US Postal Service announces changes to postmark policy

The U.S. Postal Service is changing the postmark process. For decades, the postmark was used to show when mail was accepted by the post office, but now the postmark will reflect the date an envelope is first processed by an automated sorting machine and not the drop-off date. This article advises customers to mail time sensitive mail pieces several days before a given deadline. Or go to a retail location and receive a postmark date that aligns with the date on which the postal service first accepted possession of their mail piece.

Click here for the full article published in the Federal Register. The official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices.

Click here to go to MSN NBC News, Today Show report on postmark policy change.