Tax Night 2008: Post Offices ready to deliver tax dollars, not $pend them!

What are you doing this weekend?

If you number among those setting pencils to paper to finalize federal or state taxes, your local Post Offices is ready to help you meet that all important April 15th deadline.

There are 12 self-service Automated Postal Centers (APCs) located at these postal facilities in the Postal Service’s Albany District:

• ALBANY - The Karner Road General Mail Facility APC, and APCs located inside Colonie Center and Stuyvesant Plaza are available 24 hours daily
  
• CLIFTON PARK - available 24 hours daily
  
• GLENS FALLS - available 24 hours daily
  
• LATHAM - available 24 hours daily
  
• PLATTSBURGH - available 24 hours daily
  
• ROME- available 24 hours daily
  
• SYRACUSE -- Teall Station, Taft Road Main Post Office, both available 24 hours,
  
  • The APC at the Carousel Center is available during mall hours
    
• WATERTOWN - available 24 hours daily

Customers can weigh and mail letters and parcels and purchase stamps at the touch of a screen, using debit and credit cards.

The Post Offices in Albany (Karner Road Mail Processing Center) and Utica (Pitcher Street Main Office) will offer window services through midnight for April 15 acceptance of mails. The Syracuse Main Office (Taft Road) will offer limited assistance in the lobby with the APC after regular window service ends at 7 pm.

Mail placed in a collection box must be deposited before the last collection time at the post office, APC or collection box to receive that date’s postmark. This includes Tax Night, postal officials note.

According the IRS, nearly 97 million individual tax forms had been received by last weekend. Approximately 45 percent were filed on paper. In total, the IRS expects 136 million individual tax forms this season.

Regional postal officials are ready.

"On our average day, the Postal Service processes 700 million pieces of mail. Approximately 100 million are cards and letters with postmarks. In fact, up to 55 percent of all First Class mail is financial in nature including tax-related documents," explained Timothy D. Leonard, Senior Plant Manager for Processing and Distribution Operations throughout the Postal Service's Albany District.

The Postal Service's Albany District reaches more than 3.5 million postal customers served by 720 Post Offices in an area that stretches from the Massachusetts and Canadian borders west to Waterloo and south to Binghamton and the Southern Tier.

A couple answers from the Postmaster….

I’m done with my taxes! Now, how can I mail them?

The IRS recognizes the First-Class Mail letter postmark as proof that a return has been mailed on time. Other approved mailing options include Express or Priority Mail.

Confirm the address for your taxes, postal officials say. Documents headed to a post office box can only be sent using US Mail. Use the labels provided with your tax forms when provided.

This feels a little heavy. It still goes to the IRS, right?

Be sure to use the proper postage— tax returns bearing insufficient postage will be returned. The Postal Service website, www.usps.com, offers a rate calculator to help you determine the right postage for your documents.

How can I be sure my tax form gets there?

The Postal Service provides several services to help document your tax mailings, such as:

• Certificate of Mailing Service
  You’ll get a receipt as evidence that you mailed your tax return.
• Certified Mail Service
  A Certified Mail receipt proves 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.

In addition, Delivery Confirmation service will verify the time, date, and ZIP Code to which your return is delivered. This information is accessible with Track & Confirm at www.usps.com. In addition, Delivery Confirmation service will verify the time, date, and ZIP Code to which your return is delivered. This information is easily accessible with the USPS Track & Confirm tool at www.usps.com.

How late is my Post Office open?

Every day, nearly one million Americans visit www.usps.com for information such as, listing the operating hours of the Post Office found in the Post Office Locator feature. Directions, nearby offices and changes, such as extended hours for Tax Night, are included.