By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The United States Postal Service has finalized a rule defining postmarks and clarifying their significance in relation to mail acceptance dates. The rule emphasizes that the postmark date often reflects the initial automated processing, not necessarily the date of USPS possession, and potential delays are likely due to operational changes. To guarantee a same-day postmark, customers must utilize specific retail services like manual postmarks, postage validation imprints, or certified mailing. This clarification is particularly important for tax filings, as the postmark date is crucial in determining timely submission under IRS regulations.
Read the original article here
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The core of this whole thing seems to be that the USPS has quietly rolled out a change that might significantly alter how we understand and use postmark dates. It looks like the postal service is no longer guaranteeing that your mail will be postmarked on the day you drop it off at your local post office. Instead, the postmark might be applied at a regional processing center, potentially days later.
The USPS is claiming that a postmark was never really meant to indicate the *actual* date something was mailed, but rather when it first hits an automated processing machine. While they are legally saying that, it’s fair to say that this understanding isn’t exactly shared by most people, including state and federal governments that have laws relying on “postmarked by” dates. Think tax filings, tax payments, court documents, and, of course, mail-in ballots. This is where things get really interesting, and potentially, concerning.
Approximately 20 states, regardless of their political leanings, have election laws that hinge on the “postmarked by” date for mail-in ballots. This USPS change raises some serious questions. It could allow those in charge to hold mail at certain local post offices for days before sending it to the processing center for postmarking. And in the meantime…
It’s also worth noting that this change could potentially make it harder to investigate crimes that are committed through the mail. Since the postmark won’t necessarily pinpoint the specific post office where a piece of mail originated, it muddies the waters for investigations. Overall, this seems to be a change that isn’t really adding any value to the system.
The only place this is being reported, that I’ve seen, is the *National Society of Tax Professionals* blog page, and it has pretty significant legal ramifications. A lawsuit seems almost inevitable. The unspoken implication is that this is simply to make it harder for people to vote. This whole thing makes me think of an effort to make it easier to challenge mail-in ballots and invalidate them if they are winning, and to not include districts that favor them when they are losing. But hey, I’m just spitballing here…
Customers *can* request a “manual (local) postmark” at a retail counter, which would align the date with when the USPS actually takes possession of the mail. That’s good to know, but this definitely puts those with disabilities or anyone unable to visit a post office in person at a disadvantage. This could create a situation where mail-in ballots, dropped off in time, get processed after the election and are thrown out. People won’t necessarily be aware of this change, so legitimate ballots will be tossed. It all feels rather… suspicious.
Let’s just wait and see how this all shakes out. This really does seem like it’s about making it harder to vote. Remember those fears about Trump installing Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General? Well, this feels like that, and more. Even though it’s been pointed out that David Steiner was appointed by the Postal Service Board of Governors in May of 2025, that doesn’t change the potential impact.
Tax filings, mail-in voting, insurance claims, payments… this change is going to mess with *a lot* of important stuff. It is simply unacceptable. Congress must step in. Unfortunately, the cynic in me says that won’t happen. Happy 2026, everyone!
This is going to really screw over not just the bills and other date-sensitive items, but also mail-in voting. It feels like another attempt to sabotage the midterms. It’s a lot of effort to find new ways to screw over the American people. This will hurt small businesses, mail-in voters, and anyone who has to mail in paperwork for taxes, Social Security, or government assistance. This will cause problems, and then those in charge will use those problems as “proof” that the USPS is “inefficient,” to cut more funding and degrade service even further. This is dangerous for mail-in voting! Targeted mail-in voting sabotage. The postmark date is no longer a dependable date.
This is going to turn a reliable date of reference into a never-ending source of legal arguments.
Paying your insurance premium on time? Oops, it was postmarked after the due date, and your coverage lapsed. Mailed those mortgage documents? The USPS says they were postmarked days after you claim you dropped them off, so you violated your terms. It’s going to affect tax filings, and insurance, not just mail-in ballots. It’s all about creating the circumstances to invalidate votes! If you are mailing something critical, like a ballot or a tax return, go inside the post office and ask the postal employee to manually stamp it.
This is the whole point of this change.
The USPS, in a final rule, is clarifying that the postmark date doesn’t necessarily mean the date the USPS first took possession of the mail. This means that a customer could claim they mailed something earlier than the postmark date, and that can’t be disproven.
The real kicker is that laws and regulations using the postmark date to determine if something was submitted on time will still go by that marked date. If the mailing date is critical, people need to mail well in advance or request that manual postmark. What a “democracy” we have. It’s all about messing with mail-in ballots. Entire court systems rely on postmarking for proof of service. This is crazy.
The CFR (linked in the article) clarifies that the USPS has been handling mail in this way for quite some time, which is a surprise to me. I always assumed that the day I dropped a piece of mail, it would be postmarked on that day. My only real use of the postmark is for taxes, which I always get tracking against, which apparently forces a local postmark being applied.
The CFR also says that the new language in the DMM doesn’t change existing postal operations or postmarking practices. This is clarification rather than a change of policy.
It’s been suggested that this is about election manipulation. If you’re using mail-in ballots, you can no longer count on dropping them off the day of the election. This could be used to invalidate millions of ballots. This smells like voter suppression. That is entirely designed to mess with elections, isn’t it? Collect mail-in ballots, hold onto them until the deadline passes, and then mark and mail them, and then claim they’re void because they were mailed after the deadline? How about this, if at all possible, take your ballots to a ballot drop off, not the USPS.
This is a really bad idea, and that’s why they’re doing it.