HOUSTON – You've got days to file your taxes. Tax Day is Tuesday, April 17, and if you still haven't filed, you're going to need all the help you can get.
There are some tax breaks and deductions you may qualify for this year related to Hurricane Harvey that could mean instead of owing hundreds of dollars, you'll get thousands back.
Harvey destroyed more than 15,000 homes in Texas. Those are losses that homeowners can write off on their taxes.
"Because the casualty loss is so big for most people, they probably won't owe any tax on April 17," said Certified Public Accountant Bob Martin.
Martin says homeowners who lost everything may want to file for an extension to wait for the appraisal district to give them the new market value of their home. You will then have until October to deduct those casualty losses from your income, either in 2017 or retroactively from your 2016 income.
"For a lot of people, their income may have been higher in 2016 because their income went down in 2017 because they couldn't work because of the post-Harvey problems," Martin said.
Even if you just had leaky windows or a roof, you can write off the loss in market value to your home if you live in a county affected by Hurricane Harvey.
"Think about all the number of people that ended up getting automobiles after the flood," Martin said.
You can write off the sales tax on that new vehicle and any big purchases like furniture and appliances. With the new tax law taking effect next year, 2017 will be the last year that you can write off sales tax.
"If you are required to work at home, it's possible that you qualify for a home office deduction," Martin said. "And that's another one that's going away."
Tax software like Turbo Tax does a good job of walking you through all of these possible deductions. Whether you're filing your return or filing an extension, you should do it online.
"You'll get a receipt right away if you do it online," Martin said. "You'll know that they received it."
It is not too late to get free help doing all of the paperwork and filing. If you make no more than $58,000 a year, you can walk into one of 11 tax centers by Baker Ripley with volunteer IRS-certified tax preparers to help. Click here to find a location near you.