New changes to the way that the United State Postal Service processes and time-stamps mail may impact Mainers’ tax filings.
Because the USPS has changed the way it issues postmarks, the date on time-sensitive documents may not reflect the specific day that mail was dropped at a post office or in a post office box, according to a spokesperson for the Maine Revenue Service.
The USPS postmark will still show the date that the mail item was automatically processed. However, not all mail items are processed on the same day that the sender drops it at a public collection box.
Documents most likely to be impacted by this change include Maine tax returns; Maine tax payments; petitions for reconsideration sent to the Maine Revenue Service; and petitions to the Maine Boat of Tax Appeals or to Maine courts.
To ensure that your documents are processed in a timely manner, a Maine tax return or Maine tax payment can still be sent from your local post office. In order to make sure the documents receive the appropriate postmark, request that a USPS attendant hand stamps the information with the actual mailing date.
Mailing a document in person by sending certified or registered mail from a USPS location will also allow the correct mailing date to be issued.
Mainers have the option to file and pay their state taxes online through the Maine Tax Portal, a free program provided by the revenue service.