If you’re waiting until the last minute – midnight Tuesday — to mail your federal income tax returns, you’re in a shrinking number.
Georgia is ranked third nationwide for most electronic filers, behind California and Florida, according to the IRS. And Georgians have broken a state record for electronic filings to date with more than 3.7 million returns.
So, those waiting in long lines at the post office to get that April 15, 11:59 p.m. postmark might not have as much of a wait as in days past. “It’s not what it used to be given electronic filing,” said U.S. Postal Service spokesman Mike Miles.
A pair of metro U.S. Post Offices will stay open Tuesday until midnight: 3900 Crown Road in Atlanta and at 1605 Boggs Road in Duluth, Miles said.
“We used to have more post offices open to midnight,” he said. “But we’ve cut back because there wasn’t as much volume. The need just isn’t there as it once was.”
IRS spokesman Mark Green said tax officials anticipate between 85 percent and 90 percent of this year’s filers will use some form of electronic filing, which the IRS encourages. “It cost $3.50 (per return) for paper. E-filing is less than 15 cents.”
State IRS officials anticipate only about 300,000 people will file taxes through traditional methods, compared to nearly 500,000 in recent years. When E-filing became available about 25 years ago only about 300 people statewide used it, Green said.
“Each year, Georgians got a little more comfortable with E-filing,” he said. “They saw how fast it was, and how secure it was. And they liked the convenience of doing it from the comfort of the home.”
Compared to a wait of four to six weeks using regular mail, electronic filers’ refunds are typically deposited directly into a bank account in less than half that time.
For those who must mail their returns, Green cautions filers who are rushing to complete their taxes to double-check each line item, and “make sure you sign your return.”
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