Some wait for returns as tax deadline nears

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The deadline for filing your taxes is just hours away. A tax professional said Tuesday he does 5 to 6 percent of his yearly business in the last few days.

Brittany Hill was one of the many people filing her taxes Tuesday as the deadline drew near.

"I was surprised we didn't have a wait," Hill said.

"We saw a big surge in business yesterday and we expect it to be busy today," said Najam Usmani from Jackson Hewitt.

For the most part, tax professionals said it has been a smooth season. There was a hiccup early on when IRS put new anti-fraud safeguards into place.

"A lot of people were delayed and inconvenienced by it, but we saw everything normalize by the middle of February," Usmani said.

Right now, they are getting questions about state tax returns taking time.

Scott Curtis from Liberty Tax Service said one of his customers got his return accepted on March 20. He has received his federal return, but not his state return.

"I went on the North Carolina Department of Revenue website, put in his Social Security number, filing status and refund, and got a message back that they are working on it," Curtis said.

That’s a concern Eyewitness News had heard about too, so Channel 9 went to Raleigh to ask when you could see your money.

"This week -- today, tomorrow and Wednesday -- we will send out $300 million of refunds and that will get pretty close to cleaning this up," said NC Revenue Secretary David Hoyle.

Hoyle said that this time of year is obviously very busy and like many other places, they are shorthanded. He said they are working as fast as they can.

"The governor ordered me to get these refunds processed and paid in 45 days," Hoyle said.

The sooner the better for people like Hill, who said the boost is welcome these days.

"I think everybody can use the extra money coming in to catch up or get ahead," Hill said.

Jackson Hewitt and Liberty Tax Service said they will be open until midnight Tuesday.

More information:
Where's My Refund?

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