Many post offices staying open late Monday for tardy taxpayers

<br>WASHINGTON (AP) _ Last-minute taxpayers will find hundreds of post offices open late Monday to accommodate their filings. <br><br>Tax returns must be postmarked by midnight April 15, and the Postal

Saturday, April 13th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Last-minute taxpayers will find hundreds of post offices open late Monday to accommodate their filings.

Tax returns must be postmarked by midnight April 15, and the Postal Service expects as many as 30 million tax forms to be mailed that day.

Many larger post offices will remain open until midnight.

Filers can check with local post offices to determine the nearest one staying open. They can call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go the post office Internet page at http://www.usps.com and click on post office locator to get the phone numbers of nearby offices.

The Postal Service offered the following advice to filers:

_Use first-class postage. The Internal Revenue Service accepts the postmark as proof that a return has been mailed on time.

_Use pre-addressed labels where possible. Take special care to ensure that handwritten envelopes are legible.

_Include a return address.

_Use enough postage. One ounce is 34 cents; each additional ounce up to 13 ounces costs an additional 23 cents. Tax agencies do not accept postage-due mail, and forms bearing insufficient postage will be returned. That means taxpayers might be penalized for filing late.