Have you filed your taxes yet?

While some people hold out on filing their tax returns, others rush to get theirs done . . . to put some more “green” in their wallets!

Tori Williams says that she filed her taxes in early February. But, if you are like many other people, and haven’t filed yours yet, your time is running out.

"April 15th is the last day (for individuals to file). The deadline already passed Monday for people that have corporations,” says Thomas Parrish, a Certified Public Accountant with Jackson Hewitt. He says that he has seen a drop in business this year.

“It's been a little bit slower year. Usually about 5-6 percent of people per year start trying to file their own on-line,” adds Parrish.

But there is an up side for the tax preparer, says Parrish. “On the flip side of that, we see an increase in the number of people coming in to have those (forms) fixed -- the ones that they did on-line too.”

One thing more people are seeing this year is more money.

This is what one tax filer had to say: “I guess they were saying this year we get more back for three kids, we usually only did our two and then that was it but this year we went ahead and claimed all our children.”

Also, a number of new deductions is helping to fatten refund checks.

Parrish agrees: “One thing that is different this year, your real estate tax on your home, and sales tax if you purchased a vehicle during 2009, I think it's in the middle of February all the way through the year, you get to add those expenditures to your standard deduction.”

And, getting back more money could be an incentive to file.
Even if you miss the April 15 deadline, you can file a six-month extension. That ends October 15.