Visitors to the Missouri Department of Revenue's Jefferson City tax assistance office have access to a text alert feature that allows them to wait in their car or outside the building before staff are ready to offer assistance to them.
DOR Director Ken Zellers said during one of Gov. Mike Parson's daily briefings this week that four of the state's six tax assistance offices are open for in-person services again, including the office in Jefferson City.
The offices in Cape Girardeau, Joplin and Springfield are also open, although the Kansas City and St. Louis locations remain closed to walk-in customers.
The Jefferson City office is located in the Harry S. Truman State Office Building, Room 330, at 301 W. High St.
People entering the Truman Building are being screened.
"Before deciding to reopen these offices, we considered factors such as county data, local stay-at-home orders and office traffic. We have also taken extra precautions to help ensure the continued health and safety of our customers and team members," Zellers said in a Thursday news release.
A "virtual lobby" system is being piloted at the Jefferson City office, and visitors there have the option of receiving a text alert when it's their turn to be assisted. The system will soon be implemented at the other tax assistance office locations, according to the news release.
Plexiglass shields have been installed at staff workstations, and the number of customers who can be in the lobby at one time is limited.
Staff at the offices can provide assistance including with business tax registration, no tax due assistance, accepting payments and accepting completed returns.
Department staff in Jefferson City can also assist with income tax compliance, corporate income tax questions, and lien or garnishment resolution.
Office staff can help connect customers with tax preparation resources, though those services are not available at the offices.
More information on available services - including services available by phone - and on office hours is available online at dor.mo.gov/tax_assistance_office.php.