U.S. Postal Service Policy Change Affects Postmark Timing

New automated process may delay postmarks on mail

A U.S. Postal Service rule change could mean delays for mail being postmarked by one or more days after it is received by the post office. This could cause payments and reports to be counted late for any submissions to the plan that are date sensitive.

The Postal Service has instituted a nationwide changeThis links to an external site. that affects when postmarks are affixed to mail. Unless a customer requests a postmark at a Postal Service retail location, postmarks are no longer added when mail is first received but are automatically stamped later while being sorted and processed at regional distribution centers.

This means your mail could be postmarked several days after you drop it in a mailbox. Because many federal and state laws define timely payment based on the Postal Service’s postmark, payments or reports may be considered delinquent if they are mailed too close to a deadline — even if they were, in fact, placed in a mailbox before the deadline date.

To avoid possible delinquency and late penalties, the plan urges you to utilize any automated report or payment system available, mail items early to ensure ample time for postal processing or have the mail clerk postmark your mail when you deliver it at the post office.