New USPS Postmark System Prompts IRS, County Officials to Urge Early Tax Filing

(KNSI) – The U.S. Postal Service has implemented changes to how it postmarks mail, and it could affect taxpayers ahead of the filing deadline.

Under the new system, mail won’t receive a postmark on the day it’s dropped off at the post office. Instead, items will be postmarked when they first go through processing machines, which could be one to three days after initial drop-off.

Louise Chen, public affairs specialist for the IRS explains the “PVI, which is postal verification in print, is applied to a piece of mail by personnel at a USPS retail counter or window when postage has been paid to mail that item.” She noted this new verification method is equivalent to the traditional postmark for determining whether returns meet deadline requirements.

The IRS says taxes are considered as filed and paid in a timely manner if they are postmarked by April 15th, so for those who are cutting it close, they should go to the counter in person and ask for a PVI.

Stearns County Auditor-Treasurer Randy Schreifels says for property tax payments at the county level, the new PVI postmark system will work the same as the old one. “Your property tax payments go by postmarked date. So, you know, if we get them a day or two after, they’re still going to count. You won’t have any late fees on that,” Schreifels said.

Despite these assurances, both officials strongly recommend filing early to avoid any potential issues.

The 2025 tax filing season runs from now through April 15th.

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