You can still meet tax filing deadline
Fear not, procrastinators.
There are plenty of late-night options for getting that all-important April 15 postmark before midnight.
But even on the last day, the postal service reminds filers, the earlier the better.
"We always welcome people to come in and we're glad to serve them," said Tim Ratliff, postal service spokesman for northern Illinois. "At the same time … we encourage people not to wait until the last minute."
Many post offices will collect and postmark tax returns from outside drop boxes at midnight.
Many also have Automated Postal Center machines that are accessible 24 hours a day where you can weigh your return, buy postage and get your postmark. Keep your receipt if in case there's any discrepancy later.
But if you want the extra security of having a live postal worker cancel-stamp your tax returns, as Ratliff noted many people do for peace of mind, you'll have to get there while the post office is still open.
Just be prepared to wait in line. And first you've got to get those taxes done.
Beating the clock: Where you mail your taxes before midnight
Post offices postmarking returns dropped in outdoor boxes before midnight:
• Aurora - Fox Valley
• Buffalo Grove
• Des Plaines
• Fox Lake
• Geneva
• Glen Ellyn - downtown, DuPage Boulevard
• Hoffman Estates
• Lake Villa
• Lombard
• Naperville - Ogden Avenue, Washington Street
• North Aurora
• Schaumburg - Schaumburg Road
• Villa Park
Post offices with 24-hour Automated Postal Centers:
• Algonquin
• Arlington Heights
• Aurora - Fox Valley
• Bloomingdale
• Buffalo Grove
• Carol Stream
• Cary
• Elgin - west side
• Elk Grove Village
• Glen Ellyn - DuPage Boulevard
• Gurnee
• Hoffman Estates
• Itasca
• Lake Zurich
• Lisle
• McHenry
• Mount Prospect
• Naperville - Ogden Avenue, Book Road
• North Aurora
• Oak Brook
• Palatine
• Prospect Heights
• Roselle
• Round Lake
• Schaumburg - Schaumburg Road, Woodfield
• Streamwood
• Vernon Hills
• Villa Park
• Warrenville
• Wheaton - downtown, Danada
Many post offices have regular hours until 7 p.m. Tuesday. For more information on hours, call (800) 275-8777.