Confusion Over Tulsa Post Office Hours Leads To Some Late Tax Filers

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- At least 100 Tulsa area residents missed the tax filing deadline because of confusion over a change the post office made this year.

News On 6 reported Monday morning that the postal location at Tulsa International Airport was going to be the only location in northeast Oklahoma to be open after hours, but many last-minute filers headed to the downtown Tulsa post office out of habit.

In the past, the downtown location had been open until midnight on deadline day.

But just like last year, the postal service kept only the airport post office open late.

Monday night, cars lined up outside of the downtown Tulsa post office.  Some came from as far as Jenks and Owasso to drop off their documents.

Many said they expected to see postal workers standing outside with bins to collect mail until midnight. They quickly realized something was wrong and they were about to miss the deadline.

"I've walked around the post office probably where I shouldn't have and I looked in the windows, and there's not one person moving around in there. There's a few cars outside and I didn't see any indication of any people, and I think that's a big letdown actually," said taxpayer Don Evans.

If you missed the deadline you need to get your tax return in the mail as soon as possible.

The Internal Revenue Service says you'll likely face a 5 percent penalty for filing late. That means if you owed $100, you'll now owe $105.

According to the IRS website, www.irs.gov, you will not have to pay the penalty if you can show reasonable cause for not filing on time.  There's no word yet on whether confusion at the post office will be considered reasonable cause.

If you went to the wrong post office Monday night or missed the deadline for another reason, you can call the IRS hotline at 1-800-829-1040 for more information.

4/18/2011 Related Story: Monday, April 18, 2011 Is Deadline To Mail In Your Taxes