Tax preparers work hard ? and they are excited to play hard.
With tax season officially coming to an end when post offices close today, Maryland accountants are set to take a well-deserved rest. The Internal Revenue Service reported that it has given out about 2 million more tax returns than during the same time last year, accounting for about $174 billion in refunds.
“Quite honestly, the rest of this week is trying to adjust to a normal life,” said Gene Utterback, an IRS enrolled agent at The Alliance, an Annapolis-based accounting firm specializing in business advisement and financial advising. “Since even around the middle of February, it?s been about 75 [or] 80 hours a week.”
Dealing with a variety of issues, from people who have yet to provide requested financial documents to cleaning up a problem from a previous preparer, Utterback can?t wait for the chance to justify his 80-hour workweeks for the past month and more. He says he?s also eager for a break from all the paperwork.
Meanwhile, the IRS has maintained detailed records of how people have been filing their returns, and it seems people are going digital. As of April 6, the IRS reported that its Web site, IRS.gov, has received roughly 9 million more page views than last year.
In total, there have been about 4 million more online filings this year than last year so far, divided between a 2.8 million increase in tax professional submissions and a 1.3 million increase in self-prepared e-filings.
Taxpayers are getting slightly more money back than last year. The IRS reported a 3.3 percent increase in this category, with the average return valued at around $2,366.
More information
» Late-night filers can drop their tax returns off at the main Baltimore post office location until 11:59 p.m. today.
U.S. Postal Service
900 E. Fayette St., Baltimore
410-347-4352
