CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Postal Service will accept mail late at select locations in California on April 15 for last-minute tax filers who want the safety and security of sending their personal information on tax returns through the U.S. Mail.

Unless noted above, Post Office retail lobbies will adhere to their normal hours of service, and collection boxes and Post Office lobby drops will be collected at their regular posted times on April 15. According to the Internal Revenue Service, 63 million of the 148 million tax returns filed nationally last year were done hardcopy through the U.S. Mail.

Tips for tax return mailers

• Get postage calculations quickly and easily this tax season at usps.com.
• Mail tax returns early in the day. Post Offices are very busy in the late afternoon and evening.
• Even after closing, postage stamps may be purchased from Automated Postal Centers (APCs). Mailers will find APCs in many of the larger Post Offices. APCs weigh articles, print address labels with postage already affixed and vend postage stamps. APCs accept debit/credit cards for payment.
• Mailers depositing tax returns in a blue collection box or drop slot at the Post Office should check the last pickup time posted on the schedule. Except at Post Offices offering extended collection hours, tax returns deposited after the last pickup time will not be postmarked April 15 and the tax return will be considered late.
• Tax agencies will not pay postage due. Mailers are encouraged to make sure that adequate postage is applied.

Postage: Letter sizes go up to 11-1/2” x 6-1/8” and less than ¼” thick cost 42 cents for the first ounce and 17 cents each additional ounce up to 3.5 ounces. More than 3.5 ounces, see “Flats” prices.

• Flats prices: Sizes go up to 15” x 12” and less than ¾” thick cost 83 cents for the first once and 17 cents for each additional ounce up to 13 ounces.
• More than 13 ounces, use Priority Mail.
• Check usps.com for a complete postage rate calculator.

Proof of Mailing/Delivery: Mailers who desire proof of mailing and delivery should request “Certified Mail with Return Receipt” when mailing tax returns.

Tax forms: Most Post Offices do not carry tax forms; only the most basic forms are available in Post Offices that do. Filers should contact a local IRS or Franchise Tax Board office for forms they need or check the tax agency's website for downloadable forms at www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html or www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/

Special notice: Federal Aviation Administration security guidelines are still in effect. Mail with postage paid by traditional postage stamps (not postage meter strips or PC Postage labels) that weigh over 13 oz. must be presented to a postal clerk at a Post Office rather than deposited in a collection box. Returns meeting this description that are deposited in collection boxes will be returned to the sender.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.