United States Department of Agriculture 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 

 

Directive MRP 4550.1 6/28/99 

 ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER (EFT) 

 

1. PURPOSE 

This Directive establishes Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) policy on 

granting Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) waivers to MRP employees. 

2. AUTHORITIES 

a. 31 United States Code, Section 3332. 

b. Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, Section 31001 (x). 

c. Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 208. 

3. REPLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS 

This Directive replaces AMS Directive 351.1, Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds 

Transfer of Salary Checks, dated 9/15/92. 

4. BACKGROUND 

The above regulations required the use of electronic funds transfers (EFT) for most 

Federal payments starting January 2, 1999. The regulations also established the 

circumstances under which waivers could be granted; set forth the requirements for 

accounts to which Federal payments may be sent to EFT; and provided that any 

individual who received a Federal benefit, wage, salary, or retirement payment 

could open a low-cost Treasury designated account (called Electronic Transfer 

Account [ETA]) at a financial institution that offers such accounts. 

5. POLICY 

It is MRP policy that employees will receive Federal benefit, wage, salary, 

(including awards) or retirement payments through EFT unless a written waiver has 

been submitted or when the Agency head determines that one of the following 

conditions exists: 

a. The political, financial, or communications infrastructure does not support 

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payment by EFT in a foreign country; 

b. The payment is to a recipient within an area designated by the President or an 

authorized agency administrator as a disaster area; 

c. Paying by EFT would jeopardize military or law enforcement operations or 

national security interests; 

d. The Agency's need for goods and services is of such unusual and compelling 

urgency that the Government would be seriously impaired unless payment is made by a 

method other than EFT; or 

e. There is only one source for goods or services and the Government would be 

seriously impaired unless payment is made by a method other than EFT; or 

f. The cost of using EFT for a non-recurring payment is greater than the cost of 

making that payment by check. (Non-recurring means not more than one payment in a 

12-month period to a particular recipient.) 

6. OPERATING GUIDELINES 

a. An employee may obtain a waiver by self-certifying in writing that payments 

should not be made by EFT because it would impose a hardship due to a physical or 

mental disability, a geographic barrier, a language barrier, or a literacy barrier; 

because of nonexistence of an account with a financial institution; or because it 

would impose a financial hardship. 

Waivers must be in writing and include the employee's name,address, social security 

number, signature, and date. 

b. Waivers should be submitted to the MRP Business Services (MRPBS), Human 

Resources Operations (HRO), Minneapolis, MN. 

c. The Agency may not require evidence of any condition underlying an employee's 

election to utilize a waiver. 

d. Employees who wishes to have their payments made by EFT using Direct Deposit 

should complete an SF-1199A, Direct Deposit Sign-up Form, by using the 

EmployeeExpress program on the Internet (Internet address: 

www.employeeexpress.gov), or mailing the completed form to MRPBS-HRO, Minneapolis, 

MN. 

e. Employees who do not have established accounts but wish to receive payments by 

EFT will, in the future, be able to open a low-cost Electronic Transfer Account. 

These accounts, to be offered by any Federally insured financial institution, will 

provide employees with access to accounts at a reasonable cost and with consumer 

protections comparable to other accounts at the same financial institution. 

Information on these accounts will be provided once they become available. 

7. INQUIRIES 

General inquiries on procedural matters should be directed to the servicing 

personnel office. Requests for policy interpretations for complex issues should be 

referred to the Pay, Leave and Tours of Duty Specialist, Employment and 

Classification Policy Branch, MRP Human Resources (MRPHR). 

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This Directive is available on the MRPHR home page at www.aphis.usda.gov/mb/mrphr, 

on the Information Technology electronic library home page at 

www.aphis.usda.gov/its/library, and on the AMS Administrative Issuances home page 

at www.ams.usda.gov/issuances. 

 

 

/s/ Phyllis York 

Deputy Administrator 

for MRP Business Services 

 

 

 

 

 

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