LOS ANGELES — The last day to file 2010 federal and state tax forms without requesting an extension is Monday, April 18, 2011. Tax filers are urged to plan well in advance of the deadline.

Select Postal Service facilities will be extending service on April 18 to accommodate last-minute filers who want the safety and security of sending personal information on tax returns through the U.S. Mail. In Los Angeles and Orange counties, the following locations will offer extended service as indicated:

All other 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 18. Individual Post Office service hours are available by visiting usps.com, or calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

To help ensure a successful tax season for our customers we offer the following tax mailing tips:

• If you wait until April 18 to mail your taxes, be sure to verify collection time posted on mail drops to verify your envelopes will be collected and postmarked on time.
• Apply proper postage, especially with extra forms and schedules. The first ounce (about three sheets of paper) for a letter-sized envelope is 44-cents. The first ounce for a larger flat-sized envelope (bigger than 6 1/8 inches X 11 1/2 inches) is 88-cents. Additional ounces are 20-cents each for both size mail pieces.
• Make sure your envelope has the proper IRS or FTB address and ZIP Code.
• Print your return address in the upper left corner of your tax mail envelope.
• Customers who want proof their tax form has been mailed and is received should use Certified Mail /Return Receipt service, which is available at your local Post Office retail counter.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.