Drop-off spots make filing less taxing

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Procrastinators take heart. The U.S. Postal Service is again providing curbside service at two locations until 10 p.m. tomorrow so you can wait almost until the last minute to mail your federal tax returns.

Curbside service will be available at the main post office next to Honolulu International Airport and at the downtown station on Richards Street.

But the postal service is recommending you head downtown rather than the airport because of heightened security concerns. If you do choose the airport drop-off, use the Nimitz Highway access to Aolele Street and avoid using the freeway off-ramps, the postal service says.

Now, if you want to procrastinate just a little longer, those two locations will accept mail in special, marked collection boxes. Similar collection boxes will be available at 25 other postal service stations statewide.

All mail dropped off by midnight will bear an April 15 postmark.

Postal workers this year will not sell stamps at curbside, however, and all packages should already have sufficient postage.

Last-minute filing has proven to be an annual event for thousands.

"Last year, we collected 63,000 tax mailings on April 15," said Honolulu District Manager Ed Broglio.

The deadline for filing state income tax is April 21 this year.

There are no extended postal service hours for late state filers.

Tax returns deposited by midnight tomorrow in specially marked collection boxes at the following postal stations will receive an April 15 postmark:

Airport (curbside service until 10 p.m.)
Downtown (curbside service until 10 p.m.)
Hawai'i Kai
Kapalama
Makiki
Waikiki
Wai'alae Kahala
'Ewa Beach
Hale'iwa
Kane'ohe
Kailua
La'ie
Mililani
Wahiawa
Waipahu