Austin, TX —For the benefit of last minute tax filers, the U.S. Postal Service will provide a late night mail collection point for postage paid tax returns at the Austin General Mail Facility (GMF), 8225 Cross Park Dr.  The Austin GMF retail window will be open normal hours, until 5:30 p.m.

All IRS returns collected at the General Mail Facility location before 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 desiring to purchase stamps and certify IRS mail after normal retail hours may do so at the Automated Postal Centers (APCs) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, located in many larger Post Offices in Austin and the surrounding area.  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 tax 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 usps.com to obtain correct rate information
• Double-check postage. Weigh any 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.
• Remember to make certain that the posted pick-up time on the collection box where you deposit your mail has not passed to ensure your tax return 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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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

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 tax dollars. 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 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.