The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc. 2025-20740) adding Section 608.11, "Postmarks and Postal Possession," to the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). The rule formally defines postmarks and identifies the types of markings that qualify as such. Its primary purpose is to improve public understanding that while a postmark confirms the USPS possessed a mail piece on the date inscribed, that date does not necessarily align with the date the USPS first accepted possession of the item. The rule clarifies that the USPS does not postmark all mail in the ordinary course of operations and that the absence of a postmark does not imply the USPS did not accept custody.
Impact on Postmarking Timing: The rule clarifies that the date displayed on a machine-applied postmark represents the "date of the first automated processing operation" performed at a processing facility, rather than the date the mail was dropped off.
Potential Delays: Because most postmarks are applied at processing facilities, the date inscribed may be later than the date the mail piece was first accepted by the USPS. This discrepancy is expected to become more common due to the implementation of the "Regional Transportation Optimization" (RTO) initiative and the adoption of "leg-based" service standards.
Operational Reality: The rule codifies the operational reality that postmarking operations often cross calendar days or occur after transportation from a retail unit, meaning the postmark date is not a "perfectly reliable indicator" of the date of mailing.
Ensuring a Postmark on the Date of Delivery: To assure a postmark is applied on the same day a document is delivered to the USPS, individuals must utilize specific retail services. The final rule outlines the following methods:
Request a Manual Postmark: Customers may present a mail piece at a retail counter and request a "manual (local) postmark". This postmark is applied at the time of acceptance, so the date aligns with the date the USPS took possession.
Postage Validation Imprint (PVI): When a customer pays for postage at a retail counter, the PVI label applied by the employee also indicates the date of acceptance.
Certificates of Mailing: Customers may purchase a Certificate of Mailing, or use Registered or Certified Mail, to obtain a receipt that serves as evidence of the date the item was presented for mailing
This change in USPS processes will have a potentially significant impact on tax filings. IRC ยง7502 specifically relies upon the postmark date applied to an envelope to determine timely filing if the document is not physically delivered to the IRS office by the due date for such document.
hollow114 on December 31st, 2025 at 20:00 UTC »
This has significant legal ramifications. I assume there will be a lawsuit
Teacher-Investor on December 31st, 2025 at 19:54 UTC »
This change seems to have been made quietly. The USPS will no longer necessarily postmark mail at your local post office on the day you mail it. Instead, it may be postmarked when it reaches a regional processing center, which may be days later.
The USPS claims that a postmark was never meant to indicate the date something was mailed, but only when it first goes through an automated processing machine. I don't think that's what ANYONE believed, including state and federal governments that have laws referring to "postmarked by" dates, such as tax filings, tax payments, court documents, and mail-in ballots.
Approximately 20 states, both red and blue, have an election law that refers to the "postmarked by" date for mail-in ballots. This change by the USPS opens up the possibility for whoever is in charge to hold mail at specific local post offices for days before sending it on to the regional processing center to be postmarked.
It would also potentially make it more difficult to investigate crimes committed via the USPS, since the postmark would no longer indicate the specific post office a piece of mail originated from. It just seems like a bad idea all around.
The only place I've seen it reported is on the National Society of Tax Professionals blog page.
fastercolorado on December 31st, 2025 at 19:49 UTC »
This is only to disenfranchise voters who mail in their ballots.