State: Income Tax Call Center open through Tuesday’s filing deadline

The state Department of Taxation and Finance has extended the hours of its Income Tax Call Center through Tuesday’s filing deadline to assist taxpayers with last-minute questions.

The call center, which can be reached by calling 518-457-5181, will remain open until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Its normal hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“We’re expanding our hours of operation to assist more customers,” acting Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion said in a news release from the state Department of Finance. “So far this tax season, representatives have answered more than 321,000 calls from taxpayers regarding tax return filing questions and refund status. They expect to answer about 30,000 additional calls over the final two days of the season.”

For taxpayers comfortable using a home computer or mobile device, many questions can also be answered quickly by visiting www.tax.ny.gov.

According to the release, more than 9.2 million taxpayers have accessed the Tax Department’s website so far this income tax season. Nearly 75,000 have accessed the free filing page, while nearly 2.5 million have checked their refund status using the Tax Department’s online tool.

The refund tool is available at www.tax.ny.gov (search for check your refund) and is updated daily. It provides the same information available from the automated refund telephone line (518-457-5149) and from call center representatives. Both options are available 24 hours a day seven days a week.