Two area post offices open late for last-minute tax filers

CLEVELAND - The deadline for mailing federal tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service is Tuesday, April 17.

If you are mailing your tax return at the last minute, you likely won't find a mailbox open extra late this year.

There are only two local post offices open late on Tuesday. The Cleveland main post office on at 2400 Orange Ave. will be open until 10 p.m.

The other post office open past its normal time is the main Akron post office, located at 675 Wolf Ledges Parkway. It's open an extra hour, until 7 p.m. Most other post office branches close between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Post offices used to be open until midnight to accommodate last-minute filers, but now that more people file electronically, the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service can't afford to stay open late for procrastinators.

Customers who mail their returns on April 17 should check with their local post office or read the posted times on the collection box to make sure that their tax return will be collected and postmarked before the deadline. Also, any letters or packages weighing 13 ounces or more must be brought to a post office and handed to a postal clerk at the window.

The Internal Revenue Service will accept returns sent via Express Mail or Delivery Confirmation for those customers who would like verification that their return was delivered. The IRS accepts the postmark on the envelope as proof of timely filing.

For more information, visit www.usps.com .