Major Post Office Change Will Affect Every Piece of Mail You Send

(KMDL-FM) The cost of doing business in almost every aspect of life has gone up or is going up. The services that you and I get via the United States Postal Service are no exception. They, too, have rates going that are rising, but this article isn't about that. It's about a service that many of us have relied on, often as a matter of legal proof, when using the U.S. Mail.

The United States Postal Service can be a confusing entity for those who haven't taken the time to really understand what they actually do. No, they are not your typical government department. The USPS is an independent establishment of the Executive Branch of the United States government.

READ MORE: New Postal Rate Increases Take Effect in January

It was created as a "self-funding" department that blends business operations and public duty. The USPS uses funds generated by mail sales to maintain its operational budget. But unlike a private enterprise, it is obligated to serve all segments of the country and all areas of the country, even those areas where mail service is not profitable.

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What Service Has Officially Changed at All United States Post Offices?

The "service" that is changing, or actually has changed as of Christmas Eve last year, involves that popular phrase that we all used to say before electronic funds transfers became a thing, perhaps you've uttered the phrase the check is in the mail."

Or if you're an old son of gun like me, you might remember going to the post office at midnight on Tax Filing Day to make sure your return was postmarked before the midnight deadline. Well, that's what is changing, the way your mail is postmarked.

READ MORE: Get a Package You Didn't Order? Why It Could Be a Scam

It used to be that when you dropped your mail off at the postal center, it was postmarked the day the deliveries were dropped off. The new USPS policy states that postmarks will be affixed to mail at the time the mail is processed through a facility.

This means if you have a legal document or important piece of mail that needs to be certified, and it was in the system by a certain date, you'll have to adjust to make sure you get the official stamp for the date you need from the Post Office.

How Do I Obtain a Manual Postmark From the Post Office Now?

Here's how you'd get a manual postmark, should you need one:

1. Bring the mail to a post office counter and request a manual postmark.
2. Purchase a Certificate of Mailing at the counter. The certificate provides a receipt showing what mail was tendered on that day, but does not provide tracking.
3. Send your item by registered or certified mail.
4. USPS recommends sending all mail several days before the deadline.

These tips are courtesy of Al.com

This policy change could affect contest entries, legal documents, mail-in ballots, and tax returns. It will also streamline one of the USPS's most daunting systems and will actually save the Postal Service money.

Which hopefully means they won't have to do any more rate increases this year. But as you noticed at the top of this article, there is already one of those in the works, and it takes effect next week.