April 18 Federal Tax Deadline Draws Near; Postal Service Offers Tips
OHIO – Tax Day falls on Monday, April 18, this year because Emancipation Day, a holiday in the District of Columbia, is being celebrated on Friday, April 15. That means federal taxes must be postmarked by Monday, April 18 to qualify for timely filing. Post Offices across Ohio will maintain regular retail hours on Tax Day. Post Office retail hours and mail collection times vary and customers may visit http://www.usps.com or call 800-ASK-USPS for information on local Post Office retail hours and collection box locations, hours and pick-up times.
The Postal Service offers the following tips to tax filers:
· Mail early in the day on April 18 at any Post Office, station, branch or collection box.
· If depositing returns in a collection box on Monday, April 18, double check the pickup schedule on the label. To ensure an April 18 postmark, deposit returns before the last scheduled pickup time.
· Stamped packages weighing more than 13 ounces must be presented in person to a Post Office clerk in compliance with FAA regulations.
· Make sure your return is signed and dated and all schedules and supporting documents are enclosed.
· Affix the appropriate postage – the item may weigh more than an ounce. Have a postal retail associate weigh and rate the item for you. Tax agencies will not pay postage due. Your short-paid return may be returned to sender causing you to miss the deadline.
· It is very important that your envelope include a return address. Short-paid items without a return address will be sent to the postal mail recovery office, delaying its return.
· Tax forms are no longer available at Post Offices. Check local libraries or online at http://www.irs.gov(Federal forms) or http://www.tax.ohio.gov (Ohio forms).
· Please remember that mail must be deposited before the last collection time at the Post Office or collection box on April 18 to receive an April 18 postmark. Customers who mail their returns on the 18thshould check with their local Post Office or read the posted times on the collection box to make sure that their tax returns are collected and postmarked before the deadline.
The Internal Revenue Service will accept returns sent via Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express for those customers who would like verification that their return was delivered. The IRS accepts the postmark on the envelope as proof of timely filing.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
