A Crucial Tax Return Warning for Homeowners That Matters More Now Than Ever

Most homeowners think of tax filing as a separate task from their mortgage, but for anyone actively applying for a loan or refinancing, the two are more connected than many realize. Realtor.com published a timely warning in April 2026 about a change to USPS postmark rules that could affect paper filers in ways that have real financial consequences, particularly for those going through underwriting. Family Credit Management President and CEO Michael McAuliffe was among the experts quoted in the piece.

The issue stems from a December 2025 rule change under which USPS postmarks may now reflect when mail is processed at a facility rather than when it was dropped in a mailbox or handed to a carrier. For most tax filers, this is a nuisance. For someone in the middle of a mortgage application or refinance, it can be a much bigger problem.

Lenders typically require IRS tax transcripts as part of the underwriting process, and those transcripts can only be generated once a return has been received and processed by the IRS. McAuliffe's contribution to the piece was direct: if a return is not in the system, the transcript cannot be pulled, and that gap can slow underwriting, delay a closing, or create issues with a rate lock at a moment when timing matters most. His advice was to get ahead of it by communicating early with your lender if anything is missing or unclear, rather than waiting for the underwriter to surface the problem.

The article walks through the full range of potential consequences, from conditional approval suspense to rate lock expirations, and offers a practical checklist of steps to avoid them, starting with e-filing rather than mailing a paper return.

Read the full article at Realtor.com.