Procrastinators Can Pay Piper a Day Later This Year

Sunday is the dreaded April 15, the deadline to file taxes. This year, however, there is a bright side.

Procrastinators have an extra day to put off the inevitable. Because April 15 falls on a Sunday, the deadline for mailing tax forms is Monday. Postal employees will be at the main facility at 2535 Midway Drive in San Diego until midnight.

“It will be controlled chaos,” said Ken Boyd, a San Diego spokesman for the U. S. Postal Service. “We expect between 30,000 and 40,000 cars, and traffic will be backed up to I-5. There will be workers shuffling mail, news broadcasters, protesters, people filling out forms on the steps, people trying to get extensions.”

There will also be special mail collections Sunday from mailboxes outside all city post offices, Boyd said.

Other post offices in San Diego County where people can mail their tax returns until midnight and receive the April 16 postmark are: 750 3rd Ave., Chula Vista; 401 W. Lexington Ave., EL Cajon; 203 S. Orange St., Escondido, and 211 Brooks St., Oceanside.

In addition, Internal Revenue Service workers will be available to answer questions at a toll-free number: 1-800-424-1040. IRS offices in San Diego and Oceanside will help people on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Monday, said Sally Ruhnau, a spokeswoman for the IRS.

The biggest problems stem from people who wait until the last minute, she said.

“They tend to make more mistakes, simple mistakes. All it takes is a quick check before you send it. Some people still compute by hand, or punch the wrong numbers on calculators. And some don’t sign the forms, which makes it late because we have to send it back.”

Also, many people send the federal form to the Franchise Tax Board in Sacramento instead of the IRS in Fresno, she said.

To help head off those problems, volunteers will be stationed at shopping centers, churches, libraries and other sites in the county to help people fill out the returns, Ruhnau said. The location of the areas can be obtained by calling the above toll-free number.

“We target low-income, elderly, handicapped and non-English-speaking taxpayers,” Ruhnau said.

Also, for the third year, the PostalAnnex+, a chain of independent postal stores, will mail tax returns free, said Jack Lentz, company president and founder. There are 40 PostalAnnex+ stores throughout the county.