I finished my taxes months ago, yet I still find myself scrambling. First, I had to transfer money from savings to pay my tax bill and I had to make sure that it arrived in my correct bank account before Uncle Sam’s people come to collect on April 15th. That’s Tuesday.

All week I’ve been meaning to contact the company that has my Roth IRA. That’s because prior year contributions can still be made until April 15th. And I can’t remember which of my monthly contributions went to the prior year, an issue others might have if, like me, you started an IRA randomly in the middle of the year and aren’t great at record-keeping.

If your company does a terrible job reporting whether your deposits are from the year 2007 or the year 2008, it’s nearly impossible to know whether you’ve contributed the full maximum without calling. I have a feeling I contributed$3,996.00. But I might as well sock an extra $4 tax advantaged dollars away. That would add up year after year.

The other annoying thing is that as IRA levels for 2008 changed to $5,000 and will be pegged to inflation from 2009 going forward, I need to adjust my monthly contribution to be sure that I take full advantage of this account. Why I can’t just check a box that says “I want to max out my Roth IRA so you do the math” I have no clue. Instead, I have to manually change my monthly automatic deposit.

OK, I know for those of you who are looking forward to a weekend of poring over income statements and sifting through charitable giving receipts have no sympathy for me. Here’s an idea for the powers that be. Let’s simplify the tax code.

To help you in your final tax-filing moments, the IRS has created podcast for you of last minute tips.

Happy listening– and filing!

This Saturday, the IRS and its partners around the country are offering help to individuals who don’t normally file an income tax return, but need to this year in order to receive their economic stimulus money.

Read the full press release.

Minnesota’s IRS assistance centers open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. are:
Minneapolis at 250 Marquette Ave.
St. Paul at 30 E. Seventh St.—Wells Fargo Place building
Mankato at 1921 Excel Dr.
Rochester at 21 S. W. Second St.

AccountAbility Minnesota and AARP also have open sites. A list of IRS offices and partner sites providing assistance on Super Saturday is available at www.irs.gov or by calling
the IRS Hotline, 1-800-906-9887.

Americans tackling the form on their own and in need of advice can call 1-866-234-2942 on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time.

First, apologies to anyone who was caught in my spam moderator. It’s been on steroids this week.

Now for yet another announcement from the IRS about money owed to some lucky taxpayers. But you have to work to get it.

Unclaimed refunds totaling approximately $1.2 billion are awaiting about 1.3 million people who failed to file a federal income tax return for 2004, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2004 must be filed with an IRS office no later than Tuesday, April 15, 2008.

In Minnesota, $16 million awaits 19,200 Minnesotans, with the average refund due in the ballpark of $500.

Check out the state-by-state breakdown.

Fearing such an announcement will get the attention of scam artists, IRS spokeswoman Carrie Resch reminds taxpayers that the IRS does not e-mail or send phone calls to individuals regarding unclaimed money, or most anything for that matter. To report a possible scam, e-mail phishing@irs.gov.

Here’s a link to the IRS’ 2008 so-called dirty dozen tax scams. Web-based phishing schemes and misdoings around the economic stimulus rebates top the list.

The IRS just released the stimulus payment schedule, which it based on the last two digits of Social Security numbers.The first payment will be sent out on May 2nd.

Drumroll, please:

Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns
Received and Processed by April 15

But remember, you have to file your tax return to get a payment. Here’s the full press release.

I had two questions for my IRS spokeswoman Carrie Resch:

#1: If you filed jointly, whose SSN does the IRS use? (Answer: The person who is primary on the tax form).

#2: If you already filed and did not receive a tax refund, does that mean that you will receive a paper check? (Answer: Yes, unless you provided direct deposit information on
that return in anticipation of the stimulus payment. If you still haven’t filed, owe tax and want your stimulus payment direct deposited, the IRS encourages you to complete the direct deposit portion of the 2007 tax return.)

Bad luck, Kara. I am listed as the primary on my return, have a SSN that ends in far higher digits than my husband’s, and filed without direct deposit since we owed. ETA for our stimulus check? July!

The IRS also posted a calculator over the weekend to help you figure out just how much money to expect.

There’s been plenty of confusion about the economic stimulus payments and the IRS has done its best to make sure no rebate is left unclaimed. Here’s the latest (expect a schedule of who gets rebates when very soon):

ST. PAUL - Starting next week, the Internal Revenue Service will mail
special information packages to approximately 250,000 Minnesota
recipients of Social Security or Veterans Affairs benefits to help them
get their 2008 economic stimulus payment.

The 10-page tax package contains everything the recipients will need to
file a 2007 tax form immediately. Each package contains an informational
notice, tips for completing Form 1040A, a sample Form 1040A and an
actual Form 1040A for the filer to complete.

The package is specially designed for people who may qualify for an
economic stimulus payment but who normally aren’t required to file a tax
return.