Tax preparers busy as filing season gets underway

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - This week marked the start of tax filing season. Chicopee resident Sean Courchesne recently changed his lifestyle by buying a house with his partner. After years of getting taxes filed on his own, he felt it was important this time to get help professionally.

“I was taking money out of my IRA to contribute to the down payment of the house and there’s some stuff that goes along with that and I wanted someone to kind of get their eyes on that and do this professionally just because of those extra complications,” Courchesne said.

Courchesne is doing this now rather than at another time as this week marked the start of tax season. Western Mass News stopped by Liberty Tax in West Springfield to understand the importance of this time for taxpayers across the commonwealth, as well as any changes they need to be aware of. Tax expert Ray Maagero told us the Internal Revenue Service was delayed a week, which caused people to not get going early this year.

“People are coming in a little bit slower. This year, obviously, it exploded because the season opened and so the returns are starting to pick up dramatically at this point,” Maagero noted.

Among the changes for this tax season are the enhancements of energy credits and the creeping of tax brackets, which Maagero said could make refunds go up. On the state side, changes include the increase of dependent credit, the senior circuit breaker credit, and a 33 percent increase of the earned income tax credit.

“I don’t expect the speed in which you get your return after you file is going to change, but in terms of the start of the filing season, that’s changed,” Maagero said.

As Maagero advised you to file your taxes as soon as possible, he also said you should be aware of anyone who could take your personal information.

“One of the couple of different ways you can notice that that might be happening is if you’re getting letters from the IRS that are unusual for your circumstances,” Maagero explained.

He also told us that the IRS has said their customer service is going to have a dramatic improvement this year with new staff. The tax expert also said it is better to get professional help when it comes to filing and Courchesne said you should not wait until the last minute.

“I’ve also been hearing a lot of reports of people who’ve been in the same situation for a long time are now suddenly owing or things are different,” Courchesne added. “You want to get that done as soon as you can.”

Unless an extension is needed, the tax return deadline in the commonwealth is April 17.