BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s delinquent taxpayers have just about a week left to seek a reprieve from penalties in paying their back-owed taxes through the state’s amnesty program.

State officials are crossing their fingers that the applications and settlement agreements pour in over the final days, to keep the state’s budget balanced.

Lawmakers anticipated collecting $200 million from the tax amnesty program this year. Without that cash, they’ll face a huge hole in planned spending for health care services.

Revenue Secretary Tim Barfield wouldn’t provide specific numbers about dollars already paid. But he says his department has received thousands of applications so far and the trends suggest the state will hit the needed amount for the budget.

The amnesty program runs through Nov. 22. Details are available at www.ldrtaxamnesty.com .