Office Depot Lends a Helping Hand During Tax Season with Tips for Organized Filing

The end of January marks the unofficial start of tax season as W2 statements are distributed and even the most orderly people become scattered with receipts, forms and statements. To help business professionals get a jump on tax season, Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, is offering useful tips and an organizational plan that will make preparing to file taxes seem a little less "taxing.” Millions of Americans will spend countless hours searching for important documents, scanning old receipts and collecting files needed to calculate their taxes in the coming months. To help get organized for tax return preparation, Office Depot has created a plan available at www.officedepot.com/getorganized featuring advice from organizing expert Stephanie Winston, The New York Times bestselling author of Getting Organized. "Taxes can be less of a hassle if you file receipts and records consistently throughout the year,” Winston said. "It’s never too early to get organized.” According to Winston, following these steps will help save valuable time and minimize frustration when preparing to file taxes. Create An Expanding File: At the beginning of each year, make sure to create an accordion file with tabs to store receipts. Label the sections for "W2 and Wage Statements,” "Investments,” ”Mortgage,” and so on. Make sure to continue to update these files throughout the year so you don’t find yourself frantically searching for documents when it comes time to file. Schedule Time For Taxes: Don’t wait until March when the collective panic starts to set in. Make an appointment with yourself or with an accountant by mid-February to get your tax materials organized so you can file on time without an extension. Keep It Together: It’s important to have a single location that holds all tax information. File any new paperwork in a single place as soon as you receive it to ensure you can locate it when it’s time to file. If you don’t already have a system in place, create one. Record Storage: Even as you begin to file your taxes for this year, you will also need to start collecting and organizing next year’s materials. To avoid confusion, Winston suggests labeling two sets of accordion folders – utilizing one expanding file folder for the new materials, while keeping records from the preceding year in a separate file. Winston recommends the following products for organized and efficient tax filing: Tax Software: File taxes yourself with the assistance of professional software that helps find deductions you might not know about. With TurboTax ($19.99 to $99.99), tax payers will be able to quickly and accurately complete their returns. Printing Calculator: Check your work on tax forms by using a printing calculator to verify that the correct numbers were inputted and the right total is listed. The Ativa Printing Calculator ($29.99) features a convenient tax estimator and item counter function in order to help you navigate through taxes with confidence. Accordion Folder: Look for an expandable file folder such as the Office Depot Xtralife Expanding File ($13.49) that has at least 16 sections where receipts and statements can be stored and quickly located. Shredder: Since tax forms have important personal information included, use a diamond-cut shredder to cut documents into tiny, unusable pieces before discarding. The Ativa CX10W Diamond Cut Shredder from Office Depot ($99.99) provides the ultimate in shredding functionality with enhanced styling that will blend into any home or office space. Additional tips and solutions to get organized and prepared for the tax season can be found in the Office Depot Five-Day Office Makeover, which is available for free download at www.officedepot.com/getorganized. About Office Depot Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of nearly $15 billion, and employs approximately 50,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 42 countries. Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel – from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. As of September 30, 2006, Office Depot had 1,121 retail stores in North America and another 323 stores, either company-owned, licensed or franchised, in other parts of the world. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites. With $4.2 billion in online sales during the last twelve months, the Company is also one of the world’s largest e-commerce retailers. Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.