SALT LAKE CITY — As we count down the final hours of 2025, many of us are looking ahead to the changes the new year will bring.
But there is a major shift at the U.S. Post Office that could cost you money if you aren't careful.
For decades, we've relied on the "postmark" to prove we paid a bill or mailed a ballot on time, but now, the rules are changing.
The date on your envelope may no longer be the date you actually dropped it in the mail.
This all started with concerns that FOX 13 News viewers emailed in about why "mailing it today" might not be enough.
Nancy from Saratoga Springs wrote to us, saying in part: "People can't depend on dropping off anymore in blue boxes and expect the date you dropped off will be the time stamp."
I wanted to bring Nancy and all other concerned viewers information on this latest change.
Under the USPS Final Rule on Postmarks and Postal Possession, most postmarks are now applied at large processing plants and show the date mail is first processed, not necessarily when the Post Office accepted it from you.
With new transportation schedules called Regional Transportation Optimization, your letter might sit for a day before receiving that familiar round black stamp, even if you dropped it off on time.
That can be especially tricky when someone is trying to pay bills on time. It's estimated that around 7% of Americans still pay bills with checks, but in some places, that number might be much higher.
When I reached out to the largest utility in Utah, Rocky Mountain Power, a representative couldn't give me a direct answer on their policy, just that details would be on their website. When checking, they still accept mailed-in forms of payment.
When asked about what customers should do, I was told that they should reach out directly to Rocky Mountain Power's 24/7 customer service for specific questions about their bills.
This is probably best practice if you still pay your bill by mail — to check with each utility, whether it's sewage, trash, gas or water.
The next place many people across the country are seeing impacts is with their ballots, but here in Utah, thanks to a recent law change, it won't impact us much at all.
"That bill changed us from being a postmarked state that is no longer law of the land. We now need to have ballots in hand," said Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman.
Chapman walked me through the change that already impacted mail-in voting.
"USPS changing what their postmark means is pretty benign, pretty irrelevant when it comes to election administration," Chapman said.
But if you do wait until election day, instead of putting it in the blue USPS boxes, put your ballots in an election dropbox.
"From the day that you receive it until 8:00 p.m. on election night," Chapman said.
Finally, with tomorrow being the new year, it starts tax season, and postmarks do matter for taxes.
The National Society of Tax Professionals put out a statement that says in part: "This change in USPS processes will have a potentially significant impact on tax filings. IRC §7502 specifically relies upon the postmark date applied to an envelope to determine timely filing if the document is not physically delivered to the IRS office by the due date for such document."
Filing a late return is a penalty of 5% of the tax due for each month or partial month the return is late, capping out at 25%.
For documents with hard deadlines, the Postal Service recommends bringing items to a Post Office counter and requesting a manual local postmark. This service is free and will always show the date you handed over your mail.
The Postal Service also suggests mailing items at least a week before deadlines and purchasing a Certificate of Mailing for proof of submission when necessary.
The change doesn't affect how the Postal Service handles mail but aims to help customers understand what postmarks mean so they can plan accordingly for important deadlines.
