Income Tax Bulletin Board: April 15 Approaches

If you haven’t done your taxes yet, here’s a basic guide to get you going. There is plenty of additional information, common questions, tax forms and stories at www.latimes.com/taxes.

Federal Taxes (IRS)

* Forms: Order federal forms and publications by calling (800) TAX-FORM. Allow 10 days for delivery. If you have a fax machine, 100 of the most commonly used forms can be ordered by calling (703) 368-9694 from the telephone connected to the fax machine. Forms are also available through the Internet (see below) and at many post offices and public libraries.

* Refunds: For automated refund information, call (800) 829-4477.

* Questions: For tax questions, you have two options. You can call the IRS’ recorded tax information line 24 hours a day at (800) 829-4477. For live telephone assistance, call (800) 829-1040 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

* Internet: Tax forms and information are also available at the IRS’ Web site at www.irs.gov. Taxpayers can buy a CD-ROM with more than 2,500 forms, instructions and other tax information for $21 on the Web or for $26 by calling (877) CD-FORMS.

* Walk-in help: IRS offices are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Extended hours and weekend hours vary. Locations include:

* El Monte: 9350 East Flair Drive, 3rd Floor

* Laguna Niguel: 24000 Avila Road, Room 3202

* Long Beach: 501 W. Ocean Blvd.

* Los Angeles: 300 N. Los Angeles St., 4th Floor Lobby

* Camarillo: 751 Daily Drive

* San Bernardino: 290 N. D St., 1st Floor

* San Diego: 880 Front St.

* Santa Ana: 34 Civic Center Plaza, Room 206

* Santa Barbara: 1332 Anacapa St., Suite 101

* Van Nuys: 6230 Van Nuys Blvd., First Floor

California Taxes (FTB)

* Forms and refunds: Call the state’s automated phone system. Hours are 6 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends. Call (800) 338-0505 or (916) 845-6600.

* Questions: Use the automated system above to get answers to many of your tax questions. Live telephone assistance is available 6 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Call (800) 852-5711. TDD line: (800) 822-6268.

* Internet: Tax forms and tax information are also available at the Franchise Tax Board’s Web site at www.ftb.ca.gov.

* Walk-in help: FTB field offices are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with extended hours on Wednesdays (until 7 p.m.) and Saturdays (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) until April 15. On April 15, all offices will be open until 7 p.m. Locations include:

* Burbank: 333 Glenoaks Blvd., Suite 370

* Long Beach: 4300 Long Beach Blvd., Suite 700B

* Los Angeles: 300 S. Spring St., Suite 5704

* San Bernardino: 464 W. 4th St., Suite 454

* San Diego: New address: 7575 Metropolitan Dr., #20

* Santa Ana: 600 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Suite 300

* Ventura: 4820 McGrath St., Suite 270

* West Covina: 100 N. Barranca St., Suite 600

Common Errors

Avoid the most common filing errors. Double-check Social Security numbers. Make sure the names on your tax return match the names on your Social Security cards. Include Social Security numbers for all dependents claimed. Check your math. Sign and date your return. Don’t claim an exemption if you or your spouse is claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return. Send the federal return to the IRS address in Fresno and the state return to the California Franchise Tax Board address in Sacramento.

Tax Software, Web Sites

The two best-selling software packages

are Intuit’s TurboTax and Microsoft’s TaxCut. TurboTax (www.turbotax.com) costs about $30 for the deluxe CD version; and online version costs $19.95 for feceral returns and $12.95 for state returns. TaxCut (www.taxcut.com) costs $24.95 for either the deluxe CD version or the downloadable version.

For Faster Refunds

* Electronic filing shaves weeks off the time it takes to get your refund. The system also checks your return for the kind of errors that would otherwise delay your check. 4 Allow the IRS to deposit your refund directly into your checking account, and get you your money a week or so earlier. Information on direct deposit is included in your tax return instructions or tax preparation software.

* File early. More than half the tax returns filed arrive between March 15 and April 15, clogging the system.

* Don’t borrow. Those “instant refund” offers at tax preparation chains are really just loans with high interest rates.

Free Tax Prep Options

The elderly and people with low incomes can get free tax preparation help provided by volunteers. For more information about Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 or the state Francise Tax Board at (800) 338-0505. 4 TurboTax provides free tax preparation software at its Web site, www.turbotax.com, for people with adjusted gross incomes under $25,000.

* Tax preparation site TaxAct.com offers free tax preparation software for federal returns only at www.taxact.com. Users can download the software.

Payment options

Taxpayers who owe money to the state or federal government can pay by check, credit card or direct debit (an electronic withdrawal from a bank account). Official Payments Corp. ([800] 2PAY-TAX) and PhoneCharge Inc. ([888] ALL-TAXX) process credit card payments for the IRS. Official Payments also processes payments to the state. Both companies accept Discover/Novus, American Express and MasterCard and both charge a convenience fee of 2% to 3% of the billed amount (about $25 on a $1,000 tax payment. Taxpayers who file electronically may pay their bill through an automatic withdrawal from their checking or other bank account. The service is free and the direct debit can be scheduled to occur as late as April 15. The procedure, which requires the bank’s routing number as well as the account number, is included in the e-filing software.

Mark Your Calendar

* April 15: Due date for income tax returns or for extension application. Last day for tax-deductible IRA contributions that still count toward the 2001 tax year.

* Aug. 15: Deadline for submitting 2001 tax return and owed taxes if you received an extension for April. Second extension application due.

* Oct. 15: Final deadline for submitting 2001 tax return if granted second extension. If You Can’t File by April 15

If you can’t complete your tax return on time, file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension, with the IRS by April 15 to get a four-month extension. (The state extension will be granted automatically when you file the form.) If you owe, you still must estimate and pay your taxes by April 15, even if you take longer to file. However, file even if you can’t pay: Penalties for failing to file are much greater than penalties for failing to pay.

* Anyone who filed a tax return last year can also request an extension by calling (888) 796-1074 from March 1 to April 15.

New Addresses

The IRS’ reorganization means you may be sending your federal tax return to a new address. California residents who are owed a refund should send their individual tax returns to the IRS, Fresno, CA 93888-0002. Individual returns with payments should be sent to the IRS, P.O. Box 7704, San Francisco, CA 94120-7704. Business returns (forms 940, 1120, etc.) will be sent to either Ogden, Utah or Dallas, Texas; consult form filing instructions for details. The IRS says it will forward incorrectly addressed returns without penalty if the returns are filed on time.