Tax expert: Pay IRS on time or risk penalties

It's a day most everyone dreads, especially if they owe the government money they can't afford to pay.

Tax day.

While the deadline is two days later than normal this year, the anxiety of owing money is still enough to make people want to ignore the date altogether.

Don't, experts say.

Even people who owe money they can't afford to pay should file a tax return by midnight today to avoid owing even more in penalties.

"There's no problem owing the money; you're just charged interest," said College of Southern Nevada professor Jerry Lockhart, a certified public accountant. "If you did not file a tax return, you are going to get hit with a 5 percent penalty, plus the interest."

Taxpayers can file for an extension, but if they think they are going to owe the government money, it would need to be paid by the deadline for the extension on the return to be granted, Lockhart said. The form, if filed by mail, would need to be postmarked by midnight today just like a typical tax return.
Forms are available on the IRS website.

Ignoring the deadline is just one of several tax day temptations that could lead to bad consequences.

Others include the temptation to not report payments from unemployment insurance as income and to underreport income from tips, both of which are common in Las Vegas.

Fortunately for procrastinators, there are plenty of opportunities to file their returns at the last minute.

The main U.S. post office at 1001 E. Sunset Road will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight on deadline day to accommodate last-minute customers.

Also, there are several mailboxes around the valley where people can drop returns until 10 p.m. and still have them postmarked in time for the deadline.

They're in Las Vegas at Red Rock Vista, 2449 N. Tenaya Way; Spring Valley, 3375 S. Rainbow Blvd.; and Winterwood, 5070 Vegas Valley Drive; in North Las Vegas at Meadow Mesa, 4904 Camino Al Norte; and in Henderson at 404 S. Boulder Highway. 

And for those who want to have some fun with tax day, for the 10th consecutive year Post Office on Wheels clerks will be at the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef from noon to 8 p.m. to accommodate filers. People who mail from Mandalay Bay will get a voucher for free admission to the Shark Reef.