Birmingham, AL — With Tax Day fast approaching, Alabama postal employees are reminding their customers to pay special attention to Post Office retail hours and blue collection box pick-up times.

On Monday, April 18, Post Offices will be open regular business hours (many Post Offices regularly are open later than 5 p.m.). Post Office hours, collection box locations and pick-up times, and Self-Service Ship and Mail Center locations are posted at usps.com. Customers also may call 1-800-ASK-USPS for this information.

Post Offices with normal business hours later than 5 p.m.:

• Main Office Window Unit – 351 24th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203 (7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Cahaba Heights Branch – 3105 Sunview Drive, Birmingham, AL 35243 (8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
• Hoover Branch – 1809 Riverchase Drive, Birmingham, AL 35244 (8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)
• Northport Post Office – 4200 McFarland Blvd, Northport, AL 35475 (8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.)
• Prattville Post Office – 502 Greystone Way, Prattville, AL 36066 (8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.)
• Trussville Post Office – 810 Watterson Curve, Trussville, AL 35173 (8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Postal employees offer these tips for last-minute income tax filers:

• Mail early in the day at any Post Office. Be sure to verify Post Office hours of operation.
• If depositing a tax return in a collection box on April 18, double check the pick-up time on the collection box. Your tax envelope must be deposited prior to the last scheduled pick-up time posted to receive the April 18 postmark.
• Affix the correct postage. Some tax returns include many forms and require additional postage. For First-Class letter-sized envelopes, one ounce is 47 cents and 21 cents for each additional ounce. A two-ounce letter-sized envelope is 68 cents. A First-Class flat-sized (8 ½ X 11) envelope, the cost is 94 cents up to one ounce and 21 cents for each additional ounce. That’s $1.15 for a two-ounce flat-sized envelope.
• Customers may purchase postage at the retail counter or at a Self-Service Ship and Mail Center (credit/debit card only) in the Post Office lobby. Stamps also are available at alternate retail access locations posted at usps.com.
• Due to heightened security, mail that bears only postage stamps and weighs more than13 ounces must be taken by the customer to a Post Office retail counter.

The U.S. Postal Service offers flexible products and services as follows:

Priority Mail Express Service gets your tax return to many locations the next day guaranteed or your money back. Priority Mail Express includes online tracking and signature at delivery.

Priority Mail Service gets your tax return delivered in an average of 2-3 days. Priority Mail with USPS Tracking provides a receipt of mailing for record-keeping purposes and allows the customer to confirm electronically at usps.com, or at 1-800-222-1811, that the mailing was delivered to the Internal Revenue Service.

First-Class Mail Service is an efficient, economical option to mail your return with the all-important April 18 postmark.

Proof of Mailing Services provides customers with peace of mind. Services prove that you mailed your tax return, verify that it was delivered or both:

• Certificate of Mailing - This receipt shows evidence you mailed your tax return.
• Certified Mail - This receipt proves you mailed your tax return and provides online access to verify the date and time of delivery.
• Return Receipt - This receipt verifies both mailing and delivery, returning to you a postcard signed by the person who received your package.

Click-N-Ship Online Service allows you to print Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail labels, with or without postage, from any computer.

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