AUSTIN, TX — Due to a significant decline over the past few years in the demand for late night Post Office “special” operations on the IRS tax filing deadline, Austin Postmaster Fina Morales advises there will be no midnight mail collections in Austin on Monday, April 15.

“With more people filing income tax returns electronically, the Post Office has seen a significant decline in mail volume from last minute tax filers,” said Morales. “It’s difficult to justify the added cost required for staffing a midnight collection point, especially when you consider the Postal Service’s current financial condition.”

Morales strongly encourages postal customers mailing tax returns on April 15 to use correct postage (IRS will not accept postage due mail) and to carefully check the last pick up time posted on the collection box. Mail deposited after the last posted collection time will not be postmarked until the following day.

The following is a list of Austin Post Offices with retail services and/or mail collections available past 5 p.m. on Monday, April 15.

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.. 

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

Express Mail Service
This gets your tax return to many locations the next day guaranteed or your money-back. Express Mail includes online tracking and signature at delivery.

Priority Mail Service
This gets your tax return delivered in an average of 2-3 days. Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation service provides a receipt of mailing for record-keeping purposes and allows the customer to confirm electronically via the web at usps.com, or through a toll-free number, 1-800-222-1811, that the mailing was delivered to the IRS.

First-Class Mail Service
Efficient, economical option for mailing your return with the all-important postmark.

Proof of Mailing Services:
These services provide you with peace of mind. You can prove you mailed your tax return, verify that it was delivered or both.
Certificate of Mailing
This receipt shows evidence that you mailed your tax return.
Certified Mail
This receipt proves that you mailed your tax return and gives you online access to verify the date and time of delivery.
Return Receipt
This receipt verifies both mailing and delivery, returning a postcard to you signed by the person who received your package.

Online Services:
These services let you use the online technology to help you mail your tax returns
Click-N-Ship
From any computer with internet access and a printer, you can print Priority Mail and Express Mail labels for all your tax returns, with or without postage, and save yourself precious time.

Mailing Tips:

• Affix sufficient postage (the IRS and FTB will not pay postage due). One ounce is 46 cents. The second ounce is an additional 20 cents.
• Address the envelope clearly and correctly, including return address, and use correct ZIP Code, if not using pre-addressed envelopes provided by the IRS
• If mailing in a collection box, deposit your mail prior to the last scheduled pickup time, which is posted on each box.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations

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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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