2015 Tax Deadline: Does Your Post Office Have Extended Hours?

April 15 is not just any Wednesday -- it is the 2015 deadline to file your taxes without penalty.

Taxes must be postmarked April 15 to file without penalty. The long lines of taxpayers waiting into the night on tax deadline day are becoming things of the past, as more and more people are filing their taxes electronically. As a result, most post offices will have regular retail business hours on Wednesday, George B. Flood, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service-Northeast Area said in an email.

The West Orange post office will not be operating with extended hours on tax deadline day.

In Essex County, the latest a post office is open is 7 p.m., with the last collection at 5 p.m. The Newark Post Office, 2 Federal Square, will be open beyond 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, for those tax procrastinators.

The Newark Post Office is located at:

2 Federal Square
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-5231
Open until 7 p.m., last collection at 5 p.m.

But if you’re running late, here are a few quick tips to help:

• Click here for mailing tips and hours of operation for your local branch.
• Click here for form 4868, used for automatic extensions.
• Click here for electronic filing options.

Here are some tax filing tips:

• If depositing returns in a blue collection box on Wednesday, April 15, double-check the pick-up schedule on the label. To ensure getting the April 15 postmark, deposit returns before the last scheduled pick-up time.
• Affix the appropriate postage, especially since the item may weigh more than an ounce. The IRS will not pay postage due and your filings will be returned if there is insufficient postage. The cost of a one-ounce letter is $0.49 and $0.21 for each additional ounce.
• Be sure and include a return address on the envelope. Short-paid items without a return address will be sent to the postal mail recovery office for determination of the sender, delaying its return.
• The USPS highly recommends getting the security of proof of mailing and proof of delivery of your tax returns - use certified mail service with a return receipt, plus the applicable postage.
• Tax forms are no longer available at Post Offices. Check online athttp://www.irs.gov/ for federal forms, http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/prntgit.shtml for New Jersey State forms.