Recent changes to United States Postal Service processing procedures may affect when your mail is officially postmarked. In some cases, mail is now postmarked when it is processed or sorted rather than on the day it is dropped off at a local post office. This means the postmark date may not always reflect the day your item was mailed.
For most everyday mail, this change will not have an impact. It can matter, however, for time-sensitive items such as property tax payments, mail-in ballots, legal documents, or applications with strict deadlines, where the postmark date is used to determine whether something was submitted on time.
If you are mailing something close to a deadline, you can take it to a USPS retail counter and request a manual, local postmark. This postmark reflects the date USPS takes custody of the item and is provided at no additional charge. Mailing early, keeping receipts, and understanding these procedures can help ensure your important documents are processed on time.
