In case you missed it over the holidays, the United States Postal Service has made some changes to postmarks that could affect the timeliness of your outgoing mail.
In an effort to shore up finances and modernize its infrastructure, the agency now expects an increase in delays between when you mail something and when it is postmarked. The change took effect Dec. 24. A postmark shows the date your mail was processed, and historically has been applied the same day you mail an item.
However, according to CNBC, due to limiting pickups at many postal locations and mail now often traveling farther to regional processing centers where the postmark is applied, the change has led to an increase in delays between when you mail something and when it gets postmarked.
“Consumers have always assumed that the post office will postmark their mail on the day they take it to the post office or drop it in a box,” said Edgar Dworsky, founder of advocacy site Consumer World and a former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts who focused on consumer protection. “Who would expect it could be several days before it has a postmark on it?”
The change is important to note for all outgoing mail, but especially things like tax returns sent in by mail and mail in ballots. Ballots that are mailed can require a postmark by a specific date to be counted.
What’s the best way to make sure your mail gets postmarked on a certain date? Go to the post office and ask the postal clerk to hand stamp the item you are mailing. Or, you can pay $5.30 to send a time-sensitive document via certified mail, which includes a receipt for the sender as well as a return receipt showing when it was delivered and who signed for it. Alternatively, a certificate of mailing, which you keep for your records, costs $2.40 and shows the date you mailed something.
You can also mark your calendars or set a reminder on your phone to mail an item extra early to be sure it is postmarked by the desired date. Make a note of this for tax returns and voting ballots if you vote by mail.
Getting in line at the post office is never fun, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your item was postmarked that day.
Take Action
- Share this information with your friends and neighbors!
- Mark your calendars to mail tax returns and election ballots extra early to ensure a timely postmark.
- If it’s important – take it to the post office and ask to have the post mark hand stamped
Learn More
- Watch PBS’s video on how this new rule may impact your mail
