Free Federal Tax Help
- barrieabalard
- February 18th, 2010
Haven’t done your taxes yet?
Me, neither.
The large snowfalls have delayed my annual scan of my records for anything I might have missed regarding deductions for my business(es) and for our personal returns. Of course, I double-check my income, too, which comes from many sources, some of which do not send 1099 forms. We use and like the paid version of TurboTax because of the various Schedules we file, but there are ways to find free tax help, and even have your returns done for you and/or filed for free.
The IRS
The IRS offers help over the phone, online, and in person. They even have a PDF file that details all the free tax services offered for 2010. You can:
- Ask questions (1-800-829-1040) or request forms for the current and previous tax years (1-800-TAX-FORM [1-800-829-3676]). TTY/TDD for both questions and forms: 1-800-829-4059. You can also search the IRS web site for forms. Also, traditionally post offices and some libraries carry forms, but because forms are easily available over the Internet, these sources are not as plentiful as they once were.
- Call to hear prerecorded messages on a variety of taxation topics: 1-800-829-4477. You can also search the IRS web site for such information.
- Obtain face-to-face help at your local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC). To locate the closest TAC, go to the IRS web site and click the “Individuals” button (top left). Then click “Contact My Local Office.” Scroll down to the map and click your state. I was surprised to find a TAC right in my town! You can also locate a TAC by calling 1-800-829-1040.
Please note that the IRS has won tax court cases involving providing a taxpayer with information that caused them to run afoul of tax laws. So you might not want to make the IRS your only source of knowledge on a sticky question. And, if your return requires arcane forms, consider getting paid professional help. (My opinion: asking the IRS to figure your taxes is like asking a wolf to guard your prize lamb. He might not eat the lamb, but he won’t necessarily look out for your—and your lamb’s—best interests. He has his own interests that conflict with yours.)
Online, Non-IRS
Intuit’s TurboTax web site offers to do your Federal taxes online for free if you are filing the 1040EZ, the 1040A, or a 1040 with Schedules A, B, and/or EIC. Note that this Free Edition of TurboTax doesn’t cover Schedules C, D, E, and F, so if you need to file one or more of these forms, you will need the for-pay edition of TurboTax.
H&R Block and TaxACT both offer free online filing services as well.
Other tax filing web sites also exist, but I wouldn’t use any company I didn’t know for sure was legitimate. To me, setting up a fake tax filing site seems like an easy way to steal identity information, so be careful.
Your Community
The IRS sponsors the tax help programs Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), available in many communities across the country. Both of these programs use IRS-trained volunteers to provide free basic tax return preparation services. Volunteers range from college students to retired people.
VITA provides free tax help to: people who are disabled or have other special needs, people on fixed incomes, the elderly, those who don’t speak English and low-to-moderate income folks. The most recent income figures I could locate indicated that those with incomes below $42,000 are eligible. VITA sites are often found in community/neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, and shopping malls. Some locations have free electronic filing. Special note: military personnel and their families qualify for free tax help from VITA. To find a VITA site in your area, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
TCE provides free tax help primarily to people aged 60 and older (those who are younger are helped as the counselors’ time permits). The volunteers are often retired people affiliated with certain nonprofit organizations that receive IRS grants, such as AARP, which hosts thousands of clinics. For more information on the TCE program, or to find the locations, dates and hours of a TCE site near you, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. To locate an AARP Tax-Aide volunteer site, call 1-888-227-7669. You can also find information on the Internet at http://www.aarp.org. Type “taxaide” in the search box.
Tax Dispute Help for Lower-Income Folks
Here’s a program I didn’t know existed before researching this article. If you have a tax dispute or pending litigation with the IRS, the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC ) program serves individuals whose incomes are below 250% of the federal poverty income limits. LITCs are independent from the IRS, and many can represent income-eligible taxpayers during audits, appeals, and in tax collection disputes, for free or nearly so. If your native language isn’t English, some LITCs can provide multilingual information about your tax rights and responsibilities. See Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List, here (English) and here (Spanish), or call 1-800-TAX-FORM [1-800-829-3676].
Two additional links you might find of interest:
IRS web page summarizing where to find free tax help
Tickers: free tax filing, free tax help, online free tax filing, online tax help, Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), tax dispute help, tax help, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
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