(WWJ) Have you filed your taxes yet? If you haven't, you're far from alone.
With the April deadline just a few days away, the Internal Revenue Service says there are 50 million U.S. taxpayers who have yet to file their tax returns.
About 153 million individual tax returns for the 2018 tax year are expected to be filed during 2019, the IRS says, with millions expected just before the April tax deadline. The deadline to file 2018 individual tax returns and pay taxes owed is Monday, April 15, 2019, for most taxpayers.
The IRS says the average refund to date is $2,833.
Why are people stalling? While some say they're putting it off because they're afraid they owe, Diane Harbour, with ATS Advisors, an accounting firm in Plymouth, said changes in tax law are complicating things for some filers, who may have become frustrated trying to prepare their taxes on their own.
As time grows short, Harbour said her best advice is to seek help.
"I would see a tax professional and bring in your prior year tax return," Harbour told WWJ's Tom Jordan. "That is the best way to determine what amount of money you would want to pay in to create a safe harbor where you would not be penalized for paying your taxes late, or filing your taxes late."
"The best way," she said, "is to pay money in if you think you owe and to file the extension. The government in the last ten years has seriously enforced late filing penalties, and the state of Michigan has followed suit."
The IRS wants to remind the public that tax help is available anytime on IRS.gov. Whether filing a tax return, requesting an extension or making a payment, the IRS website can help last-minute filers on just about everything related to filing taxes.
Information about free e-file options, such as IRS FreeFile, how to request an automatic six-month filing extension or fast, secure ways to pay any tax due using IRS Direct Pay can also be found on the IRS website.
