ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Postmaster Catherine Rodriguez today announced local plans for the Post Office’s Thursday, April 15 tax deadline operations. To accommodate last minute tax filers, extended retail services will be offered, and all mail put in the collection boxes at the Main Post Office (1135 Broadway Blvd NE) and the Rio Rancho Post Office (900 Pinetree Rd SE) before 12 midnight will receive the April 15 postmark. 

Only IRS returns collected at the Main Post Office and the Rio Rancho Post Office locations before 12 midnight will receive the April 15 postmark. This does not apply to mail dropped in any other collection boxes after normal collection times posted on the box. Postal customers should look for the last collection time posted on the collection box to ensure their return will have an April 15 postmark.

Customers needing to purchase postage after normal retail hours may do so from the Automated Postal Centers (APCs) located at Albuquerque’s Academy Station, 6255 San Antonio NE, Uptown Station, 2505 Graceland Dr NE, Steve Schiff Station, 9719 Candelaria NE, Richard Pino Station, 4800 Paradise Blvd NW, or Rio Rancho Branch, 900 Pinetree Rd. SE. APCs accept debit or credit cards (no cash), have scales available to weigh mail and calculate correct postage, and are available for purchasing books of stamps or postage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For last minute filers, here are some Postal Service mailing tips:

• Use First-Class postage.
• Use pre-addressed labels where possible. Write clearly. Take special care to ensure that handwritten envelopes are legible, and include a return address.
• Affix sufficient postage. One ounce is 44-cents; each additional ounce up to 3.5 ounces costs 17 cents per additional ounce.   Oversized envelopes and mail weighing over 3.5 ounces cannot be mailed at the First-Class letter rate and will require additional postage.  Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go online to www.usps.com to obtain correct rate information
• Double-check postage. Weigh any tax return that feels heavier than one ounce. The IRS will not accept postage due mail; tax returns bearing insufficient postage will be returned - meaning taxpayers may be penalized for filing late tax returns.
• Avoid the mad rush at the post office. Mail returns in local collection boxes, but remember to make certain that the posted pick-up time has not passed to ensure returns will have an April 15 postmark.
• For customers who send original receipts, registered mail is a good choice.
• Make certain bulky envelopes are securely sealed.

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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.