USPS Changes How Mail Receives Postmarks

If you’re mailing something with a firm deadline, the U.S. Postal Service has a change you’ll want to know about — and it could mean the difference between “on time” and “too late.”

The USPS has updated how and when mailed items receive an official postmark. Historically, mail dropped in a residential mailbox, a blue USPS collection box, or inside a post office was typically postmarked the same day.

Under the new process, same-day postmarks are no longer guaranteed unless an item is taken directly to a post office counter and a customer specifically requests a manual postmark. Mail deposited in drop boxes or mailboxes may not be postmarked until it reaches a regional processing facility, which could be one or more days later.

The change could affect residents mailing time-sensitive items such as tax payments, absentee ballots, legal filings, or applications submitted on a deadline date. Even if an envelope is placed in the mail before pickup, a delayed postmark could result in it being considered late.

USPS customers facing a deadline are advised to bring time-sensitive mail directly to a post office counter and request a manual postmark to ensure it reflects the correct date.