Letters and packages sent via the United States Postal Service may be postmarked days later than when they were dropped off, following a recent change to the agency’s rules that could impact how Mainers pay their bills and file their tax returns.
The postal service updated its rules late last month, clarifying that the date of a postmark does not necessarily indicate when a piece of mail was deposited with USPS. Instead, it only reflects that USPS was in possession of the parcel by the listed date, according to the updated rule.
For decades, officials have relied on postmarks as evidence that items were sent before a given deadline, according to the Brookings Institution. That meant ballots mailed on election day or tax returns mailed on tax day, for example, would be counted as on-time.
But as the postal service continues to implement its Delivering For America plan —designed to streamline mailing and increase revenue — differences between when something is mailed and when it is postmarked will likely become more common, the agency said in the rule.
“This change in USPS processes will have a potentially significant impact on tax filings,” according to the National Society of Tax Professionals.
AARP said it could “create real challenges” for consumers sending deadline-driven mail, like ballots. In the 2024 election, about four out of 10 voters in Maine used absentee ballots.
In Maine, absentee ballots need to be received by the time polls close on Election Day, not simply postmarked by that date, according to the Maine Secretary of State.
Tom Ouellette, a USPS spokesperson for operations in Maine, said the updated rule does not signal any change in the actual postmarking process.
Rather, the new language “is intended to improve public understanding of the information postmarks convey, when in the course of operations they are typically applied, and their relationship to the date of mailing.”
When asked how the changes might affect rural residents, Ouellette pointed to a general document describing “postmarking myths and facts.”
In that document, USPS said it is not changing its postmarking practices, as postmarks will still be applied by machines at regional hubs. But the agency is changing how it transports mail, which could mean parcels do not arrive at those facilities on the same day they are mailed.
“That means that the date on the postmarks applied at our processing facilities will not necessarily match the date on which the customer’s mailpiece was collected by a letter carrier or dropped off at a retail location,” USPS said.
Customers who need a same-day postmark will still be able to request one by visiting a USPS retail location in person and asking for a manual, or local, postmark at the counter, the agency said.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Daniel Kool can be reached at dkool@pressherald.com.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 3 to correct information on how mail-in ballots in Maine are dated.