By Ashlyn Rhodes

April 15 is the deadline to file your taxes.  John Barrett is the Public Affairs Spokesman for the Franchise Tax Board of California.  He says April 15 is the deadline to get your money in to the tax board but Californians get an automatic extension for their state tax paperwork until October 15.  If you want an extension for filing your federal taxes, you’ll have to submit an extension request to the IRS.  If you can’t make your tax payment by April 15, you can call the Franchise Tax Board of California and work out a payment plan.  Barrett says the tax board has a wealth of resources to make paying your taxes as painless as possible.

click to hear John Barrett

Another thing to look out for are tax scams, which only add more stress to the season.  Barrett says the Franchise Tax Board and IRS will always mail you a notice about an outstanding balance before they call you and that they will never ask you to make a payment with a debit card.  You can contact either agency and check on your account if you are unsure about a call you receive.

For more information about filing your taxes, deadlines, or scams, you can go to the tax board’s website at FTB.CA.gov or call 800-852-5711.  You can find federal tax information online at IRS.gov.