With the income-tax filing deadline looming on Thursday, people looking for free tax assistance will have to act quickly.
Local volunteer programs that provide tax assistance are wrapping up their work. The AARP/Tax Counseling for the Elderly Tax-Aide program will close after today, and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at Community Action Partnership has its last day Wednesday.
Cory Fong, North Dakota tax commissioner, stopped in Minot Monday at the AARP tax center located in the Mid-Dakota Chapter of the American Red Cross building to encourage people needing help to take advantage of the volunteer sites.
"Without this program, some people would really have a lot of anxiety about filing their taxes," he said. "It's intimidating. In some cases, it's overwhelming. They can come here. They can get the assistance they need and they can get it for free."
Gary Ellingson, AARP site coordinator in Minot, said well over 200 people already have used the service this tax season.
"They love it," he said. "They like the personal attention."
Across North Dakota, e-filed returns through Tax-Aide show a 7 percent increase in usage of the program over last year, said Muriel Peterson of Bismarck, state coordinator for the AARP program. The downturn in the economy might be prompting more people to seek out free tax filing, she said.
Statewide, about 245,000 of 360,000 anticipated returns have already been filed in North Dakota, of which 77 percent were filed electronically, Fong said. The more complicated returns tend to be among the last filed, and they are more likely to be paper returns. However, Fong said the state appears on track to achieve the department's goal of having 70 percent of returns filed electronically.
"For the average taxpayer out there that's getting a refund, the electronic filing makes a whole lot of sense," he said. "They avoid errors. They get their refund faster."
The department is processing electronic returns and getting out refunds in about 3.5 days, he said. Paper returns are processed in about seven days.
The department's Web site has identified the best free-file options for taxpayers and in many cases can accept free-filing of state returns even if that option isn't available for one's federal return.
The volunteer tax centers provide electronic filing in most cases.
The AARP site has no age or income restrictions on who can use the service, although the service targets taxpayers aged 60 and older with low and middle incomes.
AARP volunteers are trained to handle basic returns but also can work with some investments and self-employment income, Peterson said. They don't handle farm-related or other complicated returns. Volunteers receive extensive training through the State Tax Department and Internal Revenue Service.
Six Minot State University accounting students have been assisting the five regular tax counselors and four greeters who staff the center. Today, the center is open to walk-in taxpayers from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The VITA center at Community Action Partnership is open Wednesday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 839-7221.
The locations and hours of the state's 41 assistance centers can be found on the tax department's Web site at (www.nd.gov/tax).
People should bring proof of identification, a copy of last year's federal and state returns if available, bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit of refunds as well as their tax information. Both spouses must be present to file a joint return.
