USPS makes changes that could affect sending time-sensitive documents
NEW YORK (CBS, KYMA) - If anyone is sending any time-sensitive documents by mail, a change at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could mean major adjustments for when they drop those in the mail.
Mailing time-sensitive documents? Well, time is now even more of the essence.
Days before the start of the new year, the USPS announced the date people drop mail in the mailbox may no longer be the date its officially processed and postmarked.
When asked how significant this is, Elena Patel, an economist who follows the USPS for the Brookings Institute, says, "I think its significant in a couple of ways…People who are mailing things very close to deadlines should be even more aware of it and maybe make changes to accommodate."
USPS posted on its website saying in part, "While we are not changing our postmarking practices, we have made adjustments to our transportation operations."
The shift could have a big impact on people who pay bills, vote, or file their taxes through the mail.
"Anything that's getting mailed to a government agency should be sent hand-stamped, registered mail, return receipt requested," said Nina Tross with the National Society of Tax Professionals (NSTP).
The NSTP is echoing the recommendation from the USPS: Mail documents a few days early, or go inside the Post Office and gets the date stamped at the counter, what's called a manual postmark.
The adjustment is part of the agency's 10-year plan to cut costs and restore profitability, concentrating processing-work in larger regional hubs with new high-speed sorting machinery, forging a future for a service shifted by technology.
"All postal operators are basically trying to re-imagine a business model that, for the last 250 years, has been, you know, pretty stable. It's only since 2007 that things have gone awry," Patel shared.
Experts say one concern is people with mobility issues or who in rural communities far from a Post Office may find it difficult to get to a physical location.
Separately, USPS raised the price to ship some packages starting earlier this month.
