- Under USPS standards in effect since Dec. 24, 2025, a postmark date can be later than the day USPS first had possession of a letter.
- Certified Mail Labels is advising law firms to keep separate documentation of USPS acceptance for each certified notice.
- Full-service orders submitted by 5 p.m. Eastern Time are printed, inserted and accepted by USPS the same business day, with records kept searchable for 10 years.
Celebration, FL, Oct. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Under U.S. Postal Service standards that took effect Dec. 24, 2025, a postmark date "does not necessarily indicate the first day that the Postal Service had possession of the mailpiece."* Certified Mail Labels, which provides a Certified Mail service for law firms, is advising legal teams that mail deadline-sensitive notices, such as demand letters and eviction notices, to keep separate proof of the date USPS accepted each one for as long as the notice could be challenged.
The language now appears in Domestic Mail Manual section 608.11, "Postmarks and Postal Possession," which distinguishes the postmark date from the date USPS first takes possession of a mailpiece. Printed postage, including online labels and meter strips, shows the date the postage was printed, not when USPS accepted the mail.* The company covers how to evaluate a service in What Law Firms Should Compare in a Certified Mail Service When a Notice Could Be Challenged Years Later. USPS states that the clarification did not change existing postal operations or postmarking practices.
"For years, the postmark was the date everybody pointed to," said Gary Brown, President and CEO of Certified Mail Labels. "If a firm has a deadline, it should be able to show the acceptance receipt when USPS took possession of the letter, and that record has to be there when someone asks for it years from now. When a full-service notice or letter reaches us by 5 p.m. Eastern, we print it, insert it and transport it to the post office for USPS acceptance that same business day."
What USPS recognizes as proof of acceptance
USPS identifies documentation that can establish acceptance: a manual postmark applied at a retail counter, a Postage Validation Imprint label, a Certificate of Mailing, and the mailing receipt issued with Certified Mail or Registered Mail.* That documentation becomes important when a statute, court rule or contract ties a deadline to the mailing date, and counsel can determine which form a given notice requires.
Why the record has to outlast USPS tracking
USPS limits how long tracking history remains available online. Its Tracking Plus FAQ lists standard access periods of two years for signature items and 120 days for non-signature items. Firms should preserve their Certified Mail records rather than rely solely on continued access through USPS.com. Standard USPS tracking history can expire years before a notice is challenged in an audit or in court.
How Certified Mail Labels documents a certified notice
The company offers a full-service workflow, in which staff upload the document and recipient address and each order includes USPS acceptance confirmation and a notarized Affidavit of Mailing. Self-print customers take the letter to USPS themselves and keep the Certified Mail receipt issued at handoff, which USPS identifies as evidence of acceptance. Every Certified Mail mailing also includes an Electronic Delivery Confirmation report, a single PDF of the available USPS events including available acceptance, processing, attempted-delivery, delivery, and return events. Some items are never delivered.
A recipient signature record is available through the separately purchased USPS Return Receipt Electronic service. The company keeps Certified Mail tracking records searchable for 10 years, and staff can print reports or export the data.
Law firms can find details on the company's Certified Mail workflows and recordkeeping at certifiedmaillabels.com.
Certified Mail Labels is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Notice requirements vary by jurisdiction and document type.
About Certified Mail Labels
Certified Mail Labels and Send Certified Mail are services of Certified Mail Envelopes, Inc., helping businesses send USPS Certified Mail online and manage compliance mailing records. Customers can print USPS postage-paid Certified Mail labels from home or office, or upload PDFs for full-service printing and mailing.
Designed for legal, financial, property management, and other time-sensitive correspondence, our services expedite mail preparation, tracking, and record retrieval. Each mailing includes Electronic Delivery Confirmation, with available USPS acceptance, tracking, and delivery events stored in a searchable online archive for 10 years. Optional Return Receipt Electronic service provides a USPS delivery receipt with the recipient's signature.
High-volume mailers can submit batches through Excel or CSV without programming or integrate mailing workflows through our API and SFTP automation. There are no monthly subscription fees, software purchases, or contracts required.
Since 2006, our U.S.-based company has served more than 200,000 customers worldwide, helping organizations save time and money by reducing the administrative work of preparing, printing, mailing, storing, and retrieving important compliance records.
Majed Soufi Zen Media pr@zenmedia.com
