Let your fingers do the tax filing

Tasha Bartholomew
Staff writer

For students who are short on cash and would like to get their tax refunds within a matter of weeks, TeleFile is a new and quick way to receive money by touch-tone phone.

Representatives from the Internal Revenue Service and the Franchise Tax Board came to SF State Tuesday for "Campus Tax Day" to encourage students to use TeleFile.

FTB representatives said TeleFile is ideal for students who earn less than $50,000 a year, have no itemized deductions and have no dependents.

According to Denise Quade, a spokesperson for FTB, TeleFile is another quick form to use compared to computer filing.

"I think TeleFile is a positive government program that's targeted for people with a simpler lifestyle," Quade said.

She said there was a fairly good turnout. Several dozen students dropped by periodically throughout the day, but not as many as she would have liked to have seen.

This is the first year California has used the TeleFiling system for the 540EZ form.

The FTB has mailed out more than 1.6 million booklets and already 120,000 people have used TeleFile.

This is the second year the IRS has used this system and nearly 3 million people TeleFiled last year.

Thomas Buckingham, a sophomore political science major, is one of those people who has used TeleFile for the past two years.

"I like TeleFile because it's convenient, easier, and quicker than sending it through the mail and it also calculates everything out for you," Buckingham said. "I've recommended it to several of my friends."

To use TeleFile, people need to receive a booklet with a form inside from either the FTB or IRS. Each booklet contains a Personal Identification Number, so lost booklets can not be replaced.

Maricruz Lazcon, a senior biology major, learned that the hard way. She received her booklets during the holiday break and accidentally misplaced them. When she couldn't find them, she called the FTB and the IRS to request that they send her replacement booklets and got rude responses instead.

"They told me they couldn't give me new booklets because of the PIN that's on each booklet," Lazcon said. "They also said I would have to file the regular forms, but I still haven't received those booklets yet."

Both the FTB and IRS TeleFile systems are toll-free and available 24 hours a day.

When filing through FTB, one can expect a refund within 10 days. IRS refunds can take up to 21 days to arrive.

A confirmation number is given as verification before refunds are disbursed. Checks are sent by mail or can be directly deposited into checking or savings accounts.

"I used TeleFile last year and liked the fact that I got my money so quickly, but I don't trust them putting the money into my bank account," said Janet Reyes, a junior liberal arts major. "The government already knows too much, they don't need to know everything."

[ Golden Gater - March 4, 1997 ]