Idahoans Warned About USPS Postmark Update

You made your list. You checked it twice. And every package and card you sent through the United States Postal Service made it to a mailbox or post office before their shipping deadlines.

While you were focused on making the special people in your life smile during the holiday season, USPS quietly made a change that kicked in just as the holiday season wrapped up. Unlike past years, this change wasn’t a price hike or a change to how quickly your packages make it from Point A to Point B.

This time, the postal service made a major change to how postmarks work and it could become a problem for Idahoans mailing time sensitive documents like bills, tax returns or retail purchase returns.

For as long as we can remember, USPS stamped your items with a postmark showing the day that you put it in a mailbox or dropped it off at the post office. That’s how organizations like the IRS, other government agencies and even companies with strict return policies know that you met their deadlines.

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They switched to a new way of doing things on December 24, 2025. According to AARP, your mail will now be given a postmark showing the day that it was processed at a postal facility. That could be a few days after you actually mailed it.

USA Today explains that this puts Idahoans at risk of late fees or other penalties if they drop tax payments, rent checks, legal filings or other bills on their actual due date.

Is There Anyway Around The New Postmark System?

USPS customers are advised to leave several extra days to allow their mail to make it to processing, but life happens. Should you find yourself up against the April 15 tax deadline or some other deadline that carries the risk of a penalty, you can take your mail into a physical post office and ask for it to be stamped by hand with a “manual postmark.” Certified mail is another option.

If you live in the Boise-area, it’s worth noting that when it comes to Idaho state tax returns, the Idaho State Tax Commission offers curbside service for last minute filers at their Chinden campus on Tax Day. That allows you to sidestep USPS altogether. However, they do NOT collect federal returns through that service.

Could This Prevent My Absentee Ballot From Being Counted?

Some states will still count your ballot if it’s mailed ON Election Day. Idaho is NOT one of those states. Absentee ballots must be at your county elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day in Idaho. That's why the Secretary of State’s office usually issues a reminder to get them in the mail a few days early. For the May 2024 primary, that reminder advised voters to mail them no later than six days before Election Day.

Idahoans who need to return them at the last minute can do so at the elections office on Election Day or make sure that they’re in the official ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. No postage is required if you use an official drop box.