Taxpayers must either file a tax return or request an extension to file by midnight tonight. But plenty of help is available for the scrambling hordes of last-minute filers, who number in the tens of millions each year.
Internal Revenue Service walk-in service centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today in Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Colorado Springs.
The IRS’s Denver center at 600 17th St. will remain open an hour longer, until 5:30 p.m. Taxpayers with a computer can also obtain federal tax forms and online help at irs.gov.
State tax forms can be obtained at taxcolorado.com. Even better, state tax returns can be filed online through that site.
Low-income taxpayers can get free assistance at the annual “Crunch Day” event at the King Trimble Center, 2980 Curtis St. in Denver. Help will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for individuals and families earning $40,000 or less last year.
Walk-ins are welcome, but people should bring photo identification, Social Security cards, a copy of last year’s returns and all tax-related paperwork for 2005. Both spouses must be present to file a return jointly.
Colorado ACORN, an advocacy group for the poor, is also providing assistance on a smaller scale this afternoon at 125 10th Ave. in Denver.
Low-income Coloradans left $17 million in earned income tax credits unclaimed last year, said Ben Hanna, head organizer for the group. ACORN has a special focus on helping people understand and obtain the credit. It also plans to provide tax assistance throughout the year after other centers have closed, Hanna said.
AARP will run about 10 sites throughout the state to assist senior citizens with their taxes.
More than half of tax returns are filed electronically, eliminating the need to mail a return. But several U.S. post offices will stay open until late in the evening, said Postal Service spokesman Al DeSarro.
Colorado residents will have a choice of 47 postal locations to drop off tax mail returns into the late hours tonight. Some locations will accept return drop- offs until midnight.
The downtown Denver office at 20th and Curtis streets will be open until 7 p.m., with tax mail collection until midnight. The Denver General Mail Facility, 7500 E. 53rd Place, will be open its usual 24 hours, with collection until midnight.
People should be careful not to drop their returns into a postal box where the last pickup time has already passed or they will miss the deadline.
Also remember that postal rates have gone up this year.
The IRS provides an out for people who can’t meet the filing deadline – Form 4868, which extends the due date by six months.
The extension applies only to filing a completed return, not for making payments. Taxpayers must still make a reasonable estimate of what they owe and send that amount to the IRS by the midnight deadline or face interest and penalties.
Colorado automatically provides an extension to file, provided taxpayers pay their taxes owed by the deadline, said Ro Silva, spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Those receiving a refund have until Oct. 16 to file their state taxes, Silva said.
Even people who don’t need to file a state tax return should consider doing so this year to obtain a $15 per adult sales tax rebate the state is offering.
Staff writer Aldo Svaldi can be reached at 303-820-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com.
Free help
The Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides free tax-return preparation by volunteers trained by the IRS and AARP for individuals with low income, those who speak English as a second language, those with disabilities and senior citizens. To find a location by phone, call 800-829-1040.
