{"id":195177,"date":"2025-12-31T07:50:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T07:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/postmark-change-could-impact-getting-ballots-bills-in-on-time-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T07:50:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T07:50:36","slug":"postmark-change-could-impact-getting-ballots-bills-in-on-time-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/postmark-change-could-impact-getting-ballots-bills-in-on-time-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Postmark change could impact getting ballots, bills in on time – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Postal Service<\/a> is making new changes in 2026, including adjustments to the postmark process<\/a>, which could result in late fees and penalties for anyone mailing time-sensitive documents such as tax returns<\/a> or bill payments.
For decades, the postmark \u2013 an official mark that shows where and when mail was accepted by the Postal Service \u2013 has been used in law as proof that an individual met a deadline, such as submitting a ballot by Election Day.
A USPS postmark used to indicate the date when mail was dropped in a mailbox or submitted at the post office counter. Now, USPS is clarifying in a new rule that the postmark will reflect the date an envelope is first processed by an automated USPS sorting machine, potentially days after it was dropped off \u2013 not the actual drop-off date.
Changes to USPS are part of its Delivering For America initiative that includes consolidation of mail processing and modernizing infrastructure to fit a time when the volume of paper letters is dropping and the number of packages is increasing.
For a long time, Americans have assumed that mail will be postmarked the day it is mailed and may not be prepared to account for the extra days.
Tax payments, charitable contributions, legal filings, rent payments and other bills or items that rely on postmark dates for deadlines can be impacted by later postmarks and risk late fees, penalties, or delinquency.
Many states also accept ballots that are postmarked by Election Day.
Time-sensitive mail should be mailed several days before the deadline. People can also go inside their local post office and ask for a hand-stamped “manual postmark” on the date, or use certified mail.
While the cost of a First-Class Mail stamp, currently $0.78, is not set to rise at this time, shipping costs for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select rates are all expected to go up<\/a> in the new year.
The increase in USPS shipping rates<\/a> is set to take effect on Jan. 18. Prices are based on the package’s weight and the distance it is being shipped.
The standard First-Class Mail letter rate of a postage stamp is $0.78<\/a> for the first ounce and goes up $0.29 per additional ounce. This price has been in effect since July 2025 and is not expected to rise in January. The next possible price change is anticipated in mid-2026.
Post office modernization<\/a> is also on the way for the new year.
USPS announced redesigned, technology-forward lobbies are coming to retail locations nationwide in a modernization push that officials say will make post office visits faster, easier and more convenient for customers to ship and pick up mail.
\u201cModernizing our retail spaces is about meeting customers where they are today,\u201d said Tracy Raymond, director of retail operations in the news release<\/a>. \u201cPeople expect speed, clarity and technology-driven convenience \u2013 and that\u2019s what our new lobbies deliver, while still offering the trusted, in-person attention that defines the Postal Service.\u201d
The upgraded post office lobbies will feature 24\/7 smart lockers, enhanced self-service kiosks, Rapid Drop mobile app, digital information displays, and streamlined layouts. They will also provide more government service hub options such as passports, fingerprinting and identity proofing.
Sarah D. Wire covers national politics for USA TODAY and can be reached at swire@usatoday.com. Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist who covers trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic region.<\/em><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Postal Service is making new changes in 2026, including adjustments to the postmark process, which could result in late fees and penalties for anyone mailing time-sensitive documents such as tax returns or bill payments.For decades, the postmark \u2013 an official mark that shows where and when mail was accepted by the Postal Service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}