PrintApr. 12--HIGH POINT -- A U.S. post office is no place to be on April 15.
As the last day to file taxes looms, managers of local post offices say last-minute filers usually pour through the doors all day in hopes of getting their returns post-marked in time.
That may be especially true as no area post offices, and very few in the state, will hold extended hours Thursday. Both the main High Point Post Office, 315 E. Green Drive, and the Furnitureland Post Office at 913 W. Fairfield Road will operate normal hours, with the main post office closing at 5 p.m. and the Furnitureland office closing at 4 p.m.
Several years ago, some post offices held those extended hours, often until 10 p.m., so last-minute filers could get their tax returns postmarked by April 15, said USPS spokesperson Elona Rice. But the numbers of those who use the post office's extended hours on that day has dwindled, she said.
"For the past several years, we've been scaling back on the number of post offices offering services after hours," Rice said. "We've found the number of customers using services late on April 15 don't justify keeping the offices opened late."
Rice attributes the drop in traffic to popular electronic filing software, which saves filers a trip to the post office altogether by submitting their tax returns online. Traffic at post offices during the day, however, still is heavy, she said.
"Electronic filing is very popular now," she said. "It (scaling back extended hours) is also because of our financial situation. We're encouraging everyone to bring their returns in during the day on Thursday."
The USPS projects it will lose $7 billion in revenue this year.
Mark Hanson, spokesperson for the IRS, said about 20 percent of taxpayers file their returns in the first two weeks of April. Those last-minute filers should remember to do their homework, however, he said.
"Remember to learn about provisions from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act," Hanson said. "This added new tax breaks like the making work pay credit."
Last-minute filers also may want to consider filing electronically, Hanson added.
"E-filing is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "You could be submitting your tax returns at 11:59 p.m. on April 15 and still be done on time."
Finally, if a filer's financial circumstance prohibits them from paying their refund in full, they should pay as much as possible and file for an extension by Thursday, he said.
"The IRS is aware that economic circumstances are creating hardships for taxpayers," he said. "We're prepared to work with them on a case-by-case basis."
phaynes@hpe.com -- 888-3617
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