Top 10 Ways to Get Help from IRS.gov
These timely tax tips come from Melody J. Green, stakeholder liaison with the IRS office in St. Louis.
When you’re looking for tax information, you want to find it as quickly and easily as possible. And a great place to start is the IRS Homepage.
1. Get 24/7 Access. Whether you do your taxes during the day or burn the midnight oil, IRS.gov has the tax forms and answers you need when you need them. The Interactive Tax Assistant is a helpful tool that will answer many of your tax law questions.
2. Use Free File. Anyone can prepare and e-file their taxes for free with IRS Free File. If you made $57,000 or less, you qualify to use free tax software. If your income is more than $57,000 or you feel comfortable preparing your own tax return, use Free File Fillable Forms. IRS Free File
3. Try IRS e-file. Whether you do your own taxes or hire a preparer, IRS e-file is the safest, easiest and most popular way to file a complete and accurate tax return. If you owe taxes, e-file gives you options to file early and pay by the tax deadline. If you are due a refund, you should receive it in less than 21 days.
4. Check Your Refund Status. You can track your refund using the enhanced “Where’s My Refund?” tool. You can start checking on the status of your refund within 24 hours after the IRS has received your e-filed return or four weeks after you mail a paper return. The tool includes a tracker that displays the progress of your return. Once IRS approves your refund, “Where’s My Refund?” will give a date to expect your refund. Where’s My Refund?
5. Make Payments Electronically. E-payment options are a convenient, safe and secure way to pay taxes. You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal, use a credit or debit card or enroll in the U.S. Treasury’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System.
6. Use the EITC Assistant. The Earned Income Tax Credit is a tax credit for working people who earned less than $50,270 in 2012. The credit can be worth as much as $5,891.
7. Get Tax Forms and Publications. You can view and download tax forms and publications any time. It’s the easiest way to get IRS forms and publications.
8. Figure the Right Withholding. The IRS Withholding Calculator will help to ensure you don’t have too much or too little income tax withheld from your pay.
9. Request a Payment Agreement. Paying all your taxes on time avoids penalties and interest. However, if you cannot pay your taxes in full you may be eligible to use the Online Payment Agreement Application to request an installment agreement.
10. Get the Latest Tax Law Changes. Learn about tax law changes that may affect your tax return. Special sections of the website highlight changes that affect individual and business taxpayers.
The address of the official IRS website: http://www.irs.gov. Don’t be misled by sites that claim to be the IRS but end in .com, .net, .org.
Content provided by Kate Pope Hodel of MOSourceLink, a proud affiliate of U.S.SourceLink, America’s largest resource network for entrepreneurs.
