Financially Strapped Residents Are Filing Early for Fast Cash
Hurt by the recession and desperate for cash, Washington area residents are filing their income tax returns earlier this year and in many cases using the refund money to keep a roof over their heads and groceries on the table.</br></br>The number of early filers was up about 80 percent by the beginning of February compared with the same time last year, according to managers at H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt, two of the areaÛªs largest tax preparation companies, and the number ÛÏWe're hearing a lot of sad stories. TheyÛªve just lost their jobs, or they need the money to make a loan payment or to pay the rent,Û said Mary Buttrey, an assistant district manager for H&R Block who oversees offices in the District and in Prince GeorgeÛªs, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties.</br></br>Hinit Bekele, of Alexandria, filed her taxes Tuesday, and under an instant refund program she will get an $800 check within the next few days. ÛÏWe donÛªt have money for</br></br>rent, for food, for clothing, for anything,Û said Bekele, a 24-year-old mother of one who lost her job as a waitress last month. Right now the only paycheck in the family is brought home by her husband, Mustafa Sulem, who works part time as a department store portrait photographer. The tax refund will tide the family over, she said, until she receives her first unemployment check.</br></br>ÛÏThe recession has really hurt,Û said Charlotte R. Haney, a regional district manager for Jackson Hewitt, which has 35 offices in the Washington area, many of them in Montgomery Ward stores. "People need to get their money as soon as possible.Û