Help Still Available for Last Minute Filers

WASHINGTON - Another filing season is almost over and about 78 million taxpayers have filed their federal tax returns and 52 million have already received their refund.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, approximately 25 percent of the taxpayers file their returns each year during the last week of the tax season. If you're hurrying to complete your federal tax return by midnight, April 15, there is still last-minute help available from IRS.

Many IRS offices are extending their walk-in office hours and the hours for telephone assistance. For details on IRS tax help hours in your area, call 1-800-829-1040, or your local IRS office.

"We're very proud of our assistors and the work they have done this year," said IRS Commissioner Shirley D. Peterson. "We've had a very good filing season this year and the quality of our service continues to improve."

If you don't need to talk to an assistor, you can call the Tele-Tax system. Tele-Tax is the IRS telephone service that provides recorded tax information year-round. Your can listen to tax information on about 140 topics such as filing requirements, dependents, itemized deductions, tax credits and much more. The toll-free Tele-Tax number is 1-800-829-4477. Instructions for using Tele-Tax can be found in your tax package.

It's easy to make mistakes on your return when you're trying to complete it at the last minute. Here are a few tips to help you complete that return correctly.

• When you've completed your return, put it aside for awhile, then go back and review the return. Make sure you've correctly entered all the required information: social security numbers, signatures, date and tax amounts. Check your math and make sure the correct amounts are on the proper lines.

• When you're ready to mail the return, apply the label from your tax package, use the bar-coded envelope, apply the correct amount of postage and make sure the envelope is postmarked midnight, April 15. Use of the pre-addressed label and bar-coded envelope has no affect on the way returns are selected for audit. This does, however, speed up the processing of your return. Check with your local post office as many extend their hours on April 15 to help taxpayers meet the deadline.

• If you find that you cannot complete your return on time, file for a four-month extension on Form 4868, Extension of Time to File. Remember, Form 4868 is an extension of time to file -- NOT an extension of time to pay! Estimate the tax you owe and include payment with the extension.

• Don't make the mistake of not filing your return if you can't pay the tax due. File the return and pay as much as you can when you file. When you receive a bill for the balance, contact IRS immediately and make arrangements for payment. Failure to file carries a penalty of five percent per month on the unpaid balance, with a maximum penalty of twenty-five percent.

As of April 10, refunds worth over $50 billion have been processed. The average refund of $975 is up almost 8 percent over last year.

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