The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently released an updated rule change providing clarification on the timing and manner by which mail is officially postmarked.

The rule states that the manual stamping of a postmark is not done in the ordinary course of business for retail USPS locations. This means that if you place mail in a mailbox or at a post office location and do not request a manual postmark, then the piece of mail will not receive a postmark until it arrives at a USPS processing facility. Accordingly, the date on which the mail receives the postmark may differ from the date on which the mail was either picked up or dropped off at a USPS retail location.

At issue isn't a new compliance requirement, but an operational reality that may turn routine mailing processes into a potential source of risk.

Whether you prefer paper or paperless delivery, ADP^® has you covered. We support secure, compliant electronic delivery of pay statements, tax forms, and other employee communications. For paper mail, ADP uses a pre-sorted USPS bulk mail process, with the processing date serving as the postmark date.

If you would like assistance evaluating paperless options or understanding how electronic delivery could fit into your compliance and employee communication strategy, ADP can help.

Review the details and practical next steps here.