The USPS is making a big change that could affect bill payments, taxes, voting and more

The United States Postal Service has made a big change that could affect bill payments, tax returns, mail-in ballot voting and more.

The USPS has updated its postmark process, which identifies when and where mail was received by postal workers Federal Register. The mark used to include the date the letter, envelope or package was dropped into a mailbox or mail counter, but the new rule states that postmarks will now show the date the mail was first processed by a USPS automatic sorter.

According to USA todaythis means that postmarks could be dated days after they are mailed, which can impact time-sensitive materials such as rent payments, ballots, and bills. Wisconsin’s county treasurer has already advised residents to send in their property tax payments early to avoid late postmarks and potential late fees.

“The US Postal Service has decided that for efficiency reasons they will postmark everything at the regional center,” Washington County Treasurer Scott Henke said. WISN. “If you’re sending a payment by mail and it’s the 31st, it probably won’t be postmarked until later or the next month.”

The USPS change went into effect on December 24, 2025 Forbes.

According to him, it does not affect how the Post Office handles mail WTKRbut it may affect customers with deadlines. New plans to optimize regional transport may even mean that a letter can take a day before it receives the appropriate stamp.

The USPS website already encourages non-military voters in the U.S. to mail in completed ballots at least a week before the deadline for local election offices to receive mail-in ballots. In New York State, absentee ballots for the 2026 election must be postmarked no later than November 3 (Election Day) and delivered to the County Board of Elections no later than November 10.

The new letterbox rule also means that a tax return can be considered late if it is placed in the letterbox on April 15 (tax day) but not processed by April 16 or later.

“Now, by law, a tax return or payment is considered filed on the US postmark date, not the IRS receipt date,” Forbes’ Kelly Phillips Erb wrote. “This means taxpayers can mail returns and checks up to — and including — the filing deadline, confident that a timely postmark will protect them from penalties and interest. The PO Box Rule has been relied upon for tax audits and in tax court for years.”

In addition to sending in tax returns, ballots and bill payments early, the post office recommends three other ways to avoid late stamps: Buy postage at the post office counter (instead of using stamps); request a hand stamp at each post office; or purchase a certificate of mailing as proof of shipment.