The U.S. Postal Service said some mail might no longer receive a same-day postmark, the result of cost cuts to its transportation operations that may delay the arrival of posted letters at its processing facilities.

The change could prove a stumbling block for people who need to ensure that mail such as bill payments, taxes or voting ballots are postmarked by specific dates. For instance, state and federal quarterly estimated taxes typically must be postmarked by January 15, April 15, June 15 and September 15 to avoid late fees.

The change is part of the postal agency’s 10-year plan to reduce costs and restore profitability. USPS’ loss narrowed slightly in its most recent fiscal year, shrinking from $9.5 billion in 2024 to $9 billion last year, but it continues to struggle with high costs and dwindling mail volumes. 

“[W]e have made adjustments to our transportation operations that will result in some mailpieces not arriving at our originating processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed,” the USPS said in a Jan. 2 post on its site. 

The agency’s 10-year reorganization plan includes an overhaul of its regional transportation system, reducing the number of USPS vehicle trips for transporting mail from post offices to processing plants, where mail is postmarked, sorted and routed.

That means postmarks applied at the USPS’s processing facilities “will not necessarily match the date on which the customer’s mailpiece was collected by a letter carrier or dropped off at a retail location,” the agency said.

How to ensure a same-day postmark

People who want to ensure their mail is postmarked with a specific date should ask USPS clerks at a branch counter to manually place a postmark on the letter or package, a USPS spokeswoman told CBS News. 

“The Postal Service also offers certified mail or registered mail service at the Post Office retail counter for purchase. If a mailer purchases these services, the mailer will get a receipt that includes tracking information,” she added. 

While the public, government agencies and businesses have long relied on postmarks to determine when mail was posted, the USPS said in its Jan. 2 post that the postmark “is not and has not been a service that the Postal Service has provided to the public for such purposes.”

Instead, the postmark was used for USPS’ internal operations, such as canceling postage, the agency said.