to time amended and supplemented, to which reference should be made in connection with the care and custody of blank checks. Any officer not receiving a supply of such checks may use the checks of another disbursing officer by canceling the symbol appearing thereon and inserting his own number unless the symbol number has been previously changed. The absence of a proper symbol number on a check in connection with the signature of a disbursing officer will be sufficient reason for refusing payment of a check drawn on the Treasurer of the United States.

§ 208.14 Official signatures.

Each disbursing officer when opening his first account, before issuing any checks shall furnish the Treasurer of the United States or other authorized depositary (drawee) with his official signature, duly verified, in the form to be used when signing checks.

§ 208.15 Exceptions to part.

This part does not apply to postal funds nor to court funds deposited under the provisions of sections 995 and 996 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, 28 U.S.C., 851 and 852, except as otherwise herein provided.

§ 208.16 Transactions by disbursing officers under act approved December 23, 1944 (58 Stat. 921; 50 U.S.C. App. 1705-1707).

Transactions of disbursing officers effected under rules and regulations authorized by the act approved December 23, 1944, are not covered by this part. § 208.17 Withdrawal or amendment of

part.

The Secretary of the Treasury may waive, withdraw or amend at any time or from time to time any or all of the provisions of this part.

(a) The regulations in this part extend to Federal employees the option of having recurring payroll deductions for savings in specified amounts, to be remitted regularly to financial organizations of their choice for credit to their savings accounts, in addition to the prior option of having the full amount of net pay due remitted regularly to financial organizations of their choice for credit to their accounts.

(b) The regulations in this part do not supersede regulations issued under subchapter III of chapter 55 of title 5 of the United States Code, concerning allotments of pay for certain employees. § 209.2

Definitions.

As used in the regulations in this part: (a) "Agency" means any department, agency, independent establishment, board, office, commission, or other establishment in the executive, legislative (except the Senate and House of Representatives), or judicial branch of the Government, any wholly owned or controlled Government corporation, and the municipal government of the District of Columbia;

(b) "Financial organization" means any bank, savings bank, savings and loan association or similar institution, or Federal or State chartered credit union;

(c) "Employee" means a civilian employee of an agency;

(d) "Allotment of pay for a savings account" means an authorization from an employee for a recurring payroll deduction from salary or wages due, in a specified dollar amount, to be remitted to a financial organization of his choice, for credit to his savings account;

(e) "Savings account" means an account (single or joint) for the purchase of shares (other than shares of stock) or for the deposit of savings in any financial organization, the title of which account includes the name of the authorizing employee;

(f) "Net pay" means the amount of salaries or wages remaining due after all payroll deductions for allotments of pay for savings accounts and all other payroll deductions.

§ 209.3 Allotments of pay for savings

accounts.

(a) Any employee whose place of employment is within the United States may authorize an allotment of pay for a savings account under these regulations, provided that (1) not more than two such allotments shall be in effect at any time; and (2) allotments of pay are not otherwise available to the employee under the regulations referred to in paragraph (b) of § 209.1.

(b) The head of an agency shall effectuate such allotments of pay for savings accounts only:

(1) If the employee provides the agency with a written request (on a form promulgated by the Treasury or such agency-adapted form as may be approved by the Treasury for the purpose) which designates the financial organization and such financial organization, by endorsement thereon, states its willingness to act in this respect as agent of the employee and to accept, as its expense, the service charge specified in accordance with § 209.7 which is to be deducted from the aggregate total of the allotments remitted;

(2) If the allotment is a fixed amount, in round dollars (no cents), to be deducted in each successive payroll (until canceled by the employee, in writing, or otherwise terminated);

(3) If not more than two such allotments for any employee shall be in effect at any time; and

(4) To the extent that the amount of salary or wages becoming due an em

ployee for any pay period thereafter is sufficient to cover (i) in the case of a single allotment, the full amount thereof, or (ii) in the case of two allotments, the aggregate amount of both. In making any determinations under this subparagraph, all payroll deductions otherwise required shall have priority over those authorized by this section.

(c) Agencies shall schedule payroll deductions for savings accounts in a manner consistent with generally established practices for other voluntary allotments of pay which require that, for each payroll, all deductions for employees in favor of the same allottee be aggregated, so that the aggregate amount, less the applicable service charge, will be remitted to each allottee. Hence, the agency's payrolling system shall produce, for the use of the servicing disbursing office, a separate record pertaining to each individual financial organization remittance point, which as a minimum states:

(1) Name and location of agency payrolling office and the pay date;

(2) Name and address (including ZIP code) of the financial organization, along with the complete account number (including branch office suffix, if applicable) which, in accordance with § 209.5, identifies the particular office of the financial organization which is to receive the remittance;

(3) Name of employee for each payroll deduction in favor of the financial organization cited in item (2) and the dollar amount of each, along with the complete depositor account number which, in accordance with § 209.6, identifies the savings account to be credited;

(4) Aggregate total of the dollar amounts listed;

(5) Amount of service charge applicable to the entire record, as a deduction, in accordance with § 209.7; and

(6) Net total amount.

(d) The disbursing officer, as authorized by the agency, shall draw a check for the net total amount in favor of each financial organization stated. Each such check shall be assembled with the original of the supporting record of payments and mailed as soon as practicable, but not later than the second business day following the pay day.

§ 209.4 Payments of net pay to employees by remittance to financial organizations.

(a) Any employee may request that the full amount of net pay due him, in

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lieu of being paid by check drawn to his order, be paid to him regularly by check drawn in favor of a financial organization of his choice, for credit to his account.

(b) The head of an agency shall authorize the appropriate disbursing officer to pay an employee by sending to the financial organization designated by that employee a check that is drawn in favor of that organization and for credit to the account of that employee. This procedure shall be used only:

(1) If the employee provides the agency with a written request (on a form promulgated by the Treasury or such agency-adapted form as may be approved by the Treasury for the purpose) which designates the financial organization and such financial organization, by endorsement thereon, states its willingness to act in this respect as agent of such employee;

(2) For the full amount of net pay becoming due on successive payrolls (until the request is canceled by the employee in writing); and

(3) For payments for credit to any account (single or joint) designated by the employee, the title of which includes the name of the employee as stated on the check.

(c) Whenever, under the procedure set out in paragraph (b) of this section, payments may be made by an agency on the same regularly recurring dates to two or more employees who designate the same financial organization, the head of the agency may, with the approval specified in paragraph (d) of this section or upon the determination specified in paragraph (e) of this section, as the case may be, authorize the appropriate disbursing officer to draw the check for the total amount in favor of that organization for credit to the accounts of the several employees.

(d) An agency serviced by Treasury regional disbursing offices desiring to use the procedure set out in paragraph (c) of this section may, after consultation with the Bureau of Accounts regarding its requirements, submit through that Bureau a request for approval by the Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. The request shall be accompanied by findings as to the effect of the procedure on the agency's costs. The approval of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary will be contingent on his determining that economy will result, considering the effect of the procedure on Government-wide costs for each application.

(e) An agency which does its own disbursing or disburses by delegation from the Treasury may use the procedure set out in paragraph (c) of this section if the head of the agency makes a determination that, in accordance with standards prescribed in regulations of the agency concurred in by the Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, economy will result. Agency regulations shall provide for taking Government-wide costs into account for each application of the procedure, including costs of the agency's internal operations and other Government costs determined by the Treasury.

(f) An agency which uses the procedure set out in paragraph (c) of this section shall supply to the disbursing office, or arrange to have the disbursing office prepare, for forwarding to each financial organization with each check, a record which as a minimum states the name and location of the agency payrolling office; the name and address of the financial organization office to receive the check; the name and amount for each account to be credited; and the date and aggregate amount to be covered by the composite check.

§ 209.5 Identification of financial organization office to receive remittances for allotments of pay.

(a) Except as authorized in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, remittances covering allotments of pay for savings accounts in behalf of all employees designating the same financial organization shall be forwarded uniformly to a single office of such financial organization notwithstanding the fact that the employees may otherwise make deposits to their accounts at different branch offices of such financial organization. In executing the form required pursuant to § 209.3, each employee will be expected to ascertain from the financial organization the address of its single office which is to receive remittances. In any event, the financial organization, in executing the form, shall:

(1) Review the address inserted and, if necessary, correct it to conform with the requirements of this section;

(2) Insert, in the space provided, the "employer identification number" assigned to it by the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury. Such account numbers, which are susceptible of universal application in identifying each individual financial orga

nization as a whole, will be used in agency payroll systems to facilitate the assembly of all of its payroll deductions applicable to the same financial organization: and

(3) Identify the block specified on the form which indicates conformance with the requirement for a single remittance point in the financial organization.

(b) A financial organization which maintains its savings accounts at branch offices only and which cannot comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, on the basis that its own internal transmission of deposit credits from a single remittance point to its respective branch offices is impracticable, may certify to that effect by identifying the block provided for this purpose on the form required by § 209.3. Such certification shall serve to waive the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section on the basis that the financial organization cannot otherwise agree to accept remittances for credit to accounts of employees designating such financial organization. Such financial organization shall:

(1) Establish a standardized series of numeric codes consisting of three digits (001 through 999) to be used uniformly in identifying each of its branch offices required to receive remittances;

(2) Insert, in the space provided on the form, its "employer identification number" and, as a parenthetical suffix, its three-digit code identifying the applicable branch office consistent with the address of that office as shown on the form; and

(3) Make such inter-office adjustments of deposit credits as may become necessary in the event a remittance to one branch office includes credit for a particular savings account at a different branch office, whether by reason of an inconsistency in the initial designation of the branch office on the form or otherwise. § 209.6

Depositor account numbers.

Based on the forms submitted by employees pursuant to §§ 209.3 and 209.4, agencies shall use depositor account numbers supplied by the financial organization as an identification of the account to be credited, in addition to the name of the employee. Records mailed with checks issued pursuant to § 209.3 and paragraph (f) of § 209.4, and individual checks issued pursuant to paragraph (b) of § 209.4, shall be so identified. The United States shall not assume re

sponsibility for the correctness of such account numbers and the name of the employee to whom payment is to be made will govern the crediting of the account. § 209.7 Service charge.

The Government's cost in the administration of the system established by § 209.3 shall be recovered by each agency on the basis of standard (Governmentwide rates established in the regulations in this part. The total service charge applicable to a remittance to a financial organization, derived by application of the standard rates, shall be automatically collected from the financial organization by deduction from the total amount to be remitted, as set out in paragraph (c) of § 209.3.

(a) Subject to revision from time to time on the basis of studies of Government-wide costs incurred, the standard rates (based initially on estimates gathered from agencies) shall be:

(1) Six (6) cents for each payroll deduction stated on the record which is to accompany the aggregate remittance (for all administrative and payrolling costs in the agency); plus

(2) Twelve (12) cents for each remittance, as a single charge for the entire record accompanying the remittance, regardless of the number of payroll deductions listed (for all check preparation and mail preparation costs in the disbursing office, including postage).

(b) In accordance with the provisions of section 501 of the Act of August 31, 1951, 65 Stat. 290, 31 U.S.C. 483a, the total service charge collected pursuant to this section shall be covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts unless the agency has statutory authority otherwise to dispose of the credit. § 209.8

Financial organization as agent.

A financial organization which receives checks under the procedure set out in §§ 209.3 and 209.4 does so in each case as the agent of the employee who has designated the financial organization to receive the check and credit his account. The death of that employee revokes the authority of the financial organization to credit the amount to the account of that employee. In the case of a check covering a payment to one employee, the proceeds of which cannot be credited to the account because of death or any other reason, the financial organization shall promptly return the

check to the issuing disbursing officer or remit its own check in an equal amount, with a statement in either case identifying the reason therefor and the employee. In the case of a check covering payment to more than one employee, a portion of which cannot be credited to an account because of death or for any other reason, the financial organization shall promptly remit to the agency responsible for making payment a check in an amount equal to that portion which could not be properly credited to the account, with a statement identifying the employee and the reason for refund. § 209.9 Acquittance to the United States. Payment by the United States of a check drawn in favor of and properly endorsed by the financial organization designated by an employee to whom payment is to be made shall, if the check or the accompanying document properly specifies that employee's name, constitute a full acquittance to the United States for the amount of such payment. § 209.10 Financial organization not Government depositary.

A financial organization to which a check is drawn under the procedure set out in §§ 209.3 and 209.4 does not thereby become a Government depositary and shall not advertise itself as one because of that fact.

The regulations in this part apply to the heads of departments and independent establishments of the Government, the Treasurer of the United States, disbursing officers and others concerned. § 210.1 When part applicable.

In cases not covered by specific provisions of law, the regulations in this part shall govern the payment by the Treasurer of the United States of disbursing officers' checks drawn on the Treasurer and signed in the names of disbursing officers by employees designated and authorized in accordance with this part.

§ 210.2 Designation of assistant disbursing officers.

The designation of each employee as an assistant to a specified disbursing officer with authority to sign official checks drawn on the Treasurer of the United States in the name of such disbursing officer followed by his own signature, hereinafter referred to as "Assistant disbursing officer" or "Assistant disbursing officers," shall be made by the disbursing officer with the approval of the head of the department or establishment under which he serves. Forms for such designation may be obtained from the Treasurer of the United States.

§ 210.3 Disposition of original and copy of designation; filing of official signature; notice of cancellation termination of designation.

or

The original approved designation and a copy thereof of each assistant disbursing officer shall be deposited with the Treasurer of the United States, who shall forward the copy to the Comptroller General of the United States. Official signatures of assistant disbursing officers shall be filed as now required for disbursing officers. Every administrative officer having assistant disbursing