Grand Rapids — Remember, the deadline this year to file your tax return is Monday, April 15. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, your local Post Office is here to help.

Because many customers file their returns electronically, Post Offices in the Greater Michigan District (zip codes prefixes 486-489, 490-491, 493-499) will not have extended hours.  If details on services and hours are needed, 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 46 cents; 20 cents for each additional ounce. The cost to mail a one-ounce First-Class large envelope is 92 cents; 20 cents for each additional ounce.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not accept mail arriving postage due.

The Automated Postal Center (APC) is in many Post Offices and for last minute tax filers it makes mailing and shipping easy.  Most APC’s are available 24 hours and customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS (275-8777) or go to www.usps.com to find out these locations.  The APC offers booklets of First-Class stamps, Certified Mail with Return Receipt, and Delivery Confirmation. Customers can weigh, mail letters and parcels using debit and credit cards when using and APC. Next to the APC is a collection box for depositing items.  

For tax filers, an April 15 postmark will be provided if the mail is deposited by the last pickup time posted in post offices.

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 is past.
• Postal regulations require that stamped tax returns weighing 13 oz. or more must be mailed at a Post Office. They cannot be mailed in a collection box.
• 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.
• 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.
• The IRS does not accept postage due mail even if it has the April 15 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.

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About The U.S. Postal Service
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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