By Daily Press staff
Staples in Santa Monica is providing free copies of your 2004 tax return. In an age when more people are filing taxes electronically, you still need to keep a hard copy of the return.
“We have all become so comfortable storing and sending data electronically that many people are not keeping hard copies of important documents,” said John Burke, senior vice president of business services at Staples. “Nothing is easier to access and more reliable than a paper copy of your taxes.”
According to the Internal Revenue Service, 39.2 million 2004 tax returns had been filed electronically as of March 19. That’s up 2.1 million from last year. Taxpayers who require an exact copy of a previously filed tax return must file a Form 4506 and pay the IRS a $39 fee.
Experts recommend keeping a file of tax returns and any records reported in the return including worksheets, payroll records, receipts, year-end interest statements and canceled checks for at least three years.
Documents that aren’t vital to record keeping should be shredded to protect against identity theft.
To make it easy for last-minute filers to get a free copy of their tax returns, mobile Staples copy and print centers will be set up at select post offices across the country on April 15.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 13, 2005. Read the original PDF.