Mail might not be postmarked until days after you send it, under new rules that could cause tax penalties, result in ballots not counted

By Miriam Raftery

December 30, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Don’t wait until the last minute to mail in a ballot, tax return or other important documents. A change in U.S. Postal Service regulations that took effect December 24 means that mail is no longer considered postmarked on the date that you drop it in a mailbox or at a post office counter. Instead, it won’t be postmarked until it’s processed by an automated USPS sorting machine, which could mean delays of several days.

Postmarks have long been the legal standard of proof to show when something was mailed, such as rental payments, filing of legal documents, tax returns, year-end charitable donations, and mail-in ballots.

So how can you be sure that important mailing deadlines are met? Here are some options:

• Go into a post office and ask for a manual, hand-stamped postmark.
• Send documents via certified mail.
• If you can’t go to a post office, send mail at least a week before the deadline.
• For ballots, drop off at a designated drop box, such as those at many libraries, or in California, deliver it a polling place or your local registrar of voters.

The Postal Service is also raising some prices effective January 18, 2026.  Though the price of a first-class stamp will remain at 78 cents for the first ounce and 29 cents for each additional ounce, some shipping rates will increase. 

Priority Mail pricing will rise by 6.6%, Priority Mail Express will increase 5.1%, USPS Ground Advantage will go up by 7.8%, and Parcel Select costs will be 6% higher.