Post Offices Offer Late Collection for Tax Day

Kihei Post Office. Photo by Sonia Isotov.

By Sonia Isotov

A total of 28 US Post Offices across the state – and 8 in Maui County – will offer late collection of mail from specially marked collection boxes on Tuesday, April 17 to accommodate last-second federal tax return filers on the final federal tax collection date.

Taxpayers have an extra day to file their 2011 taxes this year because April 15 falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday in the District of Columbia, is observed on Monday, April 16.

New this year at Honolulu’s Airport (Main) Post Office is an express line, at the side will call window, for simple Tax Day transactions such as purchasing stamps and Certified Mail services. The express line will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Tax Day only.

All Post Offices will be closing at their regular times. The Airport Post Office in Honolulu will be the last to close—at 8 p.m.–on that night and will be the best bet for last-second customers who need to purchase stamps or special services.

The 8 Maui Post Offices listed below will have collection boxes and/or lobby drop slots labeled with special bright orange signs indicating “Tax Mail Drop – Final Pick-Up Midnight.”

File photo.

Kahului Post Office

Kihei Post Office

Lahaina (Main) Post Office

Makawao Post Office

Pukalani Post Office

Wailuku Post Office

Kaunakakai Post Office

Lanai CityPost Office

Tax forms with correct postage deposited in those specially designated boxes and slots by midnight will receive April 17 postmarks. Collection boxes and Post Office lobby drops at all other Post Offices will be collected only at their regular posted times on April 17.

Due to the declining number of citizens who submit hard-copy tax returns by mail, the Postal Service no longer provides curbside service to last-second filers of tax mail at its drive-by collection boxes.

File photo.

The Postal Service provides the following friendly reminders regarding the mailing of tax returns:

• Not all boxes will be collected late – If you are mailing your return in a blue collection box or a drop slot at the post office, be sure to check the schedule for the last collection time.
• Beat the rush, mail early – Mail your tax returns early in the day. Post Offices typically become congested during lunch time and in the late afternoon and evening on the Tax Day deadline.
• Ensure proper postage – Be sure to check that adequate postage is applied to your tax return. First-Class postage for a one-ounce letter is 45 cents. Check the Postal Service web site at www.usps.gov for a postage rate calculator.

• Ensure proper addressing – Use pre-addressed labels where possible. Write clearly. Take special care to ensure that handwritten envelopes are legible. Include a return address. Make sure that bulky envelopes are securely sealed.

• Proof of mailing/delivery – Mailers seeking proof of mailing and delivery should request “Certified Mail with Return Receipt” when mailing tax returns.

• Heavy packages require personal drop off – Mail with postage paid by postage stamps (as opposed to postage meter strips) that weighs more than 13 ounces must be presented in person to a clerk at a Post Office. Returns meeting this description that are deposited in collection boxes will be returned to their senders.
• Tax forms are not available at Post Offices – Suggestion: Check out the IRS’s web site for downloadable forms.