WASHINGTON, DC - As April 17 approaches - the deadline for filing Federal and District taxes - the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue is extending its hours and opening its doors on Saturdays to help taxpayers who may need assistance filing their individual income taxes. The agency's Customer Service Walk-in Center, located at 941 North Capitol Street NE, on the first floor, will open on the following Saturdays: April 8 and April 15 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. During the week of April 10, the Walk-in Center, as well as the Telephone Information Center, at (202) 727-4829 (4TAX), will be open from 8:15 am to 7:00 pm. On Monday, April 17, the agency will remain open until 8:00 pm.

"Our goal is to make sure every District taxpayer has all the information and help necessary to file their taxes in a timely manner," said Dr. Natwar M. Gandhi, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Tax and Revenue. The agency, which collects nearly $2.8 billion in taxes annually, also recently improved the information taxpayers can download from the Internet, such as tax forms; electronic, telephone, and credit card filing options; tax rates; the real property tax roll; publications; and a variety of other tax-related services. The Web site can be accessed at www.dccfo.com under "Taxpayer Services" or at www.washingtondc.gov under "DC Taxes." Additionally, the agency offers free tax preparation services. Taxpayers must first have filled out their Federal tax forms and bring all tax-related documentation with them for assistance.

This year, taxpayers are receiving refunds from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue in less than 15 days, with the average refund dollar amount being $459.14. As of April 6, 125,201 people have filed their taxes.