Iowa State students and Ames residents are getting ready to send in their federal tax forms today, and the Ames Post Office is trying to accommodate the hectic nature of the day.

Postmaster Dave Massarini said the post office will be extending its hours until midnight to allow people to have a proper postmark for their tax returns.

“We do it both for the federal tax date, April 15 and the state tax deadline, May 30,” he said. “We want to enable our postal customers to mail their returns and receive a proper postmark.”

Massarini said to make things easier, there will be a 24-hour postal unit set up in the lobby of the main post office, located at 525 Kellogg Ave.

“Someone can bring in their tax return, weigh it up, purchase the postage and mail it,” he said, adding that there are four collection units at the main post office. “We will collect those at midnight and cancel the mail.”

Massarini said the extension of post office hours is done annually to help the last-minute customers.

“It will be very busy [today], especially during the evenings when people are still mailing their returns that they figured themselves or had a tax preparer do for them,” he said.

However, Massarini said actual window hours will not be extended.

“Actual window hours are still 8 [a.m. to] 4:30 [p.m.],” he said. “But in the main office lobby, we have a self-service postal unit, which is open 24 hours a day and has everything you need. You can also mail regular mail as well as the tax returns.”

However, Bob Mason, supervisor of customer services, said office employees will adjust to meet customers’ needs.

“Even though window hours are not extended, if we develop a line of people that come in late, we will have the windows open until we are done with the days business,” he said. “We won’t turn anyone away.”

Mason said he expects everything to go according to schedule.

“I think it will go smooth,” he said. “I think [customers] will understand that we might develop a few lines during the day because it’s a busy time of the season.”