SACRAMENTO — With more people filing income tax returns online, Post Offices in the Sacramento Postal District will be open regular hours. As in past tax seasons, customers can count on timely tax return processing and special services, including Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Certificate of Mailing, Certified Mail, and Return Receipt.

The latest retail hours and outside mail collections are at the following two locations:

All other mail collection boxes and Post Office mail drops will be collected at their regular posted times on April 15. All Post Office retail lobbies will adhere to their normal business hours. Information on individual Post Office service hours is 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:

• The Postal Service reminds customers to plan ahead and mail early. If you wait until April 15 to mail your tax returns, be sure to check the collection time posted on mail drops to verify your envelopes will be collected and postmarked on time.
• Ensure proper postage is affixed on your tax returns. The first ounce (about three sheets of paper) on a letter-sized envelope is 49 cents. The first ounce on a larger flat-sized envelope (bigger than 6 1/8 inches x 11 1/2 inches) is 98 cents. Additional ounces are 21 cents each for both size mail pieces.
• Make sure your tax return envelope has the proper IRS or FTB address and ZIP Code.
• Place your return address in the upper left corner of the envelope.
• Customers wanting proof their tax forms are mailed and received should use Certified Mail /Return Receipt service, which is available at your local Post Office during regular business hours.
• In addition, Postal Service offers following services:

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

Priority Mail Service
This gets your tax return delivered in an average of 2-3 days. Priority Mail with Free Tracking and $50 of Insurance included with service provides a receipt of mailing for record-keeping purposes and allows the customer to confirm electronically via the web at usps.com, or through a toll-free number, 1-800-222-1811, that the mailing was delivered to the IRS.

First-Class Mail Service
Efficient, economical option for mailing your return with the all-important postmark.

Proof of Mailing Services:
These services provide you with peace of mind. You can prove you mailed your tax return, verify that it was delivered or both.

Certificate of Mailing
This receipt shows evidence that you mailed your tax return.

Certified Mail
This receipt proves that you mailed your tax return and gives you online access to verify the date and time of delivery.

Return Receipt
This receipt verifies both mailing and delivery, returning a postcard to you signed by the person who received your package.

Online Services:
These services let you use the online technology to help you mail your tax returns

Click-N-Ship
From any computer with internet access and a printer, you can print Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express labels for all your tax returns, with or without postage, and save yourself precious time.

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

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 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 more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 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 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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