DALLAS, TX — Post Offices in several major Texas cities will offer extended mail collections to assist thousands of last-minute tax filers on April 15.

IRS returns collected at the following locations, will receive the April 15 postmark if deposited before the last collection time indicated. 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 desiring to purchase stamps and certify IRS mail after hours may do so at the Automated Postal Centers (APCs) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in many larger Post Offices statewide. Transactions may be conducted in English or Spanish. In addition to having a built-in electronic scale, the APC allows customers to calculate and obtain postage in any amount for Express Mail, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, and Parcel Post.

At usps.com postal customers can find an APC near them, or other places to buy postage. Your nearest access point for postage stamps may be one of the thousands of bank automated teller machines (ATMs) that stand ready to serve as your personal stamp machine or nearby grocery store, drug store or gift shop. At usps.com, click on Locate a Post Office and under Options select Alternate Locations to Buy Stamps. The website will list the nearest address and show a map and directions on how to get there.

Customers with questions may also call the Postal Service’s free, 24 hour toll-free number, 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

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 42-cents; each additional ounce up to 13 ounces costs an additional 17 cents.
• Double-check postage. Weigh any return that feels heavier than one ounce. Tax agencies do 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 15th postmark.
• For customers who send original receipts to tax agencies, registered mail is a good choice.
• Make certain bulky envelopes are securely sealed.

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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.