WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service is clarifying how and when mail is postmarked, warning that a postmark may not reflect the exact day an item is dropped off. 

According to a notice in the Federal Register, the USPS explains that a postmark simply indicates the postal service is in possession of the mail and when it went through its first automated processing operation. That date could be later than the day the mail was placed in the mailbox or handed over at a post office. 

The USPS also notes that the absence of a postmark does not mean the Postal Service never received the mail, as not every piece of mail is postmarked.

To ensure a postmark reflects the actual day an item is mailed, USPS officials recommend asking a postal clerk for a free manual postmark. This can be especially important for time-sensitive items such as bill payments, tax returns, and election ballots. A manual postmark is applied the same day the mail is dropped off and accurately documents when it was sent.

The IRS reports that nearly 7 million people chose to manually file their returns instead of using an electronic method.  Meanwhile, a 2024 Post Office study found that 13 percent of customers still pay their bills through the mail.

The USPS stresses there has been no change in their policies or practices; they are just trying to improve the public's understanding of postmarks.  They also indicate that the postmark was never previously defined in Postal Service regulations, and they cannot help if other entities (like the IRS, Election boards) relied on the immediate postmark for their operations.