BATON ROUGE - With the start of April, the countdown to get taxes filed is on.

All taxes must be filed by Apr. 15 unless authorized through an extension.

If you need more time you can request an extension by the same deadline to avoid penalties.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), they received 1.1% fewer returns so far this year and overall $55 million dollars in refunds have been given as of Mar. 21.

To file taxes, you need to gather your W-2s, 1099s and any deduction paperwork. You can file online or at your nearest tax filer.

If you have already filed and your refund is taking longer than expected, you are not alone.

You can check the status of your refund using the online "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS' website.