ROCKFORD, IL — If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, the Rockford Post Office is here to help. The deadline this year to file is Monday, April 18, 2016, rather than the traditional April 15 date. Washington D.C. will celebrate Emancipation Day on Friday, April 15, which pushes the deadline to the following Monday.

The Rockford Main Post Office and Loves Park branch will maintain the following hours:

• Rockford Main Post Office, 5225 Harrison Ave – open until 7pm
• Loves Park Branch, 1702 Windsor Road – open until 7pm

The Rockford Main Post Office will still accept stamped letters until 7:30 pm. For details on services and hours at neighboring Post Offices, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS (275-8777) or go to www.usps.com.

The price to mail a one-ounce First-Class letter is 47 cents; 21 cents for each additional ounce. The cost to mail a one-ounce First-Class large envelope is 94 cents; 21 cents for each additional ounce.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not accept mail arriving postage due.

For last minute tax filers, the Self Service Kiosk (SSK) makes mailing and shipping easy and is available at select Post Offices. The SSK offers First-Class postage stamps, Certified Mail with Return Receipt, and Delivery Confirmation. Customers can weigh, mail letters and parcels using debit and credit cards when using the SSK. Next to the SSK is a collection box for depositing items. For tax filers, an April 18 postmark will be provided if the mail is deposited by the last pickup time posted on the SSK on April 18. 

Tax mailing tips:

• Taxpayers are urged to avoid typical errors made when mailing returns such as: unsigned forms, not enough postage and depositing returns in collection boxes whose pickup time has past.
• Use pre-addressed labels where possible. Write clearly. Take special care to ensure that handwritten envelopes are legible.  Include a return address.
• Use First-Class postage --The Internal Revenue Service recognizes the First-Class letter postmark as proof a return was mailed on time.
• Apply proper postage. Weigh any return that feels heavier than one ounce.
• Rule of thumb: up to 5 sheets of 20-lb. paper using a number 10 envelope equals one ounce.
• The IRS does not accept postage due mail even if it has the April 18 postmark; tax returns with insufficient postage will be returned – penalizing taxpayers for filing late tax returns.
• Certified Mail with Return Receipt is a good choice for customers sending original receipts to tax agencies.
• Make certain bulky envelopes are securely sealed using tape.
• Postal regulations require that tax returns affixed with postage stamps weighing 13 oz. or more must be mailed at a Post Office.  They cannot be mailed in a collection box.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom.

Reporters interested in speaking with regional Postal Service public relations professionals should visit this link.

Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.