The deadline to file income tax returns is midnight tonight, and Internal Revenue Service records indicate several hundred thousand Missourians have waited until the final day or so to take care of business.

Michael Devine, with the IRS in St. Louis, says IRS offices are open for business today for anyone who needs some last minute help.  Devine reminds anyone who needs more time to file for an extension. By doing that, the taxpayer avoids penalties associated with non-filing.  By filing an extension request, the taxpayer does not avoid paying taxes owed. The taxpayer must still pay whatever he or she can pay today.

Filers got a couple of extra days this year because April 15th fell on a Sunday and the 16th was a holiday in the District of Columbia.