So You’ve Put Off Filing. Be Very Careful.

Haven’t filed your tax return? You’re not alone.

Internal Revenue Service statistics indicate that more than one-third of individual taxpayers hadn’t filed as of April 7 and might be waiting until the final days before Monday’s deadline. (This year’s deadline is extended two days because the 15th, today, is a Saturday.)

If you’re among the tax procrastinators, be careful. Last-minute filers are prone to errors that can be costly and can single out returns for audit.

“There are reasons that people put off filing; they may not have complete records or know what the issues are,” said William Raabe, professor of taxation at Ohio State University in Columbus. “As a group, that makes them more error-prone.”

If you don’t think you can finish by Monday, there’s good news. If you fill out a Form 4868, you get an automatic extension of time to file. That gives you until October. The extension does not give additional time to pay, however. Taxpayers are expected to send a check for the amount they think they’ll owe with the extension request.

But if you’re going to go for it, here are some tips for last-minute filers:

Get forms: Many libraries and post offices offer commonly used IRS forms. They can also be downloaded from the IRS website at www.irs.gov. The fastest way to find a form: Type the name or number into the search bar. That will bring up the form and tax topics and publications that refer to it.

Avoid careless mistakes: The most common errors involve math mistakes and transposed numbers, tax authorities said. Either can have unpleasant repercussions. Transposing a digit on a child’s Social Security number, for example, can cause the IRS to disallow deductions and credits for that dependent. Math mistakes can trigger a so-called correspondence audit.

Another common error: More than 1 million taxpayers each year forget to sign their return -- or fail to have both spouses sign a joint return.

All of these problems are easy to fix, but any of them could cause significant delay for those awaiting refunds. Double-check your math, Social Security numbers and addresses, and sign the return before mailing.

Review deductions and credits: Tax laws have become complex enough in recent years that taxpayers simply miss certain breaks out of ignorance. Some of the breaks that are most commonly missed:

* Education expenses. Congressional studies indicate that millions of taxpayers may be missing out on one or more of numerous breaks for financing education, such as income exclusions, credits and deductions. Given the complexity of the breaks, it’s not surprising, Raabe said. Each has different income restrictions, benefits and exclusions.

The deductions can be sizable. The Hope credit, available for those financing a freshman or sophomore in college, can reduce your tax on a dollar-for-dollar basis by as much as $1,500 a student. The Lifetime Learning credit, available for any college year, can provide as much as $2,000 in tax reductions per return. Both credits are available only to a single filer with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $53,000 or joint filers with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $107,000.

Earn more? A deduction for higher education expenses of as much as $4,000 is available to a single filer with a modified adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less and joint filers at the $160,000 level or below.

Income exclusions for paying college costs with money from so-called 529 accounts and Education Savings Accounts are available regardless of income.

* Special-needs deductions. Taxpayers who send a disabled child to a special school can also deduct that cost, said Thomas M. Brinker, professor of accounting at Arcadia University in Philadelphia. The deduction is extensive. It can cover meals, lodging, transportation, tutors, and therapeutic and behavioral support services, for example. But it falls under rules for unreimbursed medical expenses. That means taxpayers can deduct only the expenses that exceed 7.5% of their adjusted gross income.

* Hybrid vehicles. Those who bought certain hybrid vehicles in 2005 qualify for a $2,000 deduction. But it’s something of a stealth break. It doesn’t appear on the 1040. You have to write it in on line 36 to claim it. Qualifying hybrids are the Ford Escape, the Mercury Mariner, the Lexus RX 400h, the Toyota Prius and Highlander, and the Honda Insight, Civic and Accord.

* Earned income tax credit. This break for the working poor -- families earning less than $37,263 -- is so complicated that the IRS has launched an online “EITC Assistant” in English and Spanish to help taxpayers figure out whether they’re eligible. A link is on the home page of the IRS site at www.irs.gov.

Make copies: Keep a copy of your tax return. It will help you with filing next year and help provide proof of filing if the IRS doesn’t receive your return. Last-second filers should know that office-supply company Staples is setting up a mobile copy and print center at the LAX post office at 9029 Airport Blvd. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Monday -- the tax deadline.

Give up? File for an extension and pay what you think you owe. If you don’t file for an extension, the penalty is 5% of the tax owed for each month you’re late, to a maximum of 25%.

If you file but pay late, the penalty is much less severe -- 0.5% a month, plus interest at a current market rate of 7% annually.

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Need help?

The IRS sponsors tax assistance sites for elderly and low-income filers. To find a site, call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 or, in Los Angeles County, call 211. There are more than 150 sites in the county, but each has different hours, said IRS spokesman Victor Omelczenko. Some serve walk-ins; others require an appointment.

The IRS also has five local assistance centers open Monday. They are:

Camarillo: 751 Daily Drive, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

El Monte: 9350 E. Flair Drive, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Los Angeles: 300 N. Los Angeles St., 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Long Beach: 501 W. Ocean Blvd., 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Van Nuys: 6230 Van Nuys Blvd., 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

All the major tax preparation chains are open this weekend.

Los Angeles Times

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Post offices for last-minute filing

The following post offices will be open until 11:59 p.m. Monday to accommodate last-minute filers. They are:

* Airport Station, 9029 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles

* Van Nuys Main, 2300 Redondo Ave., Van Nuys

* Pasadena, 600 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena

* Oxnard, 1961 North C. St., Oxnard

* Tulare, 340 E. Tulare Ave., Bakersfield

Seven other sites in the region will offer extended hours. To find an open post office near you, call (800) ASK-USPS.

Los Angeles Times