April 17th is the due date for personal income tax payments and filings. The Rhode Island Division of Taxation said filers should not ignore the deadline.
According to the Division of Taxation, the office has already processed 519,445 personal income tax returns this year. Approximately 478,000 of those returns were filed electronically, and the other 42,000 by paper. However, those are just the numbers so far. Tax officials said there are always people who wait until the last minute to file.
Neena Savage, tax administrator for the Division of Taxation, said you would be surprised at some of the mistakes filers make, like forgetting to sign their names.
“Be sure to sign and date the return,” said Savage, adding that attachments are often missing. “Your withholding, your W2 statement. I think those are some of the biggest. And if you’re going to file using paper, don’t staple. It slows us down.”
Savage said the state tax office is processing returns as they come in by scanning them that same day. According to Savage, the division has already issued more than 350,000 refunds.
“Even if you are not filing a return, make sure you make your payment on time,” advised Savage. “Because if you don’t, then you get hit with failure to pay penalties. And that’s not in your best interest.”
Filers who are not ready to complete their tax filings can always file an extension on Tuesday, which will give you six more months to file your return.