One year I put my check to pay taxes in one of the USPS blue boxes outside the USPO on April 14th. It got postmarked MAY 12th! Took me a year to get the late fee dropped by IRS.
When we lived out west, we dropped off a money order in a stand-alone mailbox. Someone stole from the mailbox and took our money order to a check cashing shop. Property crime in this region is not unusual. The incredible thing is I saw the tampered money order. The forger made a botched job of overwriting/washing out the original names on the money order. This was 1998. We found out about the theft after a while when we were contacted by the party to the money order was supposed to go to asking where the payment was. Traced the money order to the check cashing place. I think the money order was covered minus some deductible. I remember the check cashing place calling us back probably ticked off they had to forfeit the cash they paid out to the forger after the money order was reported a fraud case.
So, we pay our bills electronically mostly now with occasional mailing of a check maybe once a year. We drop it off directly in the post office lobby mail bin. Our post office lobby is open 24 hours for mailbox access. A very much smaller town I live compared to where I lived in 1998.
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I owe the IRS money every year and I send in my returns Certified. The Federal Government is totally incompetent and I want proof that things are submitted.
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When I write and send a rare check I do what you do. I walk into the PO and put it in the lobby slot. I’ve heard too many stories about the outside blue boxes.
On tax checks, I take the check the counter and have it hand stamped wit the date.
attn: butler, branchkin -I always mail tax checks at the post ofice, more to be able to prove compliance with mandatory dates than theft fear. Been doing this since 1971 when self-employment mandated quarterly filing of both Federal & State. The P.O. offers a “Certificate of Mailing” for about $10 that proves the mailing to the address of the item at a lower price than certified mail, thereby giving you a government document proving that you mailed something to the taxing authority on tht date.
Yep, I am familiar with the Certificate of Mailing and where I am that’s a cheaper option than Certified Mail. I use that service on the rare occurrences when I have to serve my tenants with any late payment notifications. I still prefer Certified for my tax returns because it shows proof of delivery instead of just proof of mailing…
I understand your point but believe it unnecessary. My tax attorney told me long ago that delivery to the P.O. IS delivery to the IRS, therefore proof of mailing is all that is needed. What happens after it is proven to be in their hands is immaterial. You can safely save yourself a few bucks. Enjoy…
I don’t even use the blue drop boxes that are in front of the post office. I walk into the lobby and deposit mail into the designated locations.
Years ago, there were several cases of people setting fire to blue drop boxes. Everything inside would be lost.
Except for blue boxes outside the main post office here, the only other one I know of is outside Costco. I’m sure that there are quality cameras outside the store.