SPRINGFIELD, MA  — With the deadline for filing tax returns rapidly approaching, the United States Postal Service reminds last-minute filers to pay special attention to collection box pick-up times and Post Office retail hours on Tuesday, April 19th. Post Offices will be open their normal business hours. The Massachusetts deadline for filing federal taxes is April 19th.

The Boston Post Office, at 25 Dorchester Street, is open until midnight, their normal business hours.

Information about Post Office hours, collection box locations and their pick-up times is available at 1-800-ASK-USPS or online at www.usps.com.

Here are some tax mailing tips from USPS:

• On April 18, mail early in the day at any Post Office, station, branch or collection box.
• If depositing returns in a collection box on April 18th, double-check the pick-up schedule on the label. To ensure getting the April 18th postmark, deposit returns before the last scheduled pick-up time.
• Stamped packages weighing more than 13 ounces must be presented in person to a Post Office clerk to comply with FAA regulations.
• Affix the appropriate postage, especially since the item may weigh more than an ounce. Have a postal sales and service associate weigh and rate the item for you. Tax agencies will not pay postage due items with insufficient postage will be returned to sender – and you may miss the deadline.
• It is very important that your envelope has a return address. Items without sufficient postage and not bearing a return address will be sent to the postal mail recovery office for determination of the sender, delaying its return.
• The USPS highly recommends getting the security of proof of mailing and proof of delivery of your tax returns -- use certified mail service with a return receipt, plus the applicable postage.
• Tax forms are no longer available at Post Offices. Check at local libraries or online at http://www.irs.gov/ (Federal forms) or http://www.tax.state.ct.us/forms/

Please remember that mail must be deposited before the last collection time at the post office or collection box on April 18th to receive an April 18th postmark.

The Postal Service does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses; it relies entirely on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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