Tax filing deadline pushed back three days this year
So you’re in the mood for a Slurpee and you want to pay your taxes, too?
This is the year to do both. A D.C. holiday has pushed back the April 15 deadline to file income taxes until Monday, and taxpayers can walk into their neighborhood 7-Eleven to make their payment for the first time.
Those are two of the nuances during this year’s season in which more than 1.3 million Nevadans will file taxes. Of the 149 million people expected to file returns nationwide, about one-third will do so during April, said Raphael Tulino, IRS media relations officer for California and Nevada.
Friday’s holiday is Emancipation Day. It went into effect in D.C. a decade ago and by federal law since the tax filing deadline moves to a Saturday in D.C. that pushes it until the following Monday, Tulino said.
That’s welcome news for procrastinators along with those who want to reap the benefits of paying their taxes now with cash when they fill up at the pump or get coffee at their neighborhood 7-Eleven. Anyone who wants that option can go to the IRS.gov payment’s page and select the cash option. They will receive an email confirming their information and a link to the payment code and instructions, Tulino said.
People can print the payment code or send it to their smart phone along with the list of closest 7-Eleven stores, Tulino said. The store gives a receipt and the payment posts within two business days. There’s a $1,000 payment limit per day and $3.99 fee per payment.
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IRS officials said they’re just trying to give people more options to pay other than direct debit, check or credit card. This provides a new way for people who can only pay their taxes in cash without having to travel to an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center,” according to the IRS.
“We are always looking for ways to provide convenient solutions to our customers,” said Jack Stout, 7-Eleven’s vice president of merchandising.
With the new payment system, the IRS reminds taxpayers to watch out for email schemes, Tulino said. People will only receive an email if they’ve initiated the payment process.
“There are so many variations on a theme with phone scams, IRS impersonations, and phishing where people act like the IRS in an email,” Tulino said. “Under no circumstances does the IRS initiate contact via email or phone and ask for personal information or call threatening arrest, filing a lawsuit or demand to pay taxes. They are using the IRS as a lure to get you to comply.”
Those who need more time to complete their returns should submit their requests for an automatic extension electronically or by paper on form 4868 by Monday, Tulino said. Some 121,000 people in Nevada are expected to see an extension for the 2015 tax year, about 5,000 more than a year ago, he said.
“If you can’t get it done, you don’t want to file an inaccurate return,” Tulino said. “You don’t want to forget a tax deduction or credit that you file for and you don’t want to omit something that should have been on the return so you don’t get a response from the IRS.”
Some 90 percent of taxpayer returns are e-filed and most use direct deposit for their refunds, Tulino said. People want to take advantage of the technology and not use forms and paper, he said. That speeds up the payment, which is now around 21 days or less in 90 percent of the cases, Tulino said.
“I see on social media people are asking why it isn’t faster and why it’s taking longer,” Tulino said. “The answer is we’re trying to strike a balance in getting refunds out to taxpayers as quickly as we can and at the same time preventing fraudulent funds from going out to door to begin with. We have lots of detectors, filters and screens.”
Those who file paperwork can expect a payment closer to six weeks because of the large number of filings taking place in April, Tulino said. It can take as few as four weeks in other cases.
Sixty percent of people use tax professionals to file their returns, Tulino said. For those who don’t, they can find information on the IRS site before they call or go to an office.
