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Friday, April 3. 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Chad DeShazo/KANSAN
Forms may not tax students, expert says
By PEGGY O'BRIEN
Marc Jaben, Lawrence junior, practices T'ai Chi, a form of self-discipline, which he says unifies his mind and body. Jaben practiced yesterday in South Park.
Like it or not, the deadline for filing 1986 federal and state income tax returns is drawing near.
Staff writer
But local tax experts say the process should be painless for most students.
Individuals filing an income tax return for the first time may make fewer mistakes than those who have done returns for years, an Internal Revenue Service spokesman said last week.
"The mistakes are usually simple clerical errors and don't involve complicated tax issues," said James Kamsuzak, Kansas IRS spokesman.
Fine form
A few errors, such as transposing numbers, forgetting to sign a return or failing to make an entry on the correct line are common to both novice and experienced filers, he said.
Midnight, April 15, is the deadline for filing 1986 tax returns. Bill Reynolds, Lawrence postmaster, said the postal service would keep the main office at 445 Vermont St. open until
Reynolds said that a self-service stamp machine would be available and that an extra postal worker would be on duty to assist last-minute filers. He said people shouldn't plan to find tax forms cr instruction books the last day because the office probably wouldn't have any left.
midnight on the 15th.
Reynolds also warned that individuals who mail tax returns in mailboxes should check the schedule posted on the box to make sure their forms would be postmarked the day they intended them to be postmarked.
Individuals who are single, have no dependents and make less than $50,000 a year can file the 1042 EZ form, what Manuszak called the IRS "no-frills tax return." This form takes little time to fill out and saves the IRS time in processing and correcting errors, he said.
Although students who are entrepreneurs may have complicated tax records, most college students can file the 1040 EZ. Manuszak said.
Kirsten Andersen, tax practitioner and owner of the Lawrence Tax
Center, 1203 Iowa St., said that depending on the number of W-2 forms a student had, the procedure for filling out the IRS form should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes.
Nemeecek said that this was the third time she'd filed and that she'd never needed any help filling out the forms.
"The 1040 EZ was simple," said Lisa Nemecke, Overland Park sophomore. "In fact, the Kansas form was more complicated."
She said that, unlike the last two years, this year she filed early. She already has received her refund.
Andersen and Manuszak both advised that filers make sure they had all their records, such as W-2s and 1099s. Form 1099 is the information form from banks, credit unions and other sources that report money not subject to withholding. The form is not mailed in with the return.
"'t needed the money,'" Nemecek said.
Andersen said that students might get hung up trying to find the W-2 forms they needed to accurately fill out their returns. But, she said,
getting a duplicate from an employer, past or present, shouldn't be a problem.
"The biggest problem is getting everything together, remembering all the jobs the student may have had," Andersen said.
She said that students receiving scholarships or grants did not need to report that income for 1986 but that most of them would become taxable in 1987 because of recent federal tax reform laws.
Married couples filing a joint return can claim the spousal deduction, which allows them to deduct 10 percent of the lower-paid spouse's income, up to $3,000.
Andersen also said child care was deductable on both federal and state taxes.
For state income tax returns, which have the same April 15th deadline as the federal forms, wage files are filed in each state they've worked on.
"Even if you've only made $100 in Kansas and the state withheld $20, you'll want to that money back," Andersen said.
On the Record
- A KU student's purse and its contents, valued at $57, were taken about 3:00 p.m. Wednesday from the ground near a tennis court at Robinson Gymnasium, KU police reported.
- A color television set valued at $50 was taken about 5 a.m. Thursday from Blalock Hall on the Haskell Indian Junior College campus, Lawrence police reported.
A shirt and a pinstripe suit coat, valued at $208, were taken Wednesday night from a department store in the 1800 block of 23rd Street, Lawrence police reported.
KU STUDENTS
1987 KANSAS RELAYS BUTTONS HAVE ARRIVED!!
If you purchased an All-Sports Ticket you may stop by the ticket office in Allen Field House and pick up your Relays button
If you didn't purchase an All-Sports Ticket,you can still get a button for only $2.00 until April 17.
This years Highlights include:
- Over 250 high school, college and university teams from over 20 states compete for Kansas Relays championships.
- Al Oerter, 4 time Olympic gold medalist
- Over 250 high school, college and university teams
- Over 1,000 runners to compete in Kansas Relays marathon and 10,000 meter town and campus road race.
Stop By:
Athletic Ticket Office
Allen Field House
Lawrence Kansas, 66045
more info call 864-3141
The University of Kansas Men's Glee Club in concert Neil Brown, conductor Friday, April 3, 1987, 8:00 P.M. Swarthout Recital Hall Free and open to the public
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