How To Get Tax Help
If you have questions about a tax issue; need
help preparing your tax return; or want to down-
load free publications, forms, or instructions, go
to IRS.gov to find resources that can help you
right away.
Preparing and filing your tax return. After
receiving all your wage and earnings state-
ments (Forms W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, 1099-MISC,
1099-NEC, etc.); unemployment compensation
statements (by mail or in a digital format) or
other government payment statements (Form
1099-G); and interest, dividend, and retirement
statements from banks and investment firms
(Forms 1099), you have several options to
choose from to prepare and file your tax return.
You can prepare the tax return yourself, see if
you qualify for free tax preparation, or hire a tax
professional to prepare your return.
Free options for tax preparation. Your op-
tions for preparing and filing your return online
or in your local community, if you qualify, include
the following.
•
Free File. This program lets you prepare
and file your federal individual income tax
return for free using software or Free File
Fillable Forms. However, state tax prepara-
tion may not be available through Free File.
Go to IRS.gov/FreeFile to see if you qualify
for free online federal tax preparation, e-fil-
ing, and direct deposit or payment options.
•
VITA. The Volunteer Income Tax Assis-
tance (VITA) program offers free tax help to
people with low-to-moderate incomes, per-
sons with disabilities, and limited-Eng-
lish-speaking taxpayers who need help
preparing their own tax returns. Go to
IRS.gov/VITA, download the free IRS2Go
app, or call 800-906-9887 for information
on free tax return preparation.
•
TCE. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly
(TCE) program offers free tax help for all
taxpayers, particularly those who are 60
years of age and older. TCE volunteers
specialize in answering questions about
pensions and retirement-related issues
unique to seniors. Go to IRS.gov/TCE or
download the free IRS2Go app for informa-
tion on free tax return preparation.
•
MilTax. Members of the U.S. Armed
Forces and qualified veterans may use Mil-
Tax, a free tax service offered by the De-
partment of Defense through Military One-
Source. For more information, go to
MilitaryOneSource (MilitaryOneSource.mil/
MilTax).
Also, the IRS offers Free Fillable Forms,
which can be completed online and then
e-filed regardless of income.
Using online tools to help prepare your re-
turn. Go to IRS.gov/Tools for the following.
•
The Earned Income Tax Credit Assistant
(IRS.gov/EITCAssistant) determines if
you’re eligible for the earned income credit
(EIC).
•
The Online EIN Application (IRS.gov/EIN)
helps you get an employer identification
number (EIN) at no cost.
•
The Tax Withholding Estimator (IRS.gov/
W4App) makes it easier for you to estimate
the federal income tax you want your em-
ployer to withhold from your paycheck.
This is tax withholding. See how your with-
holding affects your refund, take-home pay,
or tax due.
•
The First-Time Homebuyer Credit Account
Look-up (IRS.gov/HomeBuyer) tool pro-
vides information on your repayments and
account balance.
•
The Sales Tax Deduction Calculator
(IRS.gov/SalesTax) figures the amount you
can claim if you itemize deductions on
Schedule A (Form 1040).
Getting answers to your tax ques-
tions. On IRS.gov, you can get
up-to-date information on current
events and changes in tax law.
•
IRS.gov/Help: A variety of tools to help you
get answers to some of the most common
tax questions.
•
IRS.gov/ITA: The Interactive Tax Assistant,
a tool that will ask you questions and,
based on your input, provide answers on a
number of tax topics.
•
IRS.gov/Forms: Find forms, instructions,
and publications. You will find details on
the most recent tax changes and interac-
tive links to help you find answers to your
questions.
•
You may also be able to access tax infor-
mation in your e-filing software.
Need someone to prepare your tax return?
There are various types of tax return preparers,
including enrolled agents, certified public ac-
countants (CPAs), accountants, and many oth-
ers who don’t have professional credentials. If
you choose to have someone prepare your tax
return, choose that preparer wisely. A paid tax
preparer is:
•
Primarily responsible for the overall sub-
stantive accuracy of your return,
•
Required to sign the return, and
•
Required to include their preparer tax iden-
tification number (PTIN).
Although the tax preparer always signs
the return, you're ultimately responsible
for providing all the information re-
quired for the preparer to accurately prepare
your return and for the accuracy of every item
reported on the return. Anyone paid to prepare
tax returns for others should have a thorough
understanding of tax matters. For more informa-
tion on how to choose a tax preparer, go to Tips
for Choosing a Tax Preparer on IRS.gov.
Employers can register to use Business
Services Online. The Social Security Adminis-
tration (SSA) offers online service at SSA.gov/
employer for fast, free, and secure W-2 filing op-
tions to CPAs, accountants, enrolled agents,
and individuals who process Form W-2, Wage
and Tax Statement, and Form W-2c, Corrected
Wage and Tax Statement.
IRS social media. Go to IRS.gov/SocialMedia
to see the various social media tools the IRS
uses to share the latest information on tax
changes, scam alerts, initiatives, products, and
services. At the IRS, privacy and security are
our highest priority. We use these tools to share
public information with you. Don’t post your so-
cial security number (SSN) or other confidential
information on social media sites. Always pro-
tect your identity when using any social net-
working site.
The following IRS YouTube channels provide
short, informative videos on various tax-related
topics in English, Spanish, and ASL.
•
Youtube.com/irsvideos.
•
Youtube.com/irsvideosmultilingua.
•
Youtube.com/irsvideosASL.
Watching IRS videos. The IRS Video portal
(IRSVideos.gov) contains video and audio pre-
sentations for individuals, small businesses,
and tax professionals.
Online tax information in other languages.
You can find information on IRS.gov/
MyLanguage if English isn’t your native lan-
guage.
Free Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) Serv-
ice. The IRS is committed to serving taxpayers
with limited-English proficiency (LEP) by offer-
ing OPI services. The OPI Service is a federally
funded program and is available at Taxpayer
Assistance Centers (TACs), most IRS offices,
and every VITA/TCE tax return site. The OPI
Service is accessible in more than 350 lan-
guages.
Accessibility Helpline available for taxpay-
ers with disabilities. Taxpayers who need in-
formation about accessibility services can call
833-690-0598. The Accessibility Helpline can
answer questions related to current and future
accessibility products and services available in
alternative media formats (for example, braille,
large print, audio, etc.). The Accessibility Help-
line does not have access to your IRS account.
For help with tax law, refunds, or account-rela-
ted issues, go to IRS.gov/LetUsHelp.
Note. Form 9000, Alternative Media Prefer-
ence, or Form 9000(SP) allows you to elect to
receive certain types of written correspondence
in the following formats.
•
Standard Print.
•
Large Print.
•
Braille.
•
Audio (MP3).
•
Plain Text File (TXT).
•
Braille Ready File (BRF).
Disasters. Go to IRS.gov/DisasterRelief to re-
view the available disaster tax relief.
Getting tax forms and publications. Go to
IRS.gov/Forms to view, download, or print all
the forms, instructions, and publications you
may need. Or, you can go to IRS.gov/
OrderForms to place an order.
Getting tax publications and instructions in
eBook format. Download and view most tax
publications and instructions (including the In-
structions for Form 1040) on mobile devices as
eBooks at IRS.gov/eBooks.
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