Free Tax Resources Via the IRS Website
Submitted by Stephanie Freon, 3Rivers Account Management and Support Coordinator.
If you’ve ever had tax questions or have been referred to a tax preparer (or your TurboTax Assistant), there’s another way you may be able to get your tax-related questions answered free of charge: the Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) tool, provided by the IRS!
According to the IRS, the ITA “is a tool that provides answers to a number of tax law questions. It can help tax payers determine if a type of income in taxable, if you’re eligible to claim certain credits and if you can deduct expenses on your tax return. It also provides answers for general questions, such as determining your filing status, if you can claim dependents or if you have to even file a tax return.” It goes on to offer additional resources for other more generalized and/or more complicated situations as well.
On this webpage, there is an option for e-filing your tax return for FREE! There are some stipulations you have to abide by to qualify for the free e-tax filing, so pay close attention to those details.
“Disclosure: You (the taxpayer) are responsible for determining your eligibility for one of the Free File Online offers. Be aware the tax FILING and PAYMENTS deadline has been extended from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020.”
In addition, there are many people interested in learning more about the COVID-19 stimulus checks (Economic Impact Payment). For U.S. citizens, or resident aliens, who have not filed a tax return for 2019 or 2020, there is another special tool that helps you receive your Economic Impact Payment. If you decide to use this tool, be prepared to have some basic information about you and your dependents available, including your IRS PIN, a valid email, and valid current phone number. In addition, be prepared to answer some verification questions.
For some other great resources provided by the IRS visit their website, including this Current Tax Tips page. Most of the self-service options are best utilized online, however, if you’re not able to get your questions answered online, you may give your local IRS office a call.