Key takeaways
- Say: “I’m mailing this today. Please give it a manual local postmark.” It is free.
- A drop box gets the date a processing facility first handles the letter, which can be later than the day you mailed it. Only the counter gives you today’s date.
- If you need paper to keep, buy a Certificate of Mailing or Certified Mail before you leave the counter. The postmark itself stays on the envelope.
To postmark a letter with today’s date, hand it to a clerk at a staffed Post Office counter during retail hours and ask for a manual (local) postmark. It is free.
A letter dropped in a collection box or lobby slot is postmarked when a processing facility first runs it through a machine, and that can be a later day. If you need a receipt to keep, ask for a Certificate of Mailing or Certified Mail before you leave the counter; which one depends on the recipient’s rule.
How to get a letter postmarked at the counter, step by step#
Step 1: Prepare your letter and check the requirements#
Seal the envelope and write the complete recipient address and your return address. Put the correct postage on it, or buy postage at the counter. If this letter has a deadline, read the recipient’s rule before you leave home. It may turn on the postmark date, on proof you mailed it, or on the day it arrives, and each needs a different service (see the comparison below).
Step 2: Visit a staffed USPS retail counter#
Check the location’s retail hours and bring the letter to the counter on the day you want it dated. An open lobby or a blue collection box is not a counter. A letter you drop in a slot gets no manual postmark, even if you were standing inside the Post Office.
Step 3: Ask for a manual (local) postmark#
Hand the letter over and say: “I’m mailing this today. Please give it a manual local postmark.”
Make the request as you hand the letter to the clerk. Can a postmark be backdated? No: the postmark shows the day the counter accepted the letter, and a clerk will not backdate it. If you are also buying postage, the label the clerk prints and applies (a PVI) carries the same acceptance date (DMM 608.11.4). USPS confirms the manual (local) postmark is free at the retail counter of every Post Office, station, or branch (DMM 608.11.2; USPS statement, January 2, 2026 (opens in new tab)).
Step 4: Obtain and keep the evidence you need#
The postmark leaves with the envelope; you keep nothing. If you need proof in your own hands, buy a Certificate of Mailing (PS Form 3817) or Certified Mail before the clerk finishes the transaction. A Certificate of Mailing is sold only at the time of mailing, so it cannot be added afterward. Before you walk away, check that the receipt names the recipient and carries the clerk’s round-date stamp, then file it with the document you mailed. If you chose Certified Mail, our guide to filling out the Certified Mail receipt shows what goes where.
Mailing a federal tax return by Certified Mail? If the clerk postmarks your Certified Mail receipt, the IRS treats that date as the postmark date (26 CFR 301.7502-1 (opens in new tab)), so ask for the stamp on the receipt, not just the envelope. Our guide to Certified Mail for IRS filings covers the rest.
When does a letter get postmarked, and why can a drop box cost you a day?#
A postmark is the mark USPS puts on your envelope showing where it was stamped and on what date. At a retail counter, a manual postmark shows the day the clerk accepted the letter. At a processing facility, it shows the day of the first automated processing run (DMM 608.11.1).
Most postmarks are applied by machines at a processing facility, not at your Post Office. Your letter has to be collected, trucked there, and run through a machine first, and USPS says that will not necessarily happen on the day you mailed it (USPS statement, January 2, 2026 (opens in new tab)).
So a letter dropped in a box on Monday can carry Tuesday’s postmark. For a Monday deadline, that is the difference between on time and late. If the date matters, use the counter.
Not every letter gets a postmark; USPS says it does not postmark all mail in the ordinary course of operations (DMM 608.11.3). A missing postmark does not mean USPS never had the letter, but it does mean the envelope cannot prove the date for you.
What changed in the USPS postmark rules on December 24, 2025?#
USPS wrote this down in a rule effective December 24, 2025, and added it to the Domestic Mail Manual in January 2026 as DMM 608.11, “Postmarks and Postal Possession” (opens in new tab). It did not change how postmarks are applied; it spelled out what a postmark date does and does not prove, and it names the manual (local) postmark as the way to get a date that matches the day you mailed.
Which record do you need: postmark, Certificate of Mailing or Certified Mail?#
What does “postmarked by” a date mean?#
Read the recipient’s rule and find the one word it turns on: postmarked, mailed, or received. “Postmarked by” a date means the postmark must show that date or an earlier one. A postmark alone satisfies this kind of rule. Proof you mailed it needs a receipt. Proof it arrived needs Certified Mail with a Return Receipt. The envelope’s date on its own satisfies only the first kind of rule.
For a federal tax return, the IRS counts it as filed on time if the envelope is properly addressed, has enough postage, and is postmarked and deposited in the mail on or before the due date (IRS Tax Topic 301 (opens in new tab)).
For a court document, property tax payment, or contractual notice, follow that recipient’s current instructions. Do not assume the federal tax rule applies. If the instructions are unclear, settle that question with the recipient or your adviser before you mail. For court filings, see what courts accept as Certified Mail evidence.
Choose based on the record you need. A postmark stays on the envelope; the other two services give you a receipt to keep.
What each option gives you
Feature | Postmark | Certificate of Mailing | Certified Mail |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Manual postmark: free | $2.45 + postage | $5.55 + postage |
Record you retain | None (the mark stays on the envelope) | Your postmarked PS Form 3817 (USPS keeps no copy) | USPS mailing receipt |
What the date shows | Counter: acceptance date. Box: first processing date | Date presented for mailing | Clerk’s round-date on your receipt (ask for it) |
Where you get it | Any Post Office retail counter, on request | Retail counter, only at the time of mailing | Retail counter (ask for a postmarked receipt), or attach the label yourself and mail it |
Delivery information | None | None | Delivery or attempt record, on request |
Copy of delivery record | None | None | Add a Return Receipt |
A Certificate of Mailing (PS Form 3817) is evidence that you handed the item to USPS on a date. It has no tracking and no delivery record, it is sold only at the retail counter at the time of mailing, and USPS keeps no copy, so if you lose the form USPS cannot replace it. Certified Mail gives you a mailing receipt and, on request, an electronic record that the letter was delivered or that delivery was attempted. If you need a copy of the delivery record, add a Return Receipt; you do not need one just to see the delivery or attempt status.
A receipt proves you mailed something on a date. It does not prove the contents, the right address, or that you met a rule that turns on arrival. USPS defines both services in DMM 503 (opens in new tab). For more, see our Certified Mail guide, the Certified Mail pricing breakdown, and Certified Mail alternatives, which covers the Certificate of Mailing in depth.
Proving your mailing date after the December 2025 change#
If a deadline turns on the day you mailed something, such as serving papers in a court case, the postmark may not show that day. Under the USPS rule described above, a postmark applied at a processing facility shows the day the letter was first run through a machine there, which can be later than the day you handed it over. Here is what USPS, the National Taxpayer Advocate, one state court system and the service rules say now.
| Source | What it says about the mailing date | Dated | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS final rule, 90 FR 52883 (DMM 608.11) | A processing-facility postmark shows the day of first automated processing, which may be later than the day USPS first accepted the letter. USPS scan data shows possession but is not evidence of that date. For a record of the acceptance date, USPS points to a Certificate of Mailing. | Effective Dec 24, 2025 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| USPS statement, “Postmarking Myths and Facts” | Transportation changes mean some mail won't reach a processing facility on the day it is mailed, so the postmark date may not match. For a matching date, ask for a free manual postmark at the counter; for proof of the date, buy a Certificate of Mailing. | Jan 2, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| National Taxpayer Advocate blog | Mail left in a blue collection box could be postmarked one to three days after it was dropped off. Near a tax deadline, file electronically or go to a counter for Certified Mail, Registered Mail or a clerk-printed postage label. A free manual postmark leaves you no document to keep. | Apr 8, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Wisconsin court system public notice | Service by mail is still complete on mailing (Wis. Stat. § 801.14(2)), but a party can no longer rely on the postmark date as proof of the mailing date. Its suggestions include a declaration of mailing, Certified or Registered Mail, a Certificate of Mailing or a manual postmark. | Updated Feb 27, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| California Code of Civil Procedure § 1013a(3) | When proof of mail service rests on a business's ordinary mailing practice, service is presumed invalid, on a motion by the party served, if the postal cancellation or postage meter date is more than one day after the deposit date stated in the affidavit. | In force since Jan 1, 1996 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Service-by-mail rules: FRCP 5(b)(2)(C), FRAP 25(c)(4), Ill. S. Ct. R. 12 | Federal civil and appellate service by mail is complete on mailing. In Illinois, the person who deposited the papers certifies the time and place of mailing and the complete address on the envelope (Rule 12(b)(5)); service is complete four days after mailing (Rule 12(c)). | Dec 1, 2025 (federal); May 29, 2026 (Illinois) | Oct 13, 2026 |
Federal, Illinois, California and Wisconsin examples only. Local rules, court orders and the wording of your deadline can change which date counts; read the rule that governs your filing. Source: Summaries of published rules and notices, not legal advice. Source links follow the table. Each source checked October 13, 2026. | |||
Sources, each checked October 13, 2026: USPS final rule, 90 FR 52883 (opens in new tab); DMM 608.11 (opens in new tab); USPS statement, January 2, 2026 (opens in new tab); National Taxpayer Advocate blog, April 8, 2026 (opens in new tab); Wisconsin court system notice, updated February 27, 2026 (opens in new tab); California Code of Civil Procedure § 1013a (opens in new tab); Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025 (opens in new tab); Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, December 1, 2025 (opens in new tab); Illinois Supreme Court Rules, current May 29, 2026 (opens in new tab).
What to keep is a record you make when you mail: one line per envelope with the date you handed it to USPS, how you know that date, and the proof that backs it. Illinois, for example, asks the person who mailed the papers to certify the time and place of mailing and the address on the envelope; the log has columns for the date, the place and the address. Download our free law firm mail log as a CSV (it opens in Excel or Google Sheets) or as a one-page printable PDF. It has 14 columns, from the matter and document to whether the certificate of service was filed.
For certificate of service wording and the extra days courts add for mail service, see our guide to the certificate of service by mail. For what Postmarkr does and doesn't do for law offices, see Postmarkr for law firms.
Does printed postage count as a USPS postmark?#
No. A meter strip, kiosk label, or online postage label shows only that you bought postage and the date it was printed. It does not show when USPS took the letter. The exception is the postage label a clerk prints and applies at the counter (a PVI): its date aligns with the day USPS accepted the letter, the same as a manual postmark (DMM 608.11.4; Postal Bulletin 22694 (opens in new tab)).
That postal distinction does not make metered mail automatically late for federal tax purposes. The IRS rules accept a postmark not made by USPS under specific conditions about its date and when the envelope arrives. Check those conditions rather than treating a printed date as accepted or rejected (26 CFR 301.7502-1 (opens in new tab)).
If the counter is closed or the deadline is today#
If the retail counter has closed, a letter you drop in a collection box or lobby slot is postmarked on the date a processing facility first runs it through a machine, and that may be later than today (DMM 608.11.3). Postage you print at a self-service kiosk, online, or on a meter shows when you bought postage, not when USPS accepted the letter (DMM 608.11.4). A Certificate of Mailing is sold only at the time of mailing, so it is not an option after the fact.
For a federal tax deadline, the IRS rule turns on the postmark and deposit date, so a next-day postmark is a real risk. Check the recipient’s rule rather than hope, and if a Post Office with a staffed counter is still open today, go there.
Is a manual postmark the same as hand canceling?#
Yes. “Hand cancel” is the everyday name for a postmark a clerk applies by hand at the counter. USPS uses the term itself when it describes moving away from hand-canceling every item at Post Offices (USPS statement, January 2, 2026), and DMM 608.11.2 says a postmark may be applied manually by a Postal Service employee at a retail unit when you present the letter and ask. Ask for a manual (local) postmark and you are asking for the same thing on your envelope.
Can an online mail service postmark a letter for you?#
No. If you upload a letter PDF to Postmarkr, we print it and hand it to USPS through our print partner; the time you placed the order is not a USPS postmark and is not proof that USPS accepted the letter.
What a Postmarkr record can and can't show
Each letter has a status page in your Postmarkr dashboard with mail-stream status and USPS scan updates when available. We email you when it's sent to print, and you can download a PDF of exactly what was printed for the file. That record isn't a Certificate of Mailing and doesn't show a USPS-confirmed mailing date; USPS says its scan data is not evidence of the date it first accepted a letter (DMM 608.11.6 (opens in new tab)). In a mail log, enter Postmarkr and the Payment ID from your receipt email under “Deposited by”.
For a letter whose postmark date matters, use the counter steps above and keep the receipt you need. For ordinary letters, you can see how Postmarkr’s printing and mailing service works.