NORTH CAROLINA – The deadline for mailing 2008 federal tax returns is Wednesday, April 15, and Post Offices in the North Carolina will close that day at its normal times. Taxpayers filing on the last day are encouraged to mail their returns prior to close of business, as no Post Offices will be open beyond regular business hours.

The Raleigh Main Post Office at 1 Floretta Place will accept already stamped and prepared tax returns until midnight, and no retail service will be available after 6 pm. The only options available after the Post Offices close are Automated Postal Centers (APC), which are available 24 hours a day for purchasing postage with the required date using a credit or debit card. To find the nearest APC, customers can go online to usps.com to “Locate a Post Office”.

In addition, some Contract Post Offices are open past 6 pm: Cruizer’s at New Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, and Juicy Java in Kernersville, will be open until 7 pm; and La Plaza Latina on Wake Forest Road in Durham will close at 10 pm.

Following is a list of Automated Postal Centers and Contract Post Offices open after 5 pm.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.