OK, who else submitted their taxes today?

[denbot]

My wife and I finished with both fed and state around 8pm and headed to the post office next to LAX. While this is a yearly pilgrimage for me, this is the latest Alley has ever filed.

Because I still have tax issues from my time as a broker we don't file jointly for federal, but it was to our slight advantage to file jointly for state. I'm getting reamed, and Alley is getting a few pennies back.

Mean while back at the point; the approaches to the post office was a snarled traffic jam from all directions. Every year this post office is the only one in the Los Angeles area that stays open till midnight and makes sure that all tax returns are stamped with today's date. I whipped in to a gated drive way a half mile from the p.o. and jogged the rest of the way. When I reached the postal workers and bins I noticed that the people on foot were a true cross section of America. Bikers, professionals, all types, all ages.

The funny thing was we were all smiling, really! We were the ones out of our cars dodging the hyper aggressive people trying to get to the curb drop off point, honking at each other and us. I think that half of us were smiling in slight embarrassment for being such slackers, and the other half (including me) was smiling at the spectacle of it all. It's the not so little things that bring us together.

[Jade Fox]

1. I got over my tax denial a couple of weeks ago......

It's been awhile since I made the midnight run to the post office on April 15......

[kedrys]

2. Ours aren't due til the 30th

I guess so we can watch the hockey playoffs mostly uninterrupted. :P

[Love Bug]

3. Funny you use the word "submit"

I mailed mine yesterday afternoon. I had to pay, but only because I didn't have anything withheld from my unemployment. C'est la vie.

[Beer Snob-50]

4. i delivered 4 returns yesterday to various clients

who always wait til the last moment. fortunatly, one of them actually bought me lunch and a beer for my troubles.

[Blue Diadem]

5. I haven't done the post office beat the deadline thing in years.

I do remember it though, all the cars and people...very much like you describe.

We do most of ours online now with the exception of our local town. I wait until the last minute for them. We always have to pay and we just drop it off in their office in the afternoon.

[miscsoc]

6. not me

i have people

[Duer 157099]

7. Are there any documented cases of a return being dated the 16th

and the person getting into any trouble whatsoever for that?

I can remember when I'd drive miles out of my way to get to one of those "open late" post offices, but now I just drop it in a box on the evening of the 15th.

Am I in for a surprise of some sort?

[dr.strangelove]

8. I understand that its not pressed unless the amount is very large.

The penalty for not filing on time 5 percent of the amount owed per month. So one day late, yo would get hit with 1/30 of 5% of the amount owed, or $1.67 per day for each $1000 you owe. Then there is the penalty for not paying (assuming you owe money). That only 0.5 percent per month of the amount owed, or .17 per day for each $1000 you owe. If you owe nothing, then there is no penalty for late filing.

Really, the IRS will probably not hit you with any fees for being a day late, but they can. If you owe a large amount of money where these percentages are something significant, they might go for it. But if you owe less than $5000, its probably not worth the cost for them to ask you for the extra $10. If you are like me and owed $120, the penalty for one day late is less than the cost to mail me a notice about it.

[Duer 157099]

9. So there is really somebody who looks at the postmarks?

Really? I just can't imagine it.

I mean, if it comes in a couple of weeks late, I can see how that would be obvious, but 1 day? That would require they actually look at the postmarks.

No?

[dr.strangelove]

10. Machines do it

Its the same technology the post office uses to read addresses and zip codes for sorting. But yes, they do scan them for lateness and those that have big enough penalties they will come after. Though if you owe that much, odds are you have a tax professional filing an extension for you.