The tax day midnight madness is no more.

It was only last year that taxpayers would wait for the last minute to drop off their state and federal income tax forms by midnight on April 15 at the Arch Airport Post Office in Stockton.

As usual, lines of cars would circle the main facility at 3131 Arch Airport Road as procrastinators – at least a good number of them – would hand off their returns to postal workers while trying to beat the deadline. 

On Tuesday, April 15, will be business as usual at the main post office, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The post office drop-off box will be available but the last mail pickup is scheduled for 6 p.m. that day.

Most now file via Internet and electronic filing, in turn, ending a long-standing tradition for tax day procrastinators.

“We anticipated only 23 million tax filers doing paper filing,” said U.S. Postal Service spokesman Gus Ruiz.

The Internal Revenue Service is expected to receive an estimated 148 million in individual federal income tax returns nationwide for this year. Included will be about 23 million returns filed on paper or 8 percent fewer than that of the 25 million paper returns a year ago.

The post office hopes to get word out to as many people on the tax day change.

“They may be in for a shock if they pull up thinking there is going to be somebody out there to take their mail,” said Ruiz.

For more information, call the Arch Airport Road U.S. Post Office at 209.983.6422 or log on to www.usps.com.