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Tax Return Season Begins

SCRANTON — Let the number crunching begin — Monday is the first day the Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting 2017 returns. The federal gove...

SCRANTON -- Let the number crunching begin -- Monday is the first day the Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting 2017 returns.

The federal government started the clock running by making this the first day it will accept returns.

Marie LeRose retired from her nurse's aide job four years ago. she was always one of those early filers.

"Get up, work, get it over with and be done for the day," LeRose said.

That is the common thread. Joe Mihalka at Liberty Tax Service, along South Washington Avenue in Scranton, says the early filers are generally the ones who get refunds.

"The people coming in now are looking to get their refunds, whether they overspent at Christmas, they're looking to get it sooner rather than later," Mihalka said.

Mihalka says half of his business walks through the door in the next three weeks. It gets slow in March and picks up when the deadline approaches.

Bill Gleason, who works at a candy company, will not be among the early birds.

"Well, I also have a gas station so by the time we collect everything, get everything together, it takes that long to get everything done," Gleason said.

Gleason adds if he could file earlier, he would.

The people at Liberty say the tax laws are essentially the same this year as they were last year, so that shouldn't slow you down, but the federal government has given you two extra days to file this year.

The traditional filing deadline, April 15, is a Sunday. April 16 is Emancipation Day, a federal holiday in the District of Columbia so you get the break. Your paperwork should be in Uncle Sam's hands by April 17.

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