BILLINGS — A recent change to United States Postal Service postmarking procedures could impact when mail is officially considered sent, potentially affecting everything from bill payments to ballot counting.
The change, which took effect December 24, 2025, means an envelope won't receive a postmark date until it reaches a USPS processing facility, which could be days after being dropped in the mail, especially for rural Montana residents.
Watch Yellowstone County officials discuss the changes:
"If the postmark is past the due date, then unfortunately, we have to go by that postmark as when it was mailed," said Yellowstone County Treasurer Hank Peters.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, in 2024 an estimated 7% of Americans paid bills with checks, and many file taxes the same way.
Peters said his office receives plenty of payments through the mail.
"It seemed like we had more mail-in payments this November than most," Peters said.
If a mailed-in payment is past due, late fees will be applied.
"They would be facing penalty and interest," Peters said. "When half of property taxes goes delinquent, there's a 2% of that amount that was due is applied immediately as a penalty. And then that half also accrues interest. It accrues interest daily at a rate that's set in statute, which is effectively 10% APR (annual percentage rate)."
In Montana, ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on election day, so a postmark doesn't necessarily apply when election officials go to the post office on election day to gather remaining ballots.
"Whatever date is on the envelope is the date that we utilize for receiving ballots in," said Yellowstone County Election Administrator Dayna Causby.
In the 2024 primary election, just over 38,000 ballots were received by mail in Yellowstone County, compared to 16,000 received in person.
"It's definitely going to impact elections across the country. Like I said, many states utilize that postmark for the ability to be able to count a ballot or not count a ballot," Causby said.
Causby also said the change will affect many of the notices that the elections offices sends out, including ones with deadlines to respond, military and overseas voters and voter registrations sent through the mail close to the closing of regular registration.
USPS declined an interview with MTN News, but did provide a statement.
"The DMM (Domestic Mail Manual) addition defines postmarks, identifies the types of Postal Service markings that qualify as postmarks, and describes the circumstances under which those markings are applied. It also advises customers of how to obtain evidence of the date on which the Postal Service accepts possession of their mailings. It does not signal a change in postmarking procedures with regard to how or what we postmark but is instead intended to improve public understanding of the information postmarks convey, when in the course of operations they are typically applied, and their relationship to the date of mailing," Janella Herron, a USPS spokesperson, said in the statement.
If you need mail postmarked with a specific date, take it to the counter of your local post office and request a manual postmark.
"To make sure your vote is counted, make sure you mail that ballot in at least a week before election day. And if you're worried at all about your ballot getting back bring it into the office," Causby said.
