Income Tax Tag: service

Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization that works within the IRS. The goal of the Taxpayer Advocate Service is to help tax payers resolve IRS income tax return problems that they can not seem to resolve through normal channels. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is headquartered in Washington, D.C. but has at least one local office in each state.

There are just a few guidelines outlining who is eligible for the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Tax payers may be eligible for free advocate assistance if the following problems arise:

• Experiencing economic harm or significant cost including fees for professional representation
• Experiencing a delay of more than 30 days to resolve a tax issue
• Have not received a response or resolution to the problem by the date that was promised by the IRS

Taxpayer Advocate Service is free and confidential, and is available for both businesses and individuals. Think of it as a group of independent IRS employees who can listen to your problem, help you understand what needs to be done to resolve the problem, and stay with you until the problem is resolved.

If you are experiencing economic harm, significant cost, or experiencing excessive delays in resolving an IRS issue and wish to contact the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service here is how to:

• Call the toll free case intake line at 1-877-777-4778 or TTY/TTD 1-800-829-4059
• Call or write to a local Taxpayer Advocate, whose address and telephone number are listed in the government listings of the local telephone directory and in IRS Pub 1546
• File Form 911 Application for Taxpayer Assistance Order

For more information on the Taxpayer Advocate Service please visit www.irs.gov/advocate

IRS begins the 2008 income tax return filing season this month and has announced that IRS E-file opens on January 16, 2009. IRS E-file as we often discuss on our website is the process of filing your federal income tax refund or federal income tax due forms electronically versus sending income tax forms through the mail.

The IRS is expecting to process income tax refunds faster this year. E-file your federal income tax refund online and choose the direct deposit option and get your income tax refund money in as few as 10 days says the IRS. We’ve seen the IRS tax refund money estimate quoted as 8 to 15 days elsewhere, so the general expectation seems to be within that range.

Turbo Tax Free with free e-file states on their website that you can get your IRS tax refund in as little as 8 days.

- Income Tax Pro

Free File, Free Efile, or Free E-file what is the correct terminology for sending your federal 1040EZ, 1040A, or 1040 income tax forms to the IRS online? The official IRS.gov website uses the term “Free File” in links and wording as, let’s say, their very own product used to file your federal income tax returns for free online. Within the same sentence on the IRS.gov website you will notice the use of the word “e-file” in all lower case letters. The word e-file is used not just by the IRS but also by income tax preparation service providers to mean the electronic transmission of your prepared income tax return, free or otherwise.

Free E-File, not to be confused with IRS Free File, technically means that the electronic transmission of your income tax return is free. This tax year many of the income tax preparation service providers have increase their free service offerings to include free tax preparation along with their free e-filing service. What this all means is that if you like Turbo Tax or Tax Cut, they too offer free e-file and tax form preparation services in a software product that you may prefer over the IRS Free File product. It costs nothing to try Turbo Tax Free, Tax Cut Free, and new for this year Quicken Free which bundles well with Turbo Tax.

-Income Tax Pro

Those who file IRS income tax form 1040EZ and don’t need much help with their taxes can prepare and efile for free in 2008 using H&R Block Free edition online. H&R Block Free makes it quick and easy to prepare your form 1040EZ income tax refund, automatically checks for errors, and carries an accurate calculations guarantee just like the rest of the H&R Block income tax preparation services. If you have a more complex income tax filing for 2008 and need tax help and advice, try H&R Block Signature from $79.95. H&R Block Signature allows you to prepare your income tax return online with the help and support of an H&R Block tax professional. Complete the income tax return yourself online, then, an H&R Block income tax professional will review, comment, edit, sign, and efile your 2008 income tax return for you. Didn’t file your income tax return in 2007 or even 2006? H&R Block Signature tax professionals can consult and help you file past year income tax returns as well. Visit our H&R Block tax service review web page for more information.

-Income Tax Pro