2015 Tax Deadline: Does Your Post Office Have Extended Hours?

Wednesday is April 15 - the 2015 tax filing deadline.

Because so many taxpayers now file electronically, the days of long lines and midnight closings are long gone. Most post offices will have regular retail business hours on Wednesday, George B. Flood, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service-Northeast Area said in an email.

But for taxpayers who have waited until the last day to file, here’s a list of nearby post offices with regular closing times beyond 5 p.m.:

6 p.m. closing time:

Kilmer Retail, 21 Kilmer Road, Edison

Iselin Retail, 240 Middlesex Turnpike, Iselin section of Woodbridge

7 p.m. closing time:

Monroe Township, 1601 Perrineville Road, Monroe

Hightstown, 150 Mercer Street, Hightstown

Parlin, 778 Washington Road, Parlin section of Sayreville

Woodbridge, 60 Main Street, Woodbridge

Colonia, 574 Inman Avenue, Colonia section of Woodbridge

Metuchen, 360 Main Street, Metuchen

In offices that close between 6 and 7 p.m., customers must present their mail to the window clerk who will apply the April 15 postmark, said Flood.

The closest post office open until midnight on April 15 in the New York Metropolitan Area is the James A. Farley Main Post Office at 421 8th Avenue in Manhattan, he said.

He also offered these tips to taxpayers who are mailing their returns:

• If depositing returns in a blue collection box on Wednesday, April 15, double-check the pick-up schedule on the label. To ensure getting the April 15th postmark, deposit returns before the last scheduled pick-up time.
• Affix the appropriate postage, especially since the item may weigh more than an ounce. The IRS will not pay postage due and your filings will be returned if there is insufficient postage. The cost of a one-ounce letter is $0.49 and $0.21 for each additional ounce.
• Be sure and include a return address on the envelope. Short-paid items without a return address will be sent to the postal mail recovery office for determination of the sender, delaying its return.
• The USPS highly recommends getting the security of proof of mailing and proof of delivery of your tax returns -- use certified mail service with a return receipt, plus the applicable postage.
• Tax forms are no longer available at Post Offices. Check online at http://www.irs.gov/ for federal forms, http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/prntgit.shtml for New Jersey State forms.