Deadline Day Is Upon Us

As the filing deadline for income taxes looms, the reasons for procrastination close in: late-to-arrive 1099s, scrips and scraps of piecemeal employment awaiting reconstruction and just plain old fear of winding up in the red.

Yet, no matter how dreaded the task, taxes must be filed.

As of Tuesday, Eileen Walsh, a Manhattan Beach resident and college professor, said she had not filed but still planned to squeak her return in before midnight Thursday.

Her finances are straightforward enough so that all that is required is the 1040 EZ. With the help of the Turbo Tax program, she expects the entire process to be (relatively) painless.

As for owing money to the government, Walsh said she eases the pain by focusing on the services her dollars will provide. "I'm happy to pay taxes," she said. "I like public services—roads, airports, buses, fire hydrants and the people who work with them."

For those who can't scrape together the cash for taxes due, it is possible to file a request to make payments over time.

If your taxes are as tangled as South Bay traffic on a sunny day, the most sane option at this point is probably to file for an extension, according to Leslie Lopes of Lopes Tax Service.

But Lopes cautioned against getting addicted to extensions, noting that the delay applies only to the filing, not to the payments. Payments submitted after April 15 are subject to interest charges and late fees. "Don't put it off again," Lopes said. "Begin compiling your information as soon as possible.

Better yet, just suck it up and get it done, Lopes said. "If your return is simple, don't file an extension," she said. "Just take a deep breath and go see a tax professional."

For an extension, download and fill out form 4868. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf. For those pressed more for money than time, request a payment plan from form 9465 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f9465.pdf.