CHARLESTON, WV — With the deadline for filing income tax returns rapidly approaching, the Postal Service is notifying last minute filers to take notice of their local Post Office’s operating hours. Post Offices in the Appalachian District (ZIP Codes 240-243, 245-259, 261-268 & 37620-21, 37625, 41503) will operate at normal hours on Tuesday, April 15th. Customers depositing returns in collection boxes are advised to check the last pickup time posted on the collection receptacle.

Postal customers are advised to mail their returns or extension requests early in the day at any of the Post Offices, stations, branches or collection boxes in their community. However, tax filers using a collection box should make certain that the posted pick-up time has not passed to ensure returns will receive the April 15th postmark.

The Postal Service offers the following advice to tax filers:

• Try to mail as early in the day as possible.
• Take note of posted collection times and local Post Office hours.
• Always include your return address on your mailpiece.
• Be certain to weigh your returns or extension requests on a postal scale and affix the proper amount of postage. (This is especially true if you are filing extra forms or schedules this year. Tax agencies will not pay postage due, so short-paid tax filings must be returned for additional postage.)
• Apply sufficient postage. (Postage is 49-cents for the first ounce which is usually about four 8½ x 11” sheets; add 21 cents postage for each additional ounce.)
• Always use a complete mailing and return address.

• Tax returns must be postmarked no later than April 15th.
• If mailing from a street collection box, check the last pick-up time to make sure your return will be collected later that day.
• Consider using USPS Tracking™ if you want to confirm your tax return is delivered. Delivery Confirmation is not available for First-Class envelopes.
• If using a First-Class envelope, use Certified Mail or Registered Mail for proof of delivery.
• For mailing tips and information on USPS Tracking™, log onto www.usps.com.

For added customer convenience, Self-Service Kiosks (formerly called Automated Postal Centers®)  are available at the following locations and provide 24-hour access to many postal products and services:

Roanoke-Cave Spring Branch, 4069 POSTAL DRIVE SW, VA 24018
Roanoke, 419 RUTHERFORD AVE NE, VA 24022
Blacksburg, 909 UNIVERSITY BLVD , VA 24060
Christiansburg, 350 ARBOR DR, VA 24073
Salem, 320 W MAIN ST, VA    24153
Lynchburg, 3300 ODD FELLOWS RD, VA 24506
Charleston, 1002 LEE STREET EAST, WV 25301
Huntington-Downtown Station, 1200 VETERANS MEMEORIAL BLVD, WV  25701
Martinsburg, 1355 OLD COURTHOUSE SQ, WV 25404

Using a credit or debit card, these self-service kiosks enable customers to conduct business at their convenience. APC’s enable customers to:

• Buy the same self-adhesive stamps provided through ATMs.
• Weigh, calculate and purchase postage in amounts for items weighing up to 70lbs.
• Send items via Priority Express Mail, Priority Mail and First Class Mail, as well as by Parcel Post services.
• Look up ZIP Codes and obtain Postal Service mailing information.
• Obtain Priority Express Mail, Certified Mail, and Return Receipts
• Purchase USPS Tracking™ service.
• Obtain a purchase receipt.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

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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