Hollister
– The deadline for filing your taxes is only days away, but you
wouldn’t know it by visiting the Hollister post office Wednesday.
Where were the crowds of stressed and frazzled taxpayers?
Hollister – The deadline for filing your taxes is only days away, but you wouldn’t know it by visiting the Hollister post office Wednesday. Where were the crowds of stressed and frazzled taxpayers?
Vivian Austin, who was mailing her tax forms on Wednesday, said finishing her taxes just a few days before the deadline didn’t bother her too much.
“I don’t really worry about it, except people keep saying, ‘Your taxes are due, your taxes are due,'” Austin said.
U.S. Postal Service customer service supervisor Leonard Chapman said the rush hasn’t hit yet, but it’s coming soon. Chapman expects long lines of last-minute taxpayers starting on Friday.
Those procrastinators are going to get an extra two days to file their taxes this year. That’s because April 15, the traditional tax deadline day, falls on a Sunday, and the day after is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in Washington, D.C.
Bette Grace of Grace and Associates said some locals are reveling in that extra time.
“People do seem to be coming in later than usual,” Grace said. “There’s been a bigger surge toward the end. They seem to think, ‘Oh, I have extra time.'”
Delaying your taxes for too long is probably a bad idea, Grace said, because two days isn’t really a lot of extra time.
Yvonne Caporgno, a senior accountant with Bianchi, Lorincz, Huey, Hudson and Company, agreed that there are plenty of last-minute filers, but she said it’s nothing out of the ordinary. After all, people who expect to pay more taxes – rather than getting a refund – tend to wait until the last minute before giving their money to Uncle Sam, she said.
“It’s the same old craziness,” Caporgno said.
If you’ve procrastinated, it will probably be a challenge to get the attention of your local accountant. Both Grace’s and Caporgno’s firms have stopped taking appointments.
But that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck. Grace said they still see some of their last-minute regulars, and Caporgno said she’s still accepting new clients.
“We’ll get to it when we have time,” Caporgno said. “We’re still getting the work done. Let’s just say we’ll definitely be working on Sunday.”
In fact, you may still be able to get your taxes done for free, despite your delays. The local chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons will hold the final session of its annual tax-aid program – a program that helps middle- and low-income locals do their taxes – from 1-4pm today at the Hollister Community Center.
Filers who can’t make it out this afternoon still have options. The Internal Revenue Service will provide individual consultations for taxpayers making $38,000 or less per year at its Salinas office – the closest office to Hollister. And if you make $52,000 or less, you can file for free at the IRS’s Web site, www.irs.gov.
Hollister’s post office will close at its regular time of 5pm on Tuesday, but the office in Salinas will stay open until 10pm. All mail dropped off on Tuesday will receive an April 17 postmark.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
