8 Maui County Post Offices Offer Tax Day Late Collections

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

A total of 27 Post Offices across the state, including eight on Maui, will offer late collection of mail from specially marked collection boxes on federal Tax Day, Tuesday, Apr. 18, to accommodate last-minute filers of federal tax returns.

Taxpayers across the nation have a few extra days to file their federal tax returns this year and pay any taxes due because Apr. 15 falls on a Saturday and Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday in the District of Columbia.

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 need 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 Apr. 18 postmarks.

Collection boxes and Post Office lobby drops at all other Post Offices will be collected only at their regular posted times on Apr. 18.

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

Oʻahu

Airport (Main) Post Office
Downtown Post Office
Ewa Beach Post Office
Hawaiʻi Kai Post Office
Kailua Post Office
Kaneʻohe Post Office
Kapalama Post Office
Makiki Post Office
Mililani Post Office
Pearl City Post Office
Waialae 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, 92% of tax returns filed nationwide so far this year have been submitted online.

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. 18 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 49 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 12 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.