Connecticut Taxpayers Have Until_April 17 To File Or Pay Federal Taxes

HARTFORD — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has given taxpayers who file at its Andover, Mass., center until April 17, 2001, to file or pay their taxes on time, including federal tax payments they may send to Pittsburgh. This includes taxpayers in Connecticut.

The tax law provides that when the April 15 filing deadline falls on a weekend, taxpayers who file by the next business day that is not a holiday are considered on time. For most of the country, that will be Monday, April 16, this year.

But in Massachusetts, the third Monday in April is Patriots’ Day, a legal holiday. Therefore, taxpayers who file at the Andover IRS Center have one extra day, until April 17 this year, to file their returns on time. This applies to residents of the six New England states, including Connecticut and New York State north of Westchester and Rockland counties.

For taxpayers who are not able to meet the April 17 tax filing deadline, the IRS is now offering automatic four-month extensions available by phone or by computer, as well as through the paper Form 4868, IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder said. Those getting extensions may also pay any projected tax due electronically.

Taxpayers must make their requests by the normal filing deadline. Starting April 1, taxpayers may use a special toll-free phone number, 888-796-1074, for extension requests. Callers should use Form 4868 as a worksheet to prepare for the call and have a copy of their 1999 tax return.

In another first, this year millions of taxpayers can file taxes electronically without submitting any paperwork. This new version of paperless e-file is available to taxpayers who self-select a Personal Identification Number.

“E-file offers a fast, safe, accurate and easy alternative to traditional papers filing,” said IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder. “You can file and get your refund or even pay electronically. Last year nearly one in four of Connecticut’s individual taxpayers choose to file electronically. We expect the numbers to be even higher this year. So far this year about 40 percent of Connecticut taxpayers have used an electronic filing method, with the biggest increase being in the “do it yourselfers.”

Also new this year is the Checkbox Disclosure Authorization. This new feature on tax forms is a checkbox allowing easier communication between a person’s tax preparer and the IRS. Taxpayers may check this box to authorize the IRS to discuss processing problems over the phone directly with a person’s paid preparer.

More information on these new features is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov or from the IRS hotline 800-829-1040. Several other toll-free services are available day or night, such as automated refund information and Tele tax’s recorded information on common tax topics 800-829-4477 or requesting copies of forms and publications 800-TAX-FORM or 800-829-3676.