Carol Stream, IL. — Who says April 17th has to be taxing? Not the U.S. Postal Service. Across the country, postal employees are gearing up to provide last-minute relief to millions of taxpayers and procrastinators, too. Since April 15 falls on a Sunday, and Monday, April 16 is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in Washington DC, the deadline for federal and state income tax returns is Tuesday, April 17.

Like clockwork, many American taxpayers will wait until April 17th to mail an additional 44 million pieces of mail, mostly federal and state income tax returns. This year, as in the past, the Postal Service will be waiting for them. Hundreds of Post Offices around the country will extend retail hours and accept mail until midnight to accommodate customers sending tax returns or extensions.

The following Post Offices will be offering
Full Window Services until 7 PM, 7:30 PM, or 8 PM on April 17

• Crystal Lake, 301 E. Congress Pkwy (7:30 PM)
• Des Plaines, 1000 E Oakton St (8 PM)
• Evanston, 1101 Davis Street (8 PM)
• Fox River Grove, 938 State Route 22 (7 PM)
• Lombard, 380 E. St. Charles Rd (7 PM)
• Lombard - Yorktown Mall (7 PM)
• Northbrook, 2460 Dundee Rd (7 PM)
• Oak Park, 901 Lake Street (7 PM)
• Villa Park, 1415 S. Ardmore (7 PM)
• Wheaton, 122 N. Wheaton Ave. (7 PM)
• Wheaton-Danada, 48 Danada Sq West (7 PM)
• Woodstock, 1050 Country Club (7 PM)

On April 17, mail will be collected at 11:59 p.m. at these Post Office collection box locations and postmarked with the April 17 cancellation.

• Buffalo Grove, 255 N Buffalo Grove Rd
• Carpentersville, 100 S. Kennedy Drive
• Crystal Lake, 301 E. Congress Pkwy
• Des Plaines, 1000 E Oakton
• Elmhurst, 154 W Park Ave
• Fox Lake, 33 E. Grand Ave
• Geneva, 26 S 3rd St
• Glen Ellyn, 757 Dupage Blvd
• Glen Ellyn Downtown, 528 Pennsylvania
• Harvard, 300 N Eastman St
• Hebron, 9912 Illinois St.
• Highland Park, 833 Central Ave
• Hoffman Estates, 1255 N. Gannon Dr.
• Lake Villa, 206 Cedar Ave
• Lombard, 380 E. St Charles Rd
• Loves Park, 1702 Windsor Rd
• Morton Grove, 9114 Waukegan Rd
• Oak Park, 901 Lake St.
• Park Ridge, 333 Busse Hwy
• Ringwood, 5016 Barnard Mill Rd
• Rockford, 5225 Harrison Ave
• Rockford Broadway, 1140 Broadway
• Rockford Downtown, 401 S. Main St FL1
• Rockford East, 111 N 6th St.
• Rockford Kilburn, 2440 Kilburn Ave
• Rockford New Towne, 557 New Towne Dr
• Schaumburg, 450 W. Schaumburg Rd
• Sterling, 408 3rd Ave
• Villa Park, 1415 S. Ardmore
• Wheaton, 122 N. Wheaton Ave.
• Wonder Lake, 3710 E. Wonder Lake Rd

The following Post Offices have 24/7 Automated Postal Centers

• Algonquin
• Arlington Heights
• Barrington
• Belvidere
• Bloomingdale
• Buffalo Grove
• Carol Stream
• Cary
• Crystal Lake
• Deerfield
• DeKalb
• Elgin-Westside
• Elk Grove Village
• Evanston
• Glen Ellyn
• Glenview
• Gurnee
• Hoffman Estates
• Itasca
• Loves Park
• Lake Zurich
• Lombard
• McHenry
• Mt. Prospect
• Northbrook
• Oak Park
• Palatine
• Prospect Heights
• Rockford
• Round Lake
• Roselle
• Schaumburg
• St. Charles
• Streamwood
• Vernon Hills
• Villa Park
• Wheaton
• Wheaton-Danada
• Woodfield
• Woodstock

For details on services and hours for Northern Illinois District Post Offices, Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (275-8777)

For last minute filers, here are some Postal Service mailing tips:

• Use First-Class postage. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognizes the inexpensive First-Class letter postmark as proof that a return has been mailed on time.
  
  
• Write clearly. Handwritten tax return envelopes should be legible. Use a return address.
  
  
• 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 will be penalized for filing late tax returns. When in doubt, call 1-800-ASK-USPS for postage information and station hours and locations.
  
  
• Mail returns in local mailboxes. This helps avoid a rush to the post office. But keep in mind: Collection boxes have final pick up times; look for the last time posted on the box to ensure returns will have an April 17 postmark.
  
  
• Use Registered Mail. This is a good idea for customers who send original receipts to tax agencies without making copies.
  
  
• The Internal Revenue Service no longer provides tax forms for Post Office lobbies. To order forms or publications by telephone, including delivery via the U.S. Postal Service, call the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Tax forms are also available at public libraries.

"We recommend mailing your return as early in the day as possible to avoid the rush. Just because you waited until the last day doesn't mean you should wait until the last minute," says Northern Illinois District Spokesperson Tim Ratliff.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to cover its operating expenses. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.