FAQ

NAPS Headquarters is here to answer any questions you may have regarding your membership or our work on Capitol Hill. Below you will find just a few of the frequently asked questions that we receive in our office. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at NAPS headquarters.

Membership Questions

Legislative Questions

Membership Answers

  • How do I join?

    From our website you may print a blank Form 1187 to join NAPS.  Please complete the fields with your personal information, making sure to sign and date at the center line where it says, “Signature of Employee”.  Once you have entered your information, please mail 1 copy of the form to our headquarters at the following address:
    NAPS HQ, c/o MEMBERSHIP
    1727 KING ST, STE 400
    ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314-2753

    Please keep a copy of this form for your records.  If you are applying for membership without a local NAPS sponsor, our headquarters staff will sign your application in place of the branch officer, and will complete any missing branch information at the bottom of the form, as needed.

    Your local branch affiliation is based on your postal employee pay location finance number.  Member dues are determined individually by each local NAPS branch.  The average branch dues amount is $10.00 per pay period.  Please feel free to call our office, or a local NAPS representative, to inquire about your branch affiliation or dues.  Your affiliation may also change if your pay location finance number changes.

    Once NAPS HQ receives your Form 1187, we enter your information into our national member database.  We make a copy of your form for our records and forward the original to HRSSC for payroll processing.  Once HRSSC has processed your 1187, your NAPS dues deductions will become active and your name will appear on the local branch membership reports.  NAPS dues are indicated on your paystub as Union Dues - S.

    Soon after our office receives your Form 1187, we mail a welcome packet to the address listed on your form.  Your monthly subscription to The Postal Supervisor magazine becomes active after HRSSC has processed your 1187 through USPS payroll.  Please inform our office, and/or your local branch, if you wish to change your member address where you receive your magazine.

    We also invite you to contact your local NAPS representatives to learn about branch events and meetings.  You can find the contact information for your local NAPS officers in the FIND YOUR BRANCH, and Our Association > Executive Board, sections of our website.  Please feel free to contact our headquarters at any time at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  NAPS HQ is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Eastern time.

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  • Am I am eligible to join NAPS?

    USPS EAS Employees are eligible for membership in the National Association of Postal Supervisors.  We are the only management organization that represents supervisors, managers and postmasters.  You can join by completing a Form 1187, authorizing dues withholding, and returning it to your local NAPS branch officer or to our headquarters office. 

    If a NAPS member returns to the craft or is no longer an EAS employee, their NAPS membership remains active until they choose to cancel by submitting the PS Form 1188 directly to HRSSC.  If you have questions regarding representation and membership, please contact a local NAPS officer or our headquarters office at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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  • What are the benefits of NAPS membership?

    If you need a reason for joining NAPS, here are three: representation, information, and opportunity.  Over 30,000 NAPS members have representation where it counts–at Postal Service Headquarters and on Capitol Hill. Whether the issue is pay, benefits or working conditions, you have a qualified group of professional advocates working on your behalf, especially in times of real need. For approved cases, NAPS’ Disciplinary Defense Fund provides a trained legal advocate for members facing removal, reduction in grade and postal financial indebtedness (Debt Collection Act).

    From the EAS employee’s perspective, members also receive information on Legislation, postal policy and ways of achieving your career goals. Area training seminars are held on a variety of topics. Our annual legislative training seminar in Washington teaches grass roots legislative techniques and provides information on bills of interest to members.

    Perhaps most important of all, NAPS members have the opportunity of becoming better informed and more efficient, while making the USPS a better place to work. NAPS exists to raise the standard of efficiency, to widen the field of opportunity and to improve the quality of the work environment for those members who make the Postal Service their career.

    You can join by completing a Form 1187, authorizing dues withholding, and returning it to your local branch officer or to our headquarters office.  Be a part of a dynamic organization that works for you.  Complete your Form 1187 today.

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  • Why is it best to mail my Form 1187 to NAPSHQ, rather than e-mailing or faxing my submission?

    NAPS HQ will accept any Form 1187 submissions that we receive at our office and forward them to USPS HRSSC for dues-withholding.  However, HRSSC requests that the forms be submitted by mail so that the member signature is original.  We therefore recommend that you submit your Form 1187 to NAPS HQ via mail.  If you submit important forms, requests, or information to NAPSHQ via fax, please call our office to confirm that we have received your fax successfully.

    Before submitting your Form 1187, it is important to review the information to make sure it is legible and accurate.  Incomplete or illegible information may delay the successful processing of your membership application.  If the local NAPS branch number, officer signature, or dues amount is missing, NAPS HQ will research this information and complete the missing fields as needed.  However, if personal data is missing or illegible on the form (such as the member name & address, signature, or SNN#) and cannot be researched at our headquarters, our office will contact you and your local branch officers for assistance in completing the application.  If for any reason a Form 1187 is returned to our office unprocessed from HRSSC, we will notify the member and local NAPS branch involved in order to complete the member application process.

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  • Why does NAPSHQ ask for my Social Security Number?

    Our NAPS database uses Social Security Numbers to identify our members.  Our system was created to work in conjunction with USPS payroll processing systems which use employee SSN#.  At this time we are working with USPS Headquarters to change our membership identification system from Social Security Number to Postal Employee Identification Number (EID).  However, we cannot do this independently from the Postal Service.

    We receive many NAPS member requests and inquiries, and not everyone supplies their full name or branch number.  Therefore, we sometimes ask members for their SSN# so they can be accurately identified in our database.  For example, if John Smith doesn’t have his branch number and we try to look him up, we have 31 other members in our system with the same name identification “SMITH J”.  (Our system searches for members by last name and first initial, Branch#, or SSN#).  If a member doesn’t include in their branch number and identifies with a nick name like, Ted, we don’t know for sure if he is Theodore or Edward, etc.  It is most accurate to identify members in our database searching by their Social Security Number.  This information is secure in our system and is not shared, or connected electronically, with any other system other than USPS employee payroll (for dues-withholding members who have joined with the Form 1187 - Authorization For Deduction of Dues). 

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  • After I submit my application to be a member, when am I eligible for member benefits?

    NAPS HQ considers you a member according to the employee signature date on your Form 1187 to join our organization.  You may participate in local branch meetings and events as soon as you submit your application to your local branch or to NAPS HQ.  As soon as NAPS HQ receives your Form 1187 to join our organization, you are also eligible to sign up for the Members Only section of our website. 

    Once we receive your application at NAPSHQ, we enter your information into our NAPS member database.  We make a copy of your 1187 for our records and forward the original to HRSSC for processing.  Once HRSSC has processed your 1187 your dues deductions will become active and your name will appear on the local branch membership reports.  NAPS dues will be indicated on your USPS paystub as Union Dues - S.

    Soon after HRSSC has processed your Form 1187, a welcome packet will arrive in the mail from NAPS Headquarters.  Your subscription to The Postal Supervisor magazine will also become active.  Please inform NAPS Headquarters if you ever wish to change your address where you receive your monthly magazine.

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  • How are NAPS dues deductions noted on my USPS paycheck?

    NAPS dues are noted on your paystub as Union Dues – S.  If you see another letter besides “S” next to the deduction, this means that the dues are for another organization.  If you have questions about your labor organization affiliation or dues, please call USPS Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) at:  1-877-477-3273.

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  • How can I find a local NAPS Branch?

    You can find the contact information for local NAPS branch officers in the FIND YOUR BRANCH, and Our Association > Executive Board, sections of our website.  For more information, please feel free to contact our headquarters at any time at: 703-836-9660 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  We invite you to communicate with your local NAPS officers to learn about branch events, meetings, and representation. 

    Local NAPS branch affiliation is based on your postal employee pay location finance number.  Member dues are determined individually by each local NAPS branch.  The average branch dues amount is $10.00 per pay period.  Please call our office or a local NAPS representative to inquire about your branch affiliation or dues.  Your affiliation may change if your employee pay location finance number changes.

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  • Who do I contact if I need representation?

    If you need advice or representation regarding your job status or a difficult situation at your workplace, please start by contacting your local NAPS branch officers.  If you cannot reach them, or need to speak to another NAPS representative, please contact your Area or Regional Vice President.  If you need further assistance, please contact our headquarters office at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

    Our NAPS Executive Board includes our 3 Resident National Officers, 5 Regional Vice Presidents, and 16 Area Vice Presidents.  Their names, contact information, and areas of representation are listed on our website under Our Association > Executive Board.  You may search for local NAPS representatives by state in the FIND YOUR BRANCH link at the top of our website.  Our NAPS officers and headquarters staff are here to help you when you need it.

    The NAPS Disciplinary Defense Fund (DDF) was established to provide representation for NAPS members appealing adverse actions: removals, reductions in grade and debt collection (letters of debt determination.)  If you are currently involved in an incident at work resulting in discipline, you must have signed a NAPS membership application 30 days from the effective date of promotion, or have been a member no fewer than 90 days prior to the proposed action and/or incident.

    If you receive a letter of proposed down-grade, removal, or a letter of demand, immediately contact your local branch president or designee.  If you receive a letter of decision upholding the action and are requesting DDF representation for an MSPB appeal, your branch president must sign your completed DDF Representation Request Form.  Send this form, along with a completed MSBP appeal form and the letters of proposed adverse action and decision, by Priority Mail to Scialla Associates, P.O. Box 167, Totowa, NJ 07511-0167.

    DDF provides a representative from Scialla Associates only.  The representative provided may not be an attorney.  DDF covers your representative’s fees and expenses up to $3,000, plus travel costs.  You are responsible for paying the provider if fees exceed these limits.

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  • How do I update my NAPS member address?

    If you are a NAPS member and have a change of address, or are not receiving The Postal Supervisor magazine, please send your address information to our headquarters office or to your local NAPS branch.  When contacting NAPSHQ, please include your full name, and if possible, your branch number or finance number, to make sure we can correctly identify your NAPS member profile in the database.  Please feel free to supply your non-postal e-mail address and phone number as well, so that we may include this information in your member profile.  NAPS HQ does not sell or distribute your personal information to outside sources.  NAPS HQ relies on your important updates to keep our member information accurate.  Thank you in advance for your time and help in this matter.

    You may submit your information to NAPS HQ by any means of communication.  Our headquarters contact is as follows:
    National Association of Postal Supervisors
    1727 King Street, Suite 400
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2753
    e:  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    p: (703) 836-9660
    f:  (703) 836-9665

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  • How do I know what local NAPS branch I’m affiliated with?

    NAPS members are automatically affiliated in our database according to employee pay location finance number.  For example, if a new member joins NAPS with a certain finance number and there are no other active members with that FIN#, the member may choose their local branch affiliation or be assigned to the state branch.  If more members in that finance number join NAPS, they will become affiliated with the same branch to be with the majority of active members in that finance number.  If there are no longer any active NAPS members in a finance number, that number is no longer affiliated with a particular branch.

    In most cases, the NAPS database affiliates members appropriately based on their pay location.  Local NAPS branch officers review their monthly membership reports and contact our headquarters if changes or inquiries are needed.  For example, if the name of an active branch member disappears from their local membership report.  This is can happen when a member’s finance number changes, or if they have a District, Area, or HQ finance number. 

    Sometimes a member’s office of physical domicile is different from their employing office.  If so, a member is eligible to fill out an Exception Form, to request affiliation with a NAPS branch that is closer to their domicile location.  The form may be submitted to a branch officer, Area V.P., or to NAPSHQ.  Exception Forms are available for download in the Members Only section of our website.  Please also see our FAQ on how to change your local branch affiliation.

    If you have questions about your NAPS branch affiliation, please contact your local NAPS representative or our headquarters office at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  You may search for local NAPS branch contact information by state in the FIND YOUR BRANCH link at the top of our website.

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  • How do I change my local NAPS branch affiliation?

    If you are a Regular dues-withholding NAPS member, please review our rule for Exceptions of Branch Affiliation, outlined in Article III, Section 6, of the NAPS Constitution & Bylaws:
    The Executive Board shall accept requests from members for branch affiliation exceptions in the following situations:

    a) When members are affected by Postal Service initiated consolidations, and
    b) When a member’s office of physical domicile is different from his or her employing office.

    In both cases, the member’s attendance and participation at branch meetings and activities would be hampered by physical distance.  The Area Vice President shall investigate said petitions by contact with the involved members branches and report said findings to the Executive Board for concurrence.

    Active members may download the Exception Request Form from the Members Only section of our website.  You may also contact our headquarters office or your local NAPS officer to receive a copy of this form.  At the bottom of the form, you will see that approval is required from your Area Vice President before we may process your request in the member database at NAPS HQ.  You may submit your forms to NAPS HQ by any means of communication.  If your exception form is not signed by your Area Vice President, our NAPS HQ staff will forward your request for review and approval as needed.  If you have included your non-postal e-mail on your form, we will e-mail a confirmation to you as well.

    If 51% or more of all of the active members in a finance number petition to Transfer their affiliation to a different branch, NAPS HQ will manually process their affiliation change in our member database.  NAPSHQ staff members are not authorized to manually change a finance number’s branch affiliation without the written consent of the majority of members in that FIN#, or Area V.P. concurrence.

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  • When my NAPS branch affiliation changes, what happens to my local branch dues deductions?

    For all Regular dues-withholding members who move from one branch to another, your dues amount automatically adjusts through USPS payroll and NAPS cannot control this change.  At the end of each month our system notifies USPS payroll to process any member dues changes as needed, according to USPS scheduling.  When your local affiliation changes from one branch to another your dues are immediately directed to your new branch regardless of the deduction amount.  No action is required on your part to also change your dues or the deduction amount. 

    You will see any dues change reflected on your paystub before it appears on the local branch membership report, since our reporting is done a month behind real-time.  NAPS dues are noted on your paystub as Union Dues – S.  If you see another letter besides “S” next to the deduction, this means that the dues are for another organization.

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  • I’m retiring from the Postal Service.  How can I continue my NAPS membership?

    NAPS HQ will accept any Form 1187 submissions that we receive at our office and forward them to USPS HRSSC for dues-withholding.  However, HRSSC requests that the forms be submitted by mail so that the member signature is original.  We therefore recommend that you submit your Form 1187 to NAPS HQ via mail.  If you submit important forms, requests, or information to NAPSHQ via fax, please call our office to confirm that we have received your fax successfully.

    Before submitting your Form 1187, it is important to review the information to make sure it is legible and accurate.  Incomplete or illegible information may delay the successful processing of your membership application.  If the local NAPS branch number, officer signature, or dues amount is missing, NAPS HQ will research this information and complete the missing fields as needed.  However, if personal data is missing or illegible on the form (such as the member name & address, signature, or SNN#) and cannot be researched at our headquarters, our office will contact you and your local branch officers for assistance in completing the application.

    If for any reason a Form 1187 is returned to our office unprocessed from HRSSC, we will notify the member and local NAPS branch involved in order to complete the member application process.

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  • What materials can I use to recruit a new NAPS member?

    Local NAPS members and officers are the best recruiters to guide and encourage fellow USPS employees to join our organization.  If you would like to obtain NAPS recruiting materials, you may download the following items from our website:  a recruitment letter (on e-letterhead) to EAS employees from our National President, the Form 1187 to join NAPS, and recent publications of The Postal Supervisor magazine.  Please feel free to contact our headquarters office at, 703-836-9660 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), to request for these items to be mailed to your branch as needed.  Recruiting materials from our office are almost identical to the online materials and include:  a recruitment letter to EAS employees from our President, the Form 1187 to join NAPS, a recent publication of The Postal Supervisor magazine, and a NAPS folder.

    NAPS HQ distributes a quarterly USPS Non-Member report for NAPS to all of our local branches.  This report is the USPS data of employees who are eligible to become NAPS members.  Generally these USPS reports are accurate and help NAPS representatives find and recruit new members who are eligible to join.  Please contact our headquarters if you have questions about the names listed on your latest branch non-member report.

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  • How do I receive credit for sponsoring/recruiting a new NAPS member?

    If you are recruiting a new NAPS member who is an active employee of the Postal Service, please include your personal information at the bottom of the Form 1187 of the member you are sponsoring.  The Form 1187 includes a section, NAPS SPONSOR, at the end of the form to record your information as the recruiter.  Please include your full name, branch number, and mailing address in the NAPS SPONSOR section.  When NAPS HQ receives the Form 1187 of a new member, a NAPS Gift Card for $25.00 is mailed to the sponsor’s (recruiter’s) address if it is listed on the application.  Previously, our headquarters ordered U.S. Savings Bonds to credit NAPS sponsors.  However, recently the U.S. Federal Treasury ended this program and NAPS is no longer able to order the U.S. Savings Bonds.

    You must be an active Regular or Associate member of NAPS in order to be credited as a NAPS recruiter.  To be a sponsor, you do not have to be affiliated with the same branch where the new member is joining.  Only one sponsor can be listed for each newly recruited NAPS member.  If an employee is already a NAPS member, and a duplicate Form 1187 is submitted to our headquarters on their behalf, NAPS HQ cannot credit a second recruiter.  If the NAPS SPONSOR section of the Form 1187 is left blank NAPS HQ understands that there was no local recruiter for the application.  Executive Board members may be listed as NAPS SPONSORS, but gift cards will not be given to these officers for their recruiting efforts while they are on the Executive Board.  NAPS Sponsorship is not recorded or credited for the recruitment of new Associate members.  On the Request for Associate Membership Form, there is no NAPS SPONSOR section.

    New NAPS members and their sponsors are listed on the NAPS website, http://www.naps.org recor,ded by the date the Form 1187 is received at NAPS HQ.  This information is also published in the monthly Postal Supervisor magazine.  If you have questions concerning your recruiting efforts, please check the above listings or contact our office at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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  • What happens when a NAPS member is on Active Military Duty?

    If you are going on active military duty, please inform your local NAPS branch officers or our headquarters.  With notification, NAPS HQ can adjust your member profile so that no Per Capita Tax will be deducted from the branch for your membership while you are away on active duty.  This special demarcation is only for Regular members who are on active military leave.  Please also tell your branch officers or NAPSHQ when you return from active duty, so that we may fully re-activate your NAPS member profile.

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  • How do I cancel my NAPS membership & dues payroll deductions?

    Regular dues-withholding NAPS members must submit the PS Form 1188 to USPS HRSSC (Human Resources & Shared Services Center) in order to cancel their membership and stop automatic dues payroll deductions.  The form may be submitted at any time.  NAPS membership also ends automatically upon retirement or separation from the Postal Service. 

    Please be advised that NAPS cannot cancel members’ dues deductions. The member must do so through their USPS HRSSC Benefits office. You may obtain a blank Form 1188 from your Human Resources office or by going on the USPS Intranet Blue http://www.liteblue.usps.gov/ to: Resources, then Postal Forms, and then PS Form 1188. 

    Postmasters are eligible to be members of NAPS. If you have changed to a position not eligible for representation by NAPS, you must write a note across the top of the form stating “Returned to craft, job title and effective date, no longer eligible for NAPS representation.  Cancel deductions immediately.”  The notation should be printed in large letters to stand out and preferably in a different color ink (such as red).  In this situation the HRSSC office should cancel the individual’s dues deductions immediately.

    If you do not write across the top of the Form 1188, or you are still eligible for NAPS membership, the cancellation will not be processed until the first full pay period following either March 1 or September 1, whichever month most closely follows receipt of the 1188 at the USPS Shared Services Center in Greensboro.

    The Form 1188 asks for the member’s NAPS anniversary date.  However, this information is not necessary in order to process the cancellation and the field may be left blank.  (The anniversary date is the day the employee originally signed their USPS Form 1187 to join NAPS.)  The member’s NAPS anniversary has no bearing on when their Form 1188 is processed by HRSSC.

    The original of the form is to be sent to HRSSC.  If you have sent us your original Form 1188 package, we have kept only our copy, “3–Organization’s Copy”, which informs us of who is canceling their membership from the NAPS organization. The remaining copies are forwarded for action by the USPS HRSSC Benefits Office at PO Box 970400, Greensboro, NC 27497-0400.  Additional information may be obtained by calling HRSSC at 1-877-477-3273, Option 5.

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  • Do I need to include my NAPS Anniversary Date on my PS Form 1188 to cancel membership?

    Your NAPS Anniversary Date does not need to be included on your Form 1188 in order for USPS HRSSC to process your cancellation.  Your anniversary is the date you signed your original Form 1187 to join.  This information has no bearing on your cancellation request.  Please also see the FAQ on how to cancel membership and payroll dues deductions.

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how do I update my officer profile information at NAPS HQ?

    If you are a new, active, or former NAPS branch officer and your information has changed, please submit the Officer Update Form to NAPSHQ.  This form is available for download in the Members Only section of our website.  NAPS HQ relies on your updates and inquiries to keep our branch officer and member information accurate in our database. 

    You may submit your information, updates, or questions to NAPS HQ by any means of communication.  Our headquarters contact is as follows:
    National Association of Postal Supervisors
    1727 King Street, Suite 400
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2753
    e: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    p: (703) 836-9660
    f: (703) 836-9665

    Please contact us if you are a NAPS officer and would like to update information on behalf of members.  A Member Change of Address Form is available for download on our website, and is particularly useful for updating multiple member address records with NAPSHQ.  If you need a new branch member address list, please let us know and we will be happy to e-mail this information to your non-postal e-mail address.

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  • I’m a NAPS branch officer and I don’t receive the DCO reports. How can I receive them?

    Please inform NAPS HQ if you are an active branch officer and would like to be included on the monthly branch membership report distribution, called the “e-DCO”.  When contacting NAPSHQ, please supply your full name, branch officer title, non-postal e-mail address, and a phone number, so that we may update our records as needed.  Please also see the FAQ above on how to update your branch officer profile information at NAPSHQ.

    It is imperative for local branch officers to review their monthly branch DCO membership reports for accuracy.  Please contact NAPS HQ immediately if you have any questions or concerns regarding your local membership reports.  Thank you for your important role as local NAPS branch officers!

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  • I can’t open a PDF file or the DCO report on my computer.

    If you are having trouble opening or printing an Adobe PDF file, try downloading a free upgrade for Adobe Reader:  http://get.adobe.com/reader/ .  Please also feel free to contact our office for further assistance.

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how can I obtain a new branch member address list?

    If you are an active NAPS officer and need a new address list for your branch, please contact NAPS HQ. We will output current address lists from our database upon request.  We will send this information to your non-postal e-mail address as an Excel spreadsheet.  If your non-postal e-mail address is not included in your branch officer profile at NAPS HQ, please provide this information when you request an address list.

    Please note that our NAPS database will only output member addresses that are marked as deliverable in our system.  Therefore, you may see more member names on your latest branch DCO report compared to the address list.  Please feel free to contact NAPS HQ whenever you need further information or if you have questions.

    If your branch has address updates, please submit this information to NAPS HQ at any time and we will correct our member or branch officer records as needed.  Please do not submit your full branch mailing list to NAPS HQ for review.  Rather, please submit the names and new information of those members who need to be updated in our database.  Please let us know if we may be of further assistance and we look forward to hearing from you!

    You may submit your information, updates, or questions to NAPS HQ by any means of communication.  Our headquarters contact is as follows:
    National Association of Postal Supervisors
    1727 King Street, Suite 400
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2753
    e: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    p: (703) 836-9660
    f: (703) 836-9665

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how can I obtain a non-member report?

    NAPS HQ distributes a quarterly USPS Non-Member report for NAPS to all of our local branches.  If you are a branch officer and do not receive this report, please provide NAPS HQ with your non-postal e-mail address so that we may add your contact information to our distribution. 

    This report contains the USPS data of employees who are eligible to become NAPS members.  Generally these USPS reports are accurate and help NAPS representatives find and recruit new members who are eligible to join.  Please contact our headquarters if you have questions about the names listed on your latest branch non-member report.

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how do I add/remove Associates from our local (DCO) list?

    When a dues-withholding NAPS member retires from the Postal Service, their name is listed on the local NAPS DCO membership report with the payroll status flag “RET” (for “retired”).  By the next calendar month their NAPS membership is automatically cancelled and purged from the database and their name no longer appears on the DCO.  If the retiree would like to become an associate (retired) member of a NAPS branch, they must contact the branch of their choice.  Associate membership is not automatic upon retirement from the Postal Service.

    The local branch notifies NAPSHQ when they gain or lose associate members.  Once an associate is registered at NAPSHQ, our database deducts associate per capita ($1.75 per pay period per associate) from the monies returned to the branch each month on the membership reports.  The associate also begins to receive their subscription of The Postal Supervisor magazine.  Associate members pay annual dues of at least $45.50 directly to their local branch.  Dues payment is managed between the branch and their associates. 

    To register a new branch associate, NAPSHQ requires the officers to provide the full name, full social security number, branch number and mailing address of the associate.  Please mail this information to our headquarters at: 1727 King Street, STE 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-2753.  However, if NAPSHQ receives advanced notice that a member will retire and become a branch associate, we can save and reuse their information for their associate profile.  In this case, associate registration occurs a month after the regular (dues-withholding) profile is purged from the NAPS database.  The member name then appears under “Associate” on the branch reports. 

    The only action the branch must take with NAPS HQ is to notify us when their associates become active or inactive.  If an associate member drops out, the branch will tell us to delete the associate from our database and Associate Per Capita will no longer be deducted from the branch.  NAPS HQ will not refund associate per capita if we were not notified to remove the member from the database as needed.

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how do I add/remove Direct Pay members from our DCO membership listing?

    Direct Pay membership works like Associate membership.  However, a direct pay member is not yet retired from the Postal Service and therefore pays the full branch dues amount instead of half the amount.  NAPS HQ requires the following information from the local branch in order to register the Direct Pay member in our database.  (Please inform us that the new member is Direct Pay and not Associate.)
    • Full Name
    • Full SSN#
    • Branch#
    • Mailing Address where they can receive The Postal Supervisor Magazine.

    Once the Direct Pay member is registered in our database, our system automatically deducts their National Per Capita Tax, $3.50 per pay period, from the branch.  The member pays the full branch dues amount directly to the branch and not to NAPS HQ.  Your branch officers and the member will discuss what payment schedule works for you. 

    If a Direct Pay member wishes to discontinue NAPS membership, the branch informs NAPS HQ and we remove their profile from the database.  Once their profile has been removed, Per Capita Tax is no longer deducted from the branch for their membership, and their name no longer appears on the local branch DCO reports under “Direct Pay.”  NAPS HQ will not refund direct pay per capita if we were not notified to remove the member from the database, or change their membership status as needed.

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  • As a NAPS branch officer, how does my branch increase their local dues amount?

    Local branch members occasionally have a majority vote at their meetings to increase their local bi-weekly branch dues amount.  When this happens, the branch officers must inform NAPS HQ so that we will update the branch dues amount in our national member database.  Once this dues change is entered into our database for the branch, the dues amount for all branch members will automatically update through USPS payroll.

    A dues increase will take effect after the DCO processing at the end of the month, when NAPS HQ sends new files to USPS for membership and payroll updates.  The change will not be immediately reflected on the next one or 2 membership reports following the branch dues update.  You and your branch members will see the new dues amount reflected on your paystubs before it appears on the DCO reports, since our reporting is a month behind real-time.
    You may submit new branch information, updates, or questions to NAPS HQ by any means of communication.  Our headquarters contact is as follows:
    National Association of Postal Supervisors
    1727 King Street, Suite 400
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2753
    e: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    p: (703) 836-9660
    f: (703) 836-9665

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  • What happens when a NAPS member is in a USPS No-Deduction Payroll Status?

    Regular dues-withholding NAPS members are sometimes put in a temporary no-deduction payroll mode by USPS.  This relates to their job status, for example, the employee could be on leave-without-pay.  When a member is not receiving USPS pay to cover branch dues, automatic deductions cannot be made from their paycheck. 

    A no-deduction payroll mode is indicated with Status Flag, “NO DED”, by the member name on the monthly branch DCO report.  In most cases this status is relatively brief.  As soon as the member begins to receive USPS payroll their automatic NAPS dues deductions resume.  The branch may choose to absorb the cost, or charge the member directly for unpaid branch dues that were not deducted.  The National Per Capita Tax ($3.50 per pay period for Regular members & $1.75 per pay period for Associates) is still withheld by NAPSHQ for every branch member from the total dues returned to the branch on the DCO.

    If a Regular member is not paying dues for an extended period of time (for example, 12 months) and is not in good standing with the branch, local NAPS officers should mail a letter to the member.  This notifies the member of their standing and asks them to repay missing branch dues.  If the member does not respond to the official request the branch may ask NAPSHQ to drop the member for non-payment of dues.  In this case, NAPSHQ writes to HRSSC to process this membership cancellation.  However, NAPSHQ requires documentation from the branch that they have tried to contact the member, both in an effort to be repaid and to notify the member of their pending NAPS cancellation.

    Having a NAPS member indicated with “NO DED” on the branch DCO roster does not signify automatic membership cancellation.  A member in a NO DED Payroll Status who is in good-standing with the branch still has full rights as a member.  They also continue to receive The Postal Supervisor Magazine, if their current address is listed in their member profile at NAPS HQ.  The only time NAPS membership is automatically cancelled by USPS is when the member retires from, or is no longer working for, the Postal Service.  Cancelling Regular dues-withholding NAPS membership under any other circumstance, such as non-payment of dues or returning to the craft, etc., requires the member to submit a Form 1188 to HRSSC or the above official request from the branch.

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  • One of our branch members is not paying dues.  How do we recover the missing dues?

    In the matter of recovering dues from a member who is not earning a salary due to being out of work for illness or any other reason, the local branch has the right to contact the branch member who is not paying dues out of their paychecks to provide their bi-weekly dues payment directly to the branch.  If we currently have the member in question shown on our reports as a member of your branch, and we also show that the member is not currently paying their dues through payroll deduction, NAPS headquarters is deducting the $3.50 per capita withholding from your branch every two weeks.

    Local branches have the right and obligation to request that the member pay their dues directly as long as they are not having their dues withheld through payroll deduction.  Should the member not comply with the request, then the local branch can contact NAPS headquarters to advise our office that attempts have been unsuccessful to have the dues reimbursed by the member.  NAPS headquarters will request HRSSC to remove the member from the ranks of the organization.  Please contact the member in writing and document the request for dues payment. 

    The only time NAPS membership is automatically cancelled by USPS is when the member retires from, or is no longer working for, the Postal Service.  Cancelling Regular dues-withholding NAPS membership under any other circumstance, such as non-payment of dues or returning to the craft, etc., requires the member to submit a Form 1188 to HRSSC or the above official request from the branch.  (Please also see FAQ: What happens when a NAPS member is in a USPS No-Deduction Payroll Status?)

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  • Is NAPS tax-exempt since it is a non-profit organization?

    NAPS is a non-profit organization but we are not tax exempt.  NAPS has to pay sales tax, hotel taxes, and any other taxes for goods and services.  NAPSHQ does not pay federal or state income taxes, due to our non-profit status, although each local branch is required to file an annual tax return.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact our headquarters at: 703-836-9660, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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