Overview
- The Postal Service adopted a final rule (FR Doc. 2025-20740) adding Section 608.11 to the Domestic Mail Manual to define postmarks and clarify what their dates represent.
- USPS states that machine-applied postmarks show the date of the first automated processing operation, not the day a customer dropped off the item.
- Under Regional Transportation Optimization, mail may be processed and postmarked a day or more after acceptance, and the absence of a postmark does not mean USPS lacked custody.
- For items with deadlines, USPS advises requesting a free manual local postmark at the counter, using a Postage Validation Imprint, or obtaining a Certificate of Mailing, with registered or certified mail as additional options.
- Reporting highlights implications for tax filings under IRC §7502, ballots, and year-end donations, and warns that self-service or online postage labels do not prove USPS acceptance on a given date.