Chicago Slacking On Taxes: Second Latest Filers In The Country

The deadline to file taxes is creeping up, but Chicagoans are in no hurry.

According to Intuit Inc., makers of Turbo Tax software, Chicago is the number two city in terms of putting off tax filing, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The numbers came from 20 million 2008 tax returns filed with TurboTax in April 2009, WSJ reports. Here are the ten cities that wait the longest to file:

1. Houston, Texas (last year, #2)

2. Chicago, Ill. (#4)

3. New York, N.Y. (#3)

4. Austin, Texas (#11)

5. San Francisco, Calif. (#1)

6. Seattle, Wash. (#7)

7. San Diego, Calif. (#5)

8. Los Angeles, Calif. (#8)

9. Dallas, Texas (#9)

10. Las Vegas, Nev. (#10)

Some states that topped the late-filer list last year fell out of the top ten this year. WSJ reports:

This phenomenon of states dropping significantly could be caused either by fewer people filing overall, or because unemployment is higher, therefore more taxpayers are eager to receive their refunds more quickly, says Bob Meighan, the vice president of Turbo Tax. Some 80% of filers receive a refund and the average refund is around $2,700, he says.

TurboTax tries to urge customers to file early, but Meighan told the Wall Street Journal that there is always a big surge during the final hours of tax season:

"Basically 75% of our infrastructure is built to accommodate one day of the year," he said.