A big change to the US Postal Service (USPS) begins this month.

According to the USPS, new procedures have been implemented that changes up how the postmark date is decided. This means that the postmark date now shows when an item is first processed at a regional facility instead of showing the date it was accepted or dropped off at a local post office. Mail-in ballots, IRS and tax filings, and payments or legal papers are all items that can be negatively affected by this change. There are a few ways to work around this though, as the USPS suggests asking for a manual postmark, purchase of a proof of mailing, checking collection times, and mailing items early.