This Season: Tax preparers have long days, interesting work

If you know a tax preparer, you probably haven't seen much of him or her lately.

That's because they're meeting with clients or punching numbers into tax-preparation software in the final push before the April 18 deadline for filing personal income taxes.

'My son plans on not seeing me January through April,” said Marlene Perrin, an enrolled agent with Taxes Plus in Coralville. 'I work from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.”

But Perrin, a former Gazette writer, enjoys talking with people about their finances and helping them maximize their returns.

The IRS expects more than 150 tax returns to be filed this year, with more than 70 percent of filers receiving refunds. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service issued 109 million refunds, with an average refund of $2,797.

More than four out of five returns are filed electronically, which yields faster returns. But that doesn't mean tax preparers aren't needed - more than half of taxpayers still hire a professional, the IRS reports.

People relying on quick refunds start to file in mid-January, but the filers with more complicated tax returns come in late March and early April, Perrin said. She recently got a call from a client who had already filed when she got an amended 1099 from her broker and now must adjust her return.

'Increasingly, people wait,” Perrin said.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library sees a flood of filers in the spring, said Heidi Hartke, a community relations librarian. It's common for a dozen to 30 people at once to be sitting at self-serve computers filing their taxes online, she said.

'The big service we provide is directing people to reputable sites,” she said.

Filers with income below $62,000 can file free federal tax returns with IRS Free File, and many sites also offer free state returns. But 'there are a lot of sites that aren't legit,” Hartke said.

The AARP also has a satellite office set up in the library to provide free tax help to seniors.

The Iowa Department of Revenue saw more than 10,000 fraudulent tax returns last year. This included hundreds of University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa employees who went to file returns only to discover a fraudster had beat them to it. A half-dozen of Perrin's clients have discovered similar frauds already this season, she said.

'We file an ID theft affidavit and file (returns) on paper,” she said. 'It's a real hassle and can take more than a year to work itself out.”

Tax filers have a few extra days this year because April 15 is Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C. For Iowans who haven't filed yet, Perrin recommends determining if you owe money. If not, consider seeking an extension.