12/30/2025
Just to clarify a matter regarding USPS and postmarks that people seem to be passing around the Internet: USPS did not actually CHANGE anything regarding its policies. Rather, USPS realized that it had never formally defined what a "postmark" actually is in what's known as the Federal Register. So it did. There was a whole process. I followed it and have an absurdly knowledgeable friend who actively participated in public comments.
Essentially USPS explained its mail processing protocols and why the date applied to a letter via mechanical postmark might not correspond with what you think it actually means. And it's something you should definitely be aware of, because the processes have been getting worse / stupider [especially with mail no longer being picked up after closing at post offices not located near regional processing centers, a new protocol USPS calls Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO)]. For millions of people the lag is increasing between the time you physically deposit mail into a collection box and the time that piece of mail gets mechanically processed / postmarked. Drop it off during the day on Friday at some rural post office? It could wait until the next week to actually get picked up. Ridiculous. And that sucks.
But that has nothing to do with this action specifically. I mean, deposit a letter late at night and you knew it wasn't getting postmarked before midnight, right? Again, things are definitely getting worse for many people. There is so much USPS could be doing better to communicate to the public the connection between blue box collection times and the entire process, especially in areas impacted by RTO.
Now, when it comes to important mailings like tax returns or mail-in voting, sure, you need to be aware of these matters—as always. But there is nothing nefarious going on here. Think of this new postmark definition as a little peek at USPS's decades-long process of degrading service in the name of cutting costs.
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