Tax Day Relief for Procrastinators

Locations open late for last-minute filers

Milwaukee, WI - The deadline for filing taxes this year is Tuesday, April 15, 2008. Across the country postal employees are gearing up to provide last-minute relief to millions of taxpayers and procrastinators.

The greater Milwaukee area offers two locations that will be open late to ensure your returns are postmarked by midnight: The Air Mail Center Post Office at 5500 S. Howell Avenue (always open 24 hours), and the Main Post Office downtown at 345 W. St. Paul Avenue where postal employees will be waiting curbside to take returns right up until the deadline.

There are eight post office lobbies that are open 24-hours where customers will find stamp vending machines and a self-service Automated Postal Center available for last minute filers wanting to weigh envelopes or purchase postage. These locations are: Greenfield Branch, 7353 W. Forest Home Ave., Sequoia Retail Unit, 6825 W. Brown Deer Rd., Tuckaway Station, 5114 S. 27th St., Wauwatosa Branch, 1655 N. Mayfair Rd., and West Milwaukee Branch, 4300 W. Lincoln Ave.

In Milwaukee all Post Offices will have their normal retail hours on Tuesday, April 15. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS to find the hours at any Post Office.

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 and use a return address. Please make sure handwritten tax return envelopes are legible.
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 – this means taxpayers could be penalized for filing late tax returns.
Mail returns in local mailboxes and avoid the rush to the Post Office. But keep in mind that collection boxes have final pick up times; look for the last time posted on the box to ensure returns will have an April 15 postmark.
Taxpayers are also advised that due to aviation security regulations, all packages weighing 13 ounces or more bearing stamps must be taken to a retail clerk for acceptance.

“We recommend mailing your return as early in the day as possible to avoid the rush,” said Acting Milwaukee Postmaster Charles Miller.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.