8 Maui County Post Offices Offer Tax Day Late Collections

A total of 27 Post Offices across the state, including eight in Maui County will offer late collection of mail from specially marked collection boxes on federal Tax Day, Tuesday, April 17, to accommodate last-minute filers of federal tax returns.

United States Post Office, Wailuku, Hawaiʻi. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The public has until April 17 to file their 2017 returns and pay any taxes due. The filing tax deadline is later this year due to several factors. The usual April 15 deadline falls on Sunday this year, which would normally give taxpayers until at least the following Monday. However, Emancipation Day, a Washington, D.C., holiday, is observed on Monday, April 16, giving taxpayers nationwide an additional day to file.

All Post Offices in Hawaiʻi will be closing at their regular times on Tax Day. 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 Oʻahu customers who need to purchase stamps or special services.

The 27 Post Offices listed below will have blue collection boxes or in-wall mail slots labeled with special bright orange signs indicating Tax Mail Drop – Final Pick-Up Midnight. Tax forms with correct postage deposited in those specially designated boxes and slots by midnight will receive Aprril 17 postmarks.

Collection boxes and Post Office lobby drops at all other Post Offices will be collected only at their regular posted times on Apr. 17.

The locations of the 27 Post Offices offering late collections are:

Maui
Kahului Post Office
Kīhei Post Office
Lahaina (Main) Post Office
Makawao Post Office
Pukalani Post office
Wailuku Post Office

Molokaʻi
Kaunakakai Post Office

Lānaʻi
Lānaʻi City Post Office

Hawaii
Hilo (Airport) Post Office
Kailua-Kona Post Office
Kamuela Post Office

Oʻahu
Airport (Main) Post Office
Downtown Post Office
ʻEwa Beach Post Office
Hawaiʻi Kai Post Office
Kailua Post Office
Kaneʻohe Post Office
Kapālama Post Office
Makiki Post Office
Mililani Post Office
Pearl City Post Office
Waiʻalae Kahala Post Office
Waialua Post Office
Waiʻanae Post Office
Waikīkī Post Office
Waipahu Post Office

Kauaʻi
Līhue Main Post Office

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

According to the IRS, more than 92 percent of tax returns filed nationwide so far this year have been submitted electronically.

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. Except in specially marked boxes at designated locations (see above list), returns deposited AFTER the last collection time will NOT receive Apr. 17 postmarks.
• 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 50 cents. Large envelopes and items weighing more than one ounce or greater than ¼-inch thick require additional postage; check with a postal clerk to determine correct postage, or check the Postal Service web site at www.usps.gov for a postage rate calculator. Tax agencies do not accept postage due mail; tax returns bearing insufficient postage will be returned—meaning taxpayers may be penalized for filing late tax returns.
• Proof of mailing/delivery – Mailers seeking proof of mailing and proof of delivery should request “Certified Mail with Return Receipt” when mailing tax returns.
• 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.
• 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 not available at Post Offices – Post Offices do not carry tax forms. Suggestion: Check out the IRS’s web site for downloadable forms.