Stimulating expenses

COSTA MESA — Nancy Haro will likely receive several hundred dollars from the government this spring as the Bush administration tries to boost the flagging economy. But she doesn’t plan to do any shopping.

Like many expected recipients of the rebate checks, Haro — a bilingual testing clerk for the Garden Grove Unified School District — has more pressing needs in mind.

“I’m in arrears financially,” Haro said in line Friday morning at Share Our Selves, a Costa Mesa nonprofit that provides assistance to homeless and low-income families. “That’s why I’m here. What do you think I’ll spend it on?”

Share Our Selves, like other sites throughout Orange County, has scrambled the last few weeks to help people file their tax returns before the deadline Tuesday.

Starting in May, the government plans to mail tax rebate checks of up to $600 per person, and for seniors, single parents and others who are struggling to cover expenses, that money can provide considerable relief.

What it probably won’t provide, for many, is a splurge at the local shopping center. Even a number of Newport-Mesa residents far above the poverty line said they expected to use the money to pay off debts or cover rent. The clients at places like Share Our Selves, whose main income is often an unemployment check, have it tougher than most.

“It makes a lot of difference,” case manager Yadira Gomez said. “They’re low-income as it is, so that could help move them to an apartment, or for their children, it could be enough to buy school uniforms. It does help a lot.”

In February, Congress passed a $168-billion stimulus package to put tax money back in the hands of consumers. To be eligible for a rebate, a taxpayer must have a valid Social Security number, make at least $3,000 a year and file a 2007 federal tax return. Individuals will receive between $300 and $600, while couples who file jointly will get up to $1,200 along with $300 for each qualifying child. Individuals who make more than $75,000 a year, or couples who make more than $150,000, will get either a smaller rebate or none at all.

However, people who are usually exempt from filing a tax return, including retirees and disabled veterans, can get stimulus checks if they file by the deadline. Officials at the Oasis Senior Center and Costa Mesa Senior Center said they had offered services the last few weeks to help seniors fill out the forms.

“A lot of seniors were concerned,” said Arlene Flanagan, the president of the Costa Mesa Senior Center’s board of directors. “They wanted their $300, and they didn’t know how to do it.”

Vicki Chin, the social services coordinator for the Oasis Senior Center, said only a few people at her center had needed consultation to apply for their tax rebates, since most of them filed returns anyway.

“Just because of Newport Beach, a lot of people are wealthier,” she said.

LAST CALL

Nearby post offices that will accept mail until midnight Tuesday:

 2300 Redondo Ave., Long Beach

 3101 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana

 2201 N. Grand Ave., Santa Ana

Source: United States Postal Service

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.