Postal Service Offers Tax Night Late Collections

Airport Post Office to Remain Open Until 8 p.m.

A total of 27 Post Offices across the state, including Kaunakakai Post Office, will offer late collection of mail from specially marked collection boxes on Tax Day, Tuesday, Apr. 15, to accommodate last-second filers of federal tax returns.

The Airport Post Office will remain open until 8 p.m.in order to accommodate customers who need to purchase stamps or special services. All other offices will be closing at their normal times.

All mail deposited by midnight in collection boxes labeled with a special bright orange sign indicating Tax Mail Drop – Final Pick-Up Midnight will receive Apr. 15 postmarks.  

Due to the declining numbers of citizens who submit their returns by mail (the IRS estimates that 57 percent of all federal tax returns will be filed electronically this year) the Postal Service has discontinued its tradition of providing curbside service to last-second filers of federal tax returns at its drive-by collection boxes.

The Postal Service provides the following friendly reminders regarding the mailing of tax returns:

Not all boxes will be collected late – If you are mailing your return in a blue collection box or a drop slot at the post office, be sure to check the schedule for the last collection time. Except in specially marked boxes at designated locations (see above list), returns deposited after the last collection time will not receive Apr. 15 postmarks.
Beat the rush, mail early – Mail your tax returns early in the day. Post Offices typically become very congested in the late afternoon and evening on the tax day deadline.
·         Ensure proper postage – Be sure to check that adequate postage is applied to your tax return. First-Class postage for one ounce is 41 cents. Weigh any return that feels heavier than one ounce. Add 17 cents for each additional ounce up to 13 ounces. Heavier pieces go Priority Mail. Check the Postal Service web site at www.usps.gov for a postage rate calculator. Tax agencies do not accept postage due mail; tax returns bearing insufficient postage will be returned—meaning taxpayers may be penalized for filing late tax returns.

·         Ensure proper addressing – Use pre-addressed labels where possible. Write clearly. Take special care to ensure that handwritten envelopes are legible. Include a return address. Make sure that bulky envelopes are securely sealed.

Heavy packages require personal drop off – Mail with postage paid by postage stamps (as opposed to postage meter strips) that weighs more than 16 ounces must be presented in person to a clerk at a Post Office. Returns meeting this description that are deposited in collection boxes will be returned to their senders.
Tax forms not available at Post Offices – Most Post Offices do not carry tax forms; only the most basic forms are available in Post Offices that do. Suggestion: Check out the IRS’s web site for downloadable forms.
 

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