For those that have been putting off filing their taxes, today marks a nerve-wracking milestone: there are only three more weeks to file your taxes before the April 15th deadline.

While professional tax preparers warn not to stress out about the process, they do recommend giving yourself enough time to complete your filing in case you need to located misplaced documents or complete additional forms.

Many Americans are hoping to cash in on one of the many economy stimulus programs, including cash-for-clunkers and the first-time home buyer credit. Those applicants should know that many of these programs require additional forms or documentation and should plan accordingly.

If you have any questions about government credits or tax filing in general, it may pay to consult a professional tax preparer. Often times a little extra money spent on sound advice can end up getting you hundreds more in refund dollars you might have overlooked.

For those that can’t wait the average 6-10 weeks it takes to receive a refund, online cash advances may be able to get you the money you need to cover immediate expenses.

Arizona lawmakers are continuing to receive pleas from officials representing the payday loan industry urging them to consider extending provisions that allow lenders to sidestep interest rate caps and serve the customers who need them.

In an editorial published in Tuesday’s edition of The Arizona Republic, Gerri Guzman – the executive director of the Consumer Rights Coalition – threw her support behind the push to keep payday loans unregulated.

Referencing a previous initiative to extend a timeframe for the short-term loans to avoid interest rate caps that was voted down in 2008, Guzman said that much of the public has not learned enough about payday loans to cast judgement on them.

“What about all of the consumers who weighed their options – bouncing a check, overdrawing their bank account, not paying their bills on time – and concluded that a payday loan was their best, least-expensive option?” asked Guzman. “I represent an organization of more than 115,000 of these consumers – 4,000 in Arizona alone.”

According to the Associated Press, Arizona’s Senate Appropriations Committee is not turning a blind eye to attempts at keeping the loans alive in the state. On Tuesday they will hear a proposed bill that would allow payday lenders to continue operating in exemption of the state’s 36 percent cap on annual interest rates.