Yes, you can get free
tax help from the IRS. Americans shell out $7.5 billion every tax year to have someone else prepare their
tax returns. Three tax seasons ago, 1.5 million people paid someone else to fill out their
Form 1040EZ,
the basic one-page tax return with only twelve lines. Many IRS offices offer walk-in
tax help for
technical or tax questions about tax forms and tax returns. Check the federal government listings in
the telephone book for the IRS office nearest you.
The IRS sponsors volunteer
tax help programs and offers help to taxpayers in many of
its IRS offices and other community locations.
The Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance Program, (VITA), involves IRS trained volunteers who provide
free tax help at community locations to individuals who need tax help with basic
tax return preparation. VITA is aimed at those for whom paid tax help may be out
of reach, those who are non-English speaking, persons with disabilities, those with a low
income, the elderly, and other individuals with special needs.
The Tax
Counseling for the Elderly Program, TCE, provides free tax help and
tax return preparation to people age 60 and above, particularly those who are confined to
their residences or retirement communities. It's administered by the IRS in
cooperation with non-profit groups. The IRS trained volunteers provide free tax
help
and basic tax return preparation to senior citizens. Volunteers travel to
taxpayers' homes if they are unable to come to a local TCE site. Visit the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP) tax aid site to locate the nearest TCE facility.
You can get free telephone
tax help by calling 1-800-829-1040. Getting through can be
difficult during the peak tax season, the 1˝ months leading up to the April
15th tax deadline. The best times
to call are early in the morning and later in the week. When calling this
tax help number, you may
ask tax questions to help you prepare your tax return, or ask about a notice you may have
received from the IRS. Also, in certain areas, the IRS has local offices you may visit to receive
tax help.
The Community Outreach Tax Education Program offers free tax seminars to groups of
people sharing common tax interests. IRS employees or trained volunteers conduct tax
information seminars at convenient times and places in the community. The seminars can
cover a variety of tax topics tailored to the needs of your organization's members and may
include films or videotapes and discussion of tax questions. This program also offers
line-by-line self-help tax return preparation for taxpayers who want to prepare their own
tax returns.
If you plan to take advantage of any of the volunteer
tax help programs or the
self-help tax return preparation, be sure to bring your current year blank tax forms,
Form W-2's, Form 1099's, a list of taxable income and expenses, and a copy of last year's
tax return.
