2019 Tax Day: Which North Shore Post Offices Are Open Late

Tax day is just about here. You have until April 15 to file your 2018 federal tax returns without incurring a penalty from the Internal Revenue Service. Unlike previous years, when local holidays have pushed out the date and given taxpayers a little extra time to file, the 2019 date falls squarely on April 15. That’s Monday.

Only Massachusetts and Maine residents get a little extra time. The deadline in those two states is April 17 as April 15 is Patriots’ Day in the two states and April 16 is Emancipation Day in Washington D.C.

Since the deadline is fast approaching, the IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file their returns for a number of reasons. The IRS says electronically filing tax returns is secure, convenient and means refunds — for those lucky enough — will be delivered faster. The agency also notes that the e-file service can be used whether you owe money or are owed a refund.

For those who prefer to file their tax returns the old fashioned way and mail it to the IRS, the return must be postmarked by the filing date deadline.

The federal tax return filing deadline is April 15 and the extension deadline is October 15.

Statistics from the IRS show that through the end of March, the IRS has received 1.4 percent less returns than the previous year. The New York Times reported that the IRS expects to receive more than 14.6 million extension requests in 2019.

Taxpayers can fill out IRS form 4868 to get an automatic extension of time to file their returns. However, the IRS cautions that an extension to file does not mean an extension of time to pay any taxes owed.

According to the United States Postal Service, taxpayers should check the IRS website for where to mail a tax return. The destination and return address should be written clearly on the package. The USPS also says to ensure the right amount of postage is used or the package will be returned.

Some post offices have extended hours on tax day and offer late postmarking, the USPS says.

Residents of Chicago's North Shore can find a list of post office locations nearby by searching on the USPS website and calling a local post office to find out the hours for tax day.

Here a few local post offices that stay open on weekdays past 5 p.m.:

Deerfield — 707 Osterman Ave. (open until 6 p.m.)
Evanston — 1101 Davis St. (open until 6 p.m.)
Evanston North — 1929 Central St. (open until 6 pm.)
Evanston South — 701 Main St. (open until 6 p.m.)
Glencoe — 336 Hazel Ave. (open until 5:15 p.m.)
Glenview — 1400 Patriot Blvd. (open until 6 p.m.)
Highland Park — 833 Central Ave. (open until 5:30 p.m.)
Morton Grove — 9114 Waukegan Road (open until 6 p.m.)
Niles — 6977 W. Oakton St. (open until 5:30 p.m.)
Northbrook — 2460 Dundee Road (open until 6 p.m.)
Northfield — 1787 Orchard Lane (open until 5:30 p.m.)
Skokie — 4950 Madison St. (open until 6 p.m.)
Wilmette — 1241 Central Ave. (open until 6 p.m.)
Winnetka — 512 Chestnut St. (open until 5:30 p.m.)

Find the USPS’ full guidance on mailing your tax returns