TAMPA, FL — Skip the traffic jams at the Airport Post Office and visit one of these locations in the Tampa Bay area that have extended hours to accept your tax returns. Some locations are equipped with Automated Postal Centers (APC) for purchase of postage, credit or debit only. It is important to note that Automated Postal Center (APC) postmarks are not valid when filing tax returns.

The extended hour locations are:

Clearwater Main Post Office, 100 S. Belcher Road, Clearwater
Drive through drop off from 5:00 pm until 8:00p.m.
Full retail service will be available until 6:00p.m. APC

St. Petersburg Main Post Office, 3135 1st Avenue S., St. Petersburg
Drive though tax return drop off until Midnight.
Full services will be available until 8:00p.m. APC

Lakeland Main Post Office, 2800 Lakeland Hills Blvd, Lakeland
Full retail services available until 8:00 p.m. Mail deposited up until midnight will receive a 4/15/10 postmark.

Sarasota Main Post Office, 1661 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota
Open with full retail service until 8:00p.m. Collections until 8:00p.m.

Manasota Mail Processing and Delivery Center at 850 Tallevast Rd, Sarasota. Mail deposited up until midnight will receive a 4/15/10 postmark.

Tampa will have 4 city locations with extended collection hours
Automated Postal Centers (APC) are at each location for purchase of postage

Tampa Forest Hills Station,
Mail collection until 8:30 pm - 1 APC

Tampa Carrollwood Branch
Mail collection until 8:45 - 1 APC

Tampa Town N' Country Branch
Mail collection until 9:00 - 1 APC

New Tampa Station, 16350 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa
Mail collection until 8:00 pm - 2 APC's available in lobby

Tampa Main Post Office, 5201 W Spruce St, Tampa
A tent will be set up on the approach to the Post Office for drive through drop off from 4:00 pm until Midnight. Full retail service until Midnight and an Automated Postal Center available 24 hours a day. Customers are cautioned to check the collection times posted on mailboxes at any other locations to make certain that there is a collection scheduled later that day. If no collection is scheduled, the mail will be picked up the next business day and will receive an April 16th postmark.

For more information about post office hours and locations call 1 800 ASK-USPS or visit www.usps.com/ and click on Locate A Post Office.

The Postal Service suggests the following tax mailing tips:

• Make sure you have proper postage, especially if you have extra forms or schedules. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not accept tax filings without postage or with insufficient postage. The IRS returns all tax filings with insufficient postage to the sender, who is then charged with late-payment penalties. It costs 44-cents for a one ounce letter and 17-cents for each additional ounce. One ounce is about four pages.
• It is important to note that Automated Postal Centers (APC) postmarks are not valid when filing tax returns.
• Don’t use an office postage meter. The IRS doesn’t accept private postmarks as proof of timely filing.
• If you use a non-IRS labeled envelope, make sure you have the proper IRS address. Also, put your return address in the upper left-hand corner.
• Mail early in the day if you can, so you can save yourself a trip to the late collection locations and avoid traffic and the last-minute rush.
• If you are depositing a tax return in a blue post office collection box on April 15 be sure to mail it before the latest collection time posted on the box. Post Office and collection box location, hours, and pick-up time information is available at http://usps.whitepages.com/post_office.
• Use security of proof-of-mailing and proof-of-delivery of your tax returns — use certified mail service ($2.80) with a return receipt ($1.10 Electronic, $2.30 Mail), plus the applicable postage. Please note, tax forms are no longer available at post offices. Check at local libraries or online at www.irs.gov (Federal forms) or http://www.tax.state.ny.us/forms/ (NYS forms).

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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 direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.