Tuesday, April 17th, is the deadline to file federal taxes. The deadline is usually on the 15th, but this year that day fell on a Sunday, and April 16th, is Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. That meant two extra days to file.
Despite the extra time, post offices and tax-prep centers are expected to be busy.
Rebekah Heckman mailed in her taxes Monday.
"I didn’t actually know I had a few more days to do my taxes,” Heckman says. “So I was really thankful that I was able to get if off on time and have a few more days to get it done."
The post office expects to see many people mailing at the last minute, but not as many as years past. One reason, many people are filing their taxes electronically; 77% of taxpayers did last year according to the IRS. And this year, the post office won't be open any later than normal.
"In the past we have extended retail hours where we've collected that box at midnight but because of the two extra days that we have,” says Fayetteville Postmaster Jeremy Coffee. “The post office is trying to look for every opportunity to be efficient."
But many post offices still have options for those super procrastinators.
The post office lobby stays open 24/7 so you can still use this automated postal center to postmark your taxes by midnight.
You can also head to tax prep centers. At H&R Block in Fayetteville, tax professionals will help you file until 9 p.m.
"As long as we get it in in the office we'll send that signal to the IRS electronically,” says H&R Block Franchise Owner Craig McCollough. They'll show that it's been received and we'll make sure that we make the deadline."
And if you're just too late, tax centers can help you file an extension. But it's only an extension to file, not an extension to pay.
"That's a big misconception,” McCollough says. “If you're going to owe money to the IRS it's due by the tax filing deadline regardless if you file an extension or not."
If you are heading to the post office on Tuesday, the Postal Service says use first class postage, make sure you use enough postage, and of most important, give yourself enough time.