Bell finally tolls for income tax procrastinators

Rocky Mountain News

Monday, April 17, 2006

That extra weekend for tax return preparation is over for all of you procrastinators, and now it's time to file those returns.

Area residents will have a choice of post offices with 10 p.m. or midnight collection hours today, with some also offering late customer services.

Al DeSarro, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Denver, said the last-minute rush to the post office has declined in recent years because of the large number of people taking advantage of e-filing over the Internet. According to the IRS, only 47 percent of Americans will mail in their returns this year.

Still, for those who do, it pays to be careful.

"The biggest mistake people make is not including enough postage if they have extra forms," DeSarro said.

He said the general rule of thumb is that a 39-cent stamp will suffice for up to four pages. An extra 24 cents of postage is required for each additional ounce. Some post offices have weight scales. There are also some automated postal centers.

The main Denver post office at 20th and Curtis streets is usually the busiest. Counter service will be open until 7 p.m., with mail collection until midnight. The Denver General Mail facility at 7500 E. 53rd Place will be open its customary 24 hours with collection until midnight.

In the suburbs, the main Aurora post office at 16890 E. Alameda Parkway will offer customer service until midnight, as will the Littleton Highlands Ranch Post Office at 9609 S. University Blvd.

To find out about other late mail collection sites, call the postal customer line at 1-800- ASK-USPS .