In a relatively under-publicized move, the United States Postal Service has said that, as of Dec. 24, postmarks can no longer be considered proof of mailing on a certain date, thanks to changes in the way mail is collected and processed.
Because the postal service has been closing local processing centers, mail may not be postmarked until it arrives at larger regional processing centers, creating a gap between when the mailer drops their correspondence off at a post office, and when the USPS officially recognizes receiving it — and a headache for anyone who relies on a postmark to indicate compliance with a deadline.
With that in mind, it's recommended that mailers with time-sensitive mail — such as tax returns — ask for hand-stamped postmarks.
The change at the USPS has been months in the making, culminating in postal regs' new Section 608.11, "Postmarks and Postal Possession," which defines postmarks and identifies the types of postal service markings that qualify as postmarks.
Critics counter that the change is more than altering one agency's procedures.
"For more than 70 years, legal and administrative systems have treated a postmark as reliable evidence of when an individual met a deadline: when a ballot was mailed, when a tax return was filed, when a court document was submitted, or when an application was received," wrote Brookings Institution senior fellow Elena Patel in a report, "
Since 2021, the USPS has been implementing infrastructure and operational changes to lower costs and improve efficiency under its "Delivering for America" plan. Changes include consolidating processing from nearly 200 local processing centers to just 60 regional facilities, as well as reducing the number of dispatches between processing facilities and local post offices.
"As a result, DFA now makes it more common that mail is postmarked with a delay," Patel notes.
Nearly half of post offices are more than 100 miles from their processing center, meaning mail is often postmarked a day or more after it's dropped off, especially in rural areas, the Brookings report added.
To avoid potential problems with notices, correspondence, payments and so on (even charitable donations, if a client is aiming for a certain year) for tax clients, tax preparers should request a hand-stamped postmark at the USPS counter to ensure the actual mailing date is recorded; buy postage at the counter, where printed labels include the correct acceptance date; or use certified or registered mail, which provides evidence of the mailing date.
