IRS Offers Tax Filing Tips for Alabamians
By: Blake Deshazo
Updated: March 22, 2013
AL/NC/TN-2013-10AL, March 22, 2012
NASHVILLE - Spring is here and that means the April 15 tax filing deadline can't be far away.
IRS spokesman Dan Boone offers these five tips for the estimated 440,000 Alabamians who will wait until April to file.
1. E-file Your Taxes.
It's a fast, easy and accurate way to file, and for most people it's
free. The IRS's Free File partnership with several tax software
companies allows most filers to prepare and e-file their returns free
online. It's only available at www.irs.gov.
Extensions are free, too, through IRS Free File, but must be filed by April 15.
2. Don't Miss the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Many lower-income workers, including some grandparents raising
grandchildren and rural residents, miss out on EITC each year. Even if
you couldn't claim EITC on previous tax returns, changes in your income
or marital status or having a child may allow you claim
it for 2012. If you worked some part of last year and your household
income was below $50,270, you may qualify for EITC. Use the EITC
Assistant at IRS.gov to find out.
3. Watch Out for Tax Scams.
Emails that appear to be from the IRS probably are not. Scammers may go
phishing for your private information by alerting you to a nonexistent
refund or threatening you with an audit if you don't respond. The IRS
never uses email, texts or any social media
to initiate contact with taxpayers. Never. Report phishing at IRS.gov.
And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
4. Let Trained Volunteers Do Your Taxes Free.
Right around the corner from you there may be a help site where
IRS-certified volunteers are preparing and e-filing federal and state
tax returns for free. Sites are located in many libraries, churches,
malls, senior centers and other community locations. Most
sites are less busy now, before the April filing rush. Call
1-800-906-9887 to see if you qualify for the free help and to find the
closest site.
5. Check on Your Refund. Check
your
refund status at IRS.gov using the updated "Where's My Refund?" tool.
If you have the free IRS2Go app, check from your smartphone. But
remember, the IRS updates refund status only once each night, so no
point in checking more than once a day.
