Extra Evening, Saturday Assistance Available until April 18 Deadline

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvanians in need of late-season tax help will benefit from extended service hours offered by the Department of Revenue's Taxpayer Service and Information Center, the department announced today.

On weekdays through Monday, April 18, the center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will also operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, April 9 and 16. The center is closed on Sundays.

Taxpayers have until midnight, Monday, April 18, to file income tax returns. The traditional April 15 tax filing deadline was extended this year to remain consistent with the Internal Revenue Service's April 18 deadline.

The Taxpayer Service and Information Center helps taxpayers with personal income tax questions. Assistance is available through the Online Customer Service Center at www.revenue.state.pa.us or by calling 717-787-8201.

The center's staff can answer questions about electronic tax filing options, including the department's two free options: TeleFile (1-888-4PAFILE) and pa.direct.file, available through www.revenue.state.pa.us.

If a taxpayer filed a return last year, they may file by phone with TeleFile by simply providing a Social Security number and five-digit ZIP code. To file using pa.direct.file, each taxpayer will need to provide a Social Security number and one of the following: 2009 or 2008 tax liability; PA driver's license or identification number; or a registered e-signature account with the department. Also available through tax preparers and authorized computer software is the Fed/State e-file service, which allows taxpayers to file state and federal tax returns together or separately.

Electronic filing offers advantages to taxpayers not available to those filing by paper, such as error-reducing automatic calculators, instant confirmation of successful filing, faster refund processing and direct deposit options. Electronic filing is also the most cost-effective filing method, saving the state about $3.18 per return.

Through April 1, more than 2.9 million Pennsylvanians filed state income taxes electronically – about 13 percent more than had done so last year at that time. More than 897,000 taxpayers have filed paper returns.

Through www.revenue.state.pa.us, taxpayers can file returns using pa.direct.file, make payments (including estimated payments), check the status of returns and refunds, update information, access online customer service, review answers to commonly asked questions and download tax forms.   

Forms are also available by calling, toll-free, 1-800-362-2050. Taxpayers may also visit a Revenue district office, listed in the government section of local phone directories, for personal state tax filing assistance.

Media contact: Elizabeth Brassell, 717-787-6960

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Revenue