Estate Planning and Tax Lawyer Blog

Preparing to file your taxes should not be stressful. The Internal Revenue Service has some tips to help make filing your taxes easier this year. Do not procrastinate. This may lead to an oversight of potential tax savings and may cause you to make errors when filing. Visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov to find answers to questions and any news from the IRS. Use Free File offered by the IRS at http://www.irs.gov and let it do all the hard work. If you made under $58,000, you can use the free tax software offered on the website. Try the IRS e-file. Soon, many taxpayers may be required to file their taxes using e-file. By using e-file along with direct deposit, taxpayers could receive their tax refund in as few as 10 days. Do not panic if you cannot pay the full amount of tax you owe by the filing deadline. You should file your return by the deadline, pay what you can, and contact the IRS to discuss payment options at 1-800-829-1040. Contact the IRS and request an extension of time to file if needed by filing Form 4868. However, you are still required to pay on time and will be subject to a tax penalty is 90% if not paid by the deadline. To file a Form 4868, you can obtain the form at www.irs.gov/freefile, download it at http://www.irs.gov, or call 1-800-829-3676 to have a paper copy mailed to you.