(Credit: USPS)
Instead of reflecting the date an envelope is dropped into a mailbox, the postmark will now represent the date it is first processed by an automated sorting machine
The United States Postal Service has implemented a final rule that could lead to unexpected late fees for people paying their taxes and bills by mail.
The new regulation clarifies that a postmark is no longer a “perfectly reliable indicator” of when a customer actually mailed a document.
Instead of reflecting the date an envelope is dropped into a mailbox, the postmark will now represent the date it is first processed by an automated sorting machine.
Postal officials stated the change is intended to codify “operational reality.” Because mail must often be transported from a local retail unit to a regional processing facility, the date inscribed on the envelope may be days later than the date the USPS first took possession of it.
The shift has significant implications for time-sensitive documents, particularly tax returns and payments.
Under Internal Revenue Code rules, the IRS generally relies on the postmark date to determine if a filing is timely.
The discrepancy between drop-off and processing is expected to become more frequent due to the “Regional Transportation Optimization” (RTO) initiative.
The program is part of the broader “Delivering for America” plan that uses “leg-based” service standards that can result in mail sitting overnight at local offices before being moved to a central hub for sorting and postmarking.
The USPS notes that the absence of a postmark does not mean they did not accept custody, but for those facing legal or financial deadlines, the burden of proof rests with the sender.
To ensure a postmark matches the actual date of mailing, the rule outlines three specific methods:
The USPS warned that pre-printed labels, such as those from Click-N-Ship or self-service kiosks, only indicate when the postage was purchased and do not qualify as a postmark for verifying the date of possession.
