REGION: Tax procrastinators face deadline

Slowpokes have until midnight Tuesday to file or request an extension. This story has been corrected since its original posting

By ZACH FOX - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 16, 2008 12:22 PM PDT ∞

Procrastinators, be not ashamed. The annual annoyance known as tax day appears to have sneaked up on quite a few North County residents.

Liberty Tax Service in Escondido ordered pizza Monday to feed the deluge of late filers as they waited their turn to find out how much the government will take ---- or give back. The post office in downtown San Diego will keep its doors open until midnight Tuesday for those dawdlers who wish to hold on to their beloved W-2s as long as possible.

And the Internal Revenue Service's San Marcos office played host Monday to more than a dozen tax planning-challenged individuals who waited half an hour to get their forms.

At least Clara Castro of Oceanside learned her lesson ... she thinks.

"I hate being stuck in lines," she said. "Next year, I will do it online. But I might be here again."

Herds of people at tax service businesses and IRS offices are larger this year, officials say, as a federal economic stimulus package has apparently spurred more people to file their taxes.

The IRS has so far received about 9 percent more returns compared with the same time last year, said Raphael Tulino, spokesman for IRS' Southern California and Nevada regions.

Typically, tax returns increase by no more than 1 percent each year, he said.

Tulino said people must file 2007 taxes to be eligible for the stimulus package, a tax rebate of $600 for many single filers. Additional rebates are allotted for married couples and families.

Those who have not filed in the past might still be eligible for the stimulus package. However, if they owe back taxes, the rebate will be first applied to overdue taxes, Tulino said.

Post offices in downtown San Diego will be open until midnight. However, no North County libraries will be open past regular hours due to lack of demand last year as more taxpayers file online, a post office spokesman said.

If every hour of the day Tuesday is not enough, laggards need to submit a request for an extension, known as a 4868 form. Along with the request, these taxpayers must estimate how much they owe and provide a check for that amount, known as a "good-faith estimate," using last year's return as a guide. Failure to do so results in additional interest and penalties to the amount owed, typically 5 percent of the balance each month with a maximum penalty of 25 percent of the balance.

If a taxpayer expects a return, only the extension request is needed.

Tax forms and guidebooks can be secured at most local libraries. But because of either the surge in demand or a lack of supplies, some branches are out of certain forms.

As of Monday afternoon, Solana Beach library did not have any more federal tax forms of any kind and only had the 540A and 540EZ state forms. Libraries in Escondido and Cardiff no longer carry 1040 booklets though they still have forms available.

Agoraphobic procrastinators can take their time and file taxes in isolation at home, by using a function on IRS' website, www.irs.gov/efile. Those earning more than $54,000 a year need to pay for a software program.

"As long as you hit enter by midnight, you should be fine," Tulino said. "Although, you might want to hit it by 10 o'clock to make sure it goes through."

Contact staff writer Zach Fox at (760) 740-5412 or zfox@nctimes.com.

Correction: A front-page story inaccurately reported which post office would be open past regular hours for tax day. Only the downtown San Diego office was open until midnight. We apologize.