SAN DIEGO — If you live in San Diego County, next Monday, Oct. 16 is the deadline to file your state and federal taxes.

“If you don’t file by Monday, there’s a late filing penalty associated with not filing a return correctly and that penalty is not going to get waived,” said Sam Brotman, managing attorney at Brotman Law.

Harsh winter storms led to the six-month extension. The extension applied to almost all counties across California, including San Diego. It was meant to give taxpayers time to recover from any damage and to claim any deductions for disaster loss.

Brotman says whether you make the deadline or not, accuracy will help you avoid an audit.

“If it’s a choice between just turning something in and or filing something that’s going to be accurate, you probably want to take the penalty and wait to file something that’s accurate,” he said.

With seven days or less, does the average person still have time to file?

Brotman says simple returns can get done fairly quickly through a number of online options, but if possible, see a certified public accountant.

‘“You’re going to get a really good value in the fees for what you pay the CPA. You’re probably going to generate a lot of tax deductions and a lot of credits that you may be have not known existed,” Brotman said.

Brotman also warns both the IRS and California are increasing their tax enforcement.

“California is much more aggressive than the IRS when it comes to enforcement. Rules in our state are written not in favor of the taxpayer and so it’s just tough for taxpayers in California,” Brotman said.

If filing didn’t go exactly how you hoped this year, Brotman recommends meeting with an accountant in the offseason to get a jump on next year.