The deadline to file taxes this year is on Monday, April 18. For those who have not filed their taxes yet, local accountants are offering help throughout the weekend.
The accountants at April Tax Services in Five Points say they have been seeing a rush from the community over the past few months to get their taxes done but now, they are even more swamped with requests for tax filing.
"I've got all that and those have to be put together between now and Saturday," said accountant Tom Waring as he pointed to the large stack of paper on his desk. "Then that stack, over there is people I haven't even been able to get to yet, and I'll probably have to file extensions on those."
Waring has been an accountant with April Tax for more than 30 years and says people always tend to wait until the last minute to file their taxes.
"We get here at 7 a.m. and tend to leave at about 9 or 10 p.m. at night…this year people are procrastinating a little more in getting their stuff together and getting it to us, so we're probably going to see more and more people," Waring said.
However, Waring and the SC Department of Revenue agree, that the sooner you can file the better.
"If you are expecting a refund, you want to go ahead and file so you can get go ahead and get your money fast," said Bonnie Swingle with SCDOR. "You also want to file early so you can avoid any tax fraud because fraudsters can try to use your social security number to get your refund."
For those who cannot afford to file taxes with a local accountant, the SCDOR has a free filing service that is still available on their website.
There are also payment plans available for people who will not be able to pay back the taxes they owe.
"If you don't qualify for a payment plan, and you still aren't sure you can file all your taxes by the due date... you still want to go ahead and file on time and go ahead and pay as much of your taxes as you can," Swingle explained.
Both April Tax Service and SCDOR ask that people who still need to file, come in to get help as soon as possible, because they may need to file an extension.
The department of revenue will close at 5 p.m. Friday and opens again at 8 a.m. on Monday. April Tax Service will stay open all weekend and on Monday to help people continue their last-minute filing.