New General Services Administration Mileage Rate Effective January 1, 2026

(This article appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)

Effective January 2026, the IRS mileage rate increased to 72.5 cents per mile, which the General Services Administration (GSA) has adopted for privately owned vehicles used in official business. It is important to ensure that officers and members are compensated at the correct rate. In order to receive reimbursement for mileage, it is required to provide supporting documents that include the name, dates of travel, locations traveled to and from, number of miles driven, and business purpose for each trip where reimbursement is requested. Local and state treasurers should ensure reimbursement is submitted using the mileage log form and a copy of Google Maps or MapQuest as additional verification for the mileage submission. The mileage log form can be obtained on the Secretary-Treasurer’s page at apwu.org.

Electronically File Your LM Report on or Before March 31, 2026!

Save the Dates! March 31, 2026, is the deadline to electronically fi le Department of Labor (DOL) Labor-Management (LM) reports, and May 15, 2026, is the deadline to electronically file IRS 990 reports if your fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Save the Date! Secretary-Treasurer’s Training April 7-9, 2026, in Atlanta, GA.

The three-day conference will provide vital training to new local officers, especially presidents and secretary-treasurers. Registration for Fiduciary Responsibility, Refresher QuickBooks, and Beginners Quick-Books training is available between April 7-9. Plan to arrive on April 6 and depart on April 10.

• Fiduciary Responsibility training will cover Department of Labor requirements, national constitution requirements, legal responsibilities, planning, setting goals, establishing local policies and procedures, maintaining union bank accounts and credit cards, budgeting, record keeping, DOL and IRS audits, travel and business expenses, and insurance.
• Refresher QuickBooks training will cover an overview of QuickBooks, charts of accounts, writing checks, bank deposits, bank reconciliations, payroll review and information, budgets, treasurer’s and financial reports. It is important to note that participants must have taken Beginners Quick-Books training before registering for Refresher QuickBooks training.
• Beginners QuickBooks training will cover an overview of QuickBooks, charts of accounts, writing checks, bank deposits, bank reconciliations, and treasurer’s and financial reports.

2026 APWU Scholarship Application Deadline: May 31, 2026!

The 2026 scholarship deadline for the E.C Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship, Vocational Scholarship, and Best Essay Award is May 31, 2026. The APWU Scholarship Program is one of the great benefits of being an APWU member. The E.C. Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship awards 10 recipients $2,000 annually for four years to use towards an undergraduate program. Five Vocational Scholarship winners receive up to $3,000 to be used for three years of study in a specific trade, technical, industrial, or vocational school. One “Best Essay” winner is selected from the applicant pool to receive a one-time $2,000 award for their four-year college tuition. The 2026 APWU Scholarship applications are accessible on the Secretary-Treasurer’s page on apwu.org.