N.E. taxpayers get filing break Patriot’s Day a procrastinator’s dream

DOVER, N.H. – If there was ever a time to be a tax-filing procrastinator, this is it – especially in Maine and other New England states.

The federal income tax filing deadline this year for almost everyone in the United States is Monday, because the traditional April 15 deadline is a Sunday.

But in Maine, the other five New England states and part of New York, procrastinators get even more time. They have a deadline of Tuesday because the Internal Revenue Service center for those areas is in Massachusetts, where Monday is a legal holiday, Patriot’s Day.

In Maine, which also observes Patriot’s Day, some taxpayers will want even longer extensions. For those filers, Maine Revenue Services says extension request forms are no longer required.

For those who can’t file their returns by the original due date, Maine allows an automatic six-month extension in which to file. Requests for additional time beyond that must be submitted in writing before the expiration of the six-month period.

But Maine cautions that an extension for filing a return is not an extension for tax payments.

Despite having a few extra days to file, more than 30,000 New Hampshire taxpayers are expected to ask for an extension to Tuesday’s deadline.

As of April 6, just over 361,000 New Hampshire returns were on file with the Internal Revenue Service, said Pegg Riley, a spokeswoman for the agency’s Boston office.

Those returns make up about 58 percent of the 622,000 expected, said Riley, who estimates 36,000 taxpayers will request an extension.

Some 165,000 New Hampshire taxpayers chose electronic filing over the traditional method of mailing a paper return, she said. But all the new and faster tax filing tools aren’t enough for the most dedicated procrastinators.

Basil Correll has worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block for seven years. Every year is the same: a rush of clients who wait until the last week to file.

Correll has been working 12 hour days and frequently does extra research for clients at home. The constant crush of individual taxpayers and small-business owners is a challenge, he said.

“It’s very taxing,” he said.

Correll says most of his procrastinating clients are motivated by money – they want to put off paying their taxes as long as possible. But many don’t realize that even if they are granted an extension, they still owe the money on the deadline.

Those who owe taxes are not the only ones who wait until the last minute. Correll said many small-business owners who will receive refunds wait too long because they are so busy trying to make a living, they lose track of time.

Instead of already having their refund checks in the bank, those filers will have to wait up to four weeks if they file electronically or up to eight weeks if they file by traditional methods.

Amy Odum, an assistant psychology professor at the University of New Hampshire, has some advice for procrastinators that can be applied during tax season or year-round.

In the short term, procrastinators can try to break down a difficult task into smaller simpler ones, she said. For example, one day could be spent putting their paperwork in order, and the tax day could be spent filling out one form.

As they finish each step, procrastinators can imagine a positive result or reward such as giving themselves enough time to do something they enjoy, she said.

Longer-term therapy involves changing impulsive and procrastinating behavior to have more self-control, she said.

Many studies on procrastination have come to the same common-sense conclusion, she said.

“It may pay off in the short run, but in the long run, it catches up to you,” she said.