The old assumption that mail dropped in a blue box gets postmarked that day is gone.
Municipal clerks are posting notices all across websites and social media accounts telling taxpayers not to wait until the last minute to mail tax payments.
“Effective Dec. 24, 2025, the United States Postal Service is moving the postmark process from local application to regional sorting centers,” according to an alert on the Shawano County website.
The postmark on tax payments — and all other mail — could now be several days after you put your payment in the mailbox.
Christine Prey, clerk for the Town of Waukechon, elaborated.
“This means that postmarks are not made when your item is first touched by USPS, but is now stamped at regional sorting centers,” she wrote. “Your postmark could be several days after you put your payment in your mailbox. If you plan to pay your property taxes by mail, please don’t wait until right before the deadline to put it in the mail.”
If an envelope has a postmark date of Dec. 31, 2025, or earlier, taxes will be considered paid in 2025. If the postmark is Jan. 1, 2026, or later, taxes will be considered paid in 2026.
According to the USPS, to guarantee a postmark date, take mail to a post office counter and ask for a hand-stamp, especially for legal or tax filings where the postmark date is crucial for deadlines.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
