WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Relying on a postmark for proof of a mailed tax return, bill payment or time-sensitive item, for example, may no longer work.
As the U.S. Postal Service continues implementing operational changes in an effort to shore up its finances and modernize its infrastructure, the agency expects an increase in delays between when a letter is mailed and when it is postmarked, according to a public notice in the Federal Register.
“Due to limiting pickups at many postal locations and mail now often traveling farther to regional processing centers where the postmark is applied, the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece,” the notice reads.
While households increasingly use digital options to file taxes, pay bills and handle other personal business, there are still people who use the Postal Service for time-sensitive mail.
Of the 163.6 million tax returns received by the IRS last year, about 10 million were not filed electronically, according to the agency’s latest data.
