TROY — Tax Day is April 15, and data from the IRS shows there are tens of millions of people who still have not filed their taxes yet.
News Center 7 Consumer Reporter Xavier Hershovitz was in Miami County on Wednesday with what tax preparers say you need to do to hit that deadline.
Rob Burnette, CEO and Financial Planner at Outlook Financial Center in Troy, said, “I’m basically in firefighting mode.”
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That is how Burnette describes the final stretch until Tax Day.
“We are up to our neck in returns. We’ve processed quite a few already, so I think we’re probably on track to have at least a calm season. It’s been very busy, and we’ve added a lot of clients,” Burnette said.
The latest IRS data shows more than 88 million people have already filed their taxes. But by Tax Day 2025, more than 140 million had already filed, leaving more than a 50 million filing difference.
“People who haven’t started yet are behind because a lot of the tax professionals that you might go to, they’re full and they’re busy,” Burnette said.
If you haven’t filed yet and you plan to use a tax preparer, Burnette said, “Just understand that you’re at the end of the line. The preparer is not trying to be mean to you; they’re just trying to serve the clients as they come in the door.”
If you’ve been to a tax preparer before, and your taxes are fairly simple, Burnette said most preparers will be able to get it done on time, but many will file an extension.
“I can file an extension for a current client right now, probably in under five minutes. If it’s somebody I have never done a client before, it’ll probably take me about 20 minutes,” Burnette said.
However, keep in mind that an extension does not extend your time to pay for what you owe.
“So, if you know you’re going to have a balance, then decide to file an extension and not worry about paying by April 15, if you don’t pay it, then you will be incurring interest and penalties and things like that,” Burnette said.
If you are filing yourself, Burnette said, there are changes to the tax code this year that can make it a little complicated. His advice, “Be careful with your data entry. That’s where I see the biggest issues.”
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