By Fatima Hussein Associated Press
Millions of Americans wait until the last minute to file their taxes, and this year will be no exception.
Monday is Tax Day, the federal deadline for filing and paying individual taxes, and the IRS will receive tens of millions of returns electronically and through paper forms.
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As of April 8, the IRS had received more than 103 million returns for this tax season and had issued more than 63 million refunds worth more than $204 billion.
By comparison, more than 169 million people filed a tax return by the end of 2021. That shows nearly 40 percent of this year's taxpayers still haven't filed their returns, with many scrambling to file their documents before Monday. .
Nina Tross of the National Society of Tax Professionals says that if people haven't filed their taxes yet, "they're better off asking for an extension."
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And he says that "people don't realize that filing an extension has no effect" as long as they paid their income taxes before Tax Day.
"An extension is simply filing a return at a later date," Tross said.
"It is much better to extend than to have to modify later," he warned.
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This year, the IRS is facing its longest delay in history.
At the end of the 2021 filing season, the agency had 35.3 million returns awaiting processing.
One reason is that every paper document that enters the IRS is processed by a human, according to spokespersons.
And some forms are reviewed by IRS employees and treated as if they were filed on paper, even if they are filed electronically.
This year will be one of the most challenging for the agency because they have minimal staff.
The IRS workforce is the same size as it was in 1970, even though the US population has grown exponentially and the tax laws have become increasingly complicated.
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In March, the agency announced plans to hire at least 10,000 more workers.
Lisa Greene-Lewis, a CPA and spokeswoman for TurboTax, said that if people still intend to file before Tax Day they should "gather all of their documents in one place so they don't forget anything, like W2 and 1099 forms.
Important documents like "Letter 6419" outlining the Child Tax Credit payments a taxpayer should have received this year and "Letter 6475" for stimulus payments should also be available.
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Greene-Lewis, who has been doing taxes for more than 20 years, said "what you want is to report the correct amount that you received so you don't have to make adjustments to your refund."
The IRS has posted helpful last-minute information and links for taxpayers, emphasizing that "taxpayers should be careful to file a complete and accurate tax return. If a return includes errors or is incomplete, it may require additional review."
If a statement includes errors or is incomplete, it may require additional review."
Lisa Greene-Lewis spokesperson for turbo tax
Keith Kahn of the consulting firm Faw Casson said he encourages everyone to file electronically.
Asked if he would accept clients on Tax Day, Kahn said it's common for people to be turned away.
But for those who can get an appointment, "make sure you have everything you need to provide your accountant, there's not a lot of time to strategize or ask questions."
