Where Can You Get Free Tax Help?
If you are filing a basic tax return, you want to amend last year’s tax returns, or you owe the IRS money, free tax help is one of the things you are qualified for. You can obtain free software from a few community-oriented services so as to avoid having to do your taxes by yourself. The IRS also offers free tax help along with other non-profit organizations.
However, let us first discuss the things you should take with you when you go to the appointment.
The Appointment
There are several important documents to bring along to the appointment. The most important documents include:
- 1099 forms or W-2 forms
- The tax return for last year
- Social security number or the card itself
- Valid government ID such as a driver’s license or photo ID
Provide the tax preparer with specific information that will identify you as the taxpayer on the tax return such as:
- Birth dates
- Dependents
- Bank account
- Routing number
- Account number
- Health insurance statement to show paid coverage
The bank information is only if you want the refund to be deposited directly into your account. The dependent information helps because it shows that no one else is filing for the person. You also would need the information for a spouse, if you were filing jointly.
Now, let us look at some of the free sources of tax help:
1. The VITA Program
The IRS provides access to the VITA or (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. However, you must meet certain qualifications. If you were interested in the VITA program, then you have to be:
People who generally make $60,000 or less.
Persons with disabilities; and
Limited English-speaking taxpayers.
This particular program has been in existence for more than fifty years and has become a staple within the IRS and communities across the United States. It is a federally run program, which provides help to members of the community through various organizations where the people have low to moderate incomes, senior citizens, and others who are eligible. With the program, you receive free tax services to help prepare your returns for submission to the IRS. The IRS certifies these local volunteers to do your tax return. Please note that some of these VITA locations were closed on a temporary basis since the pandemic. There are others that open partially while some allow drop-offs, and virtual service. If you have a complex tax circumstance, then the VITA program currently would not work out for you.
Examples
For instance, the volunteers are not equipped to help with preparing Schedule C forms where there is a business loss. Therefore, this would not work for those who do freelancing. If you are an investor and your Schedule D is complicated, the VITA program would not work either. In addition, if you have made IRA contributions and there are forms where you have to input non-deductible amounts, or if the volunteer has to make a determination of your working status, whether you are an independent contractor or employee, it would be one of those complicated situations. The VITA program is located in various places across the United States and so, you may have one in your local city or community.
If you need more information about the VITA program, you should contact them at 800-906-9887.
The Miltax software program is geared towards the military and members of their families. In addition to the same software, the Miltax program consists of trained consultants who provide you with free tax advice over the phone and by live chat. The program works sometimes in conjunction with the VITA program. This means that you can also receive a face-to-face consultation on the military base or at a nearby location. You can pick up the software at Militaryonesource.mil. There, you will also find phone numbers to call and their hours of operation.
This is another military-based program. It works in conjunction with the VITA program, providing free tax help to military personnel. The program is funded by IRS grants. The program is manned by trained volunteers and is helpful to personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
4. The TCE Program
The IRS offers access to the TCE or (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) program, which is also free tax preparation for those who qualify. If you are 60 years or older, you would be eligible for this program as the volunteers specialize in anything related to retirement and pension for the elderly. The TCE program is also federally funded in grants given to different community organizations for the specific reason of helping members of the community to prepare their taxes free.
Depending on the demographics of the community, the TCE program will accept people of any age as long as they can file a return. The AARP Tax Help Program operates the TCE locations. If you want to know where the sites are located, just go to the IRS website where you will see a list of both TCE and VITA programs.
The Volunteers
The IRS are managers of both programs (TCE and VITA), but the locations are managed by volunteer staff from the IRS partnership program. These volunteers just want to help and make a difference in the community at large. Most of the volunteers are retirees that offer tax counseling and work within a non-profit organization framework.
The IRS provides grants to these non-profit organizations. The TCE and VITA programs are trustworthy and reliable as it relates to preparing individual tax returns. All the volunteers have to take a tax law exam, pass it and go through training before they can meet the IRS program standards.
5. Cheap Or Free Legal Tax Clinics
There are several free or cheap tax clinics across the United States, which provide tax preparation assistance. One such clinic is called the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
Eligibility is based on your income. The organization also helps you to dispute IRS tax issues. Instead of using a tax settlement company, you could consider using this reliable organization.
The LITC or Low Income Tax Pay Clinic is run by qualifying academic institutions such as law schools and universities or non-profit organizations. It is extended to people with past tax debt and those who find it hard to hire an attorney to start negotiations with the IRS so as to reduce the tax debt owed.
If you want to find where you can contact LITC in your area, go to the IRS website, and you will find a list. Once you observe a clinic in your area on the list, contact the tax manager at the clinic to ask questions about the income level that would qualify you to obtain assistance.
Be mindful, though, that there is a waiting period to get an appointment scheduled. However, once you have a tax audit or tax disputes for outstanding debts, you can solicit help from this clinic.
The clinic, in fact, provides clients with free legal representation, if they have to attend tax court to find a resolution to a problem. If your native language is not English, the clinic will provide you with the assistance necessary to solve your problem.
6. The IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center
If you are in need of help due to a tax dispute or issue you find hard to resolve on the Internet or on the phone, the IRS has a Taxpayer Assistance Center (ITAC) where you can make an appointment. You can locate the office in your local area by going to the IRS website.
If you need any tax help, you can call the helpline at 800-829-1040 and speak with someone about your tax concerns and questions. You can contact them any time with various questions.
However, you won’t get to speak to the same representative each time you call since each representative is qualified to provide answers to specific questions. For instance, if you were a recent graduate of a certain college in the United States and you wanted to know if your education tax deductions or credits would make you qualify for claiming it on your taxes, the telephone operator at the IRS that answers your call would put you on to someone who specialized in college credits. This service is helpful in ordering IRS forms and your past W2s or tax returns, having them mailed to you.
7. Office Of Taxpayer Advocate Service
(TAS) or the Taxpayer Advocate Service helps those who have complicated issues with their tax return filing. This is usually for business owners and people of any income bracket, but with long-standing problems related to their taxes.
TAS, which is Taxpayer Advocate Service supervises and manages the Low Income Tax Pay Clinic. There is a directory listing of clinics on the IRS website where you can use the search tool to find one in your area. The program was specifically designed to aid individuals and families who have an income that is not more than 250% above the poverty line. However, each clinic establishes its own income qualification.
8. Free Proprietary Tax Software
Several companies online provide free use of their proprietary tax software. However, most of the time, these software applications can only handle the basic tax filing. Most of these filings are done on Form 1040. You probably would qualify, if you had one income and did not have to itemize anything on your tax return. Usually, you choose a basic package that also allows you to file your state tax return, if it is necessary. In some states, you do not have to. Some of the companies that offer these free software applications include H&R Block and Turbo Tax. It does not matter the income level, but several companies also offer a similar tax software application, namely:
Tax Act
Credit Karma
Free Tax USA
Tax Slayer
In addition to this, the IRS also has its own tax software application that you can use freely. However, to be able to use it, your adjusted income cannot go over $72,000, but you can file as single or jointly. Some of these tax software applications can also help you with your tax goals for the upcoming year.
What To Expect
When you use these basic tax software applications for free, you can expect to have the program do all the calculations for you including credits and deductions. The application will also file the taxes on your behalf, electronically.
You may have to purchase the paid version in order to do your state return filing. Be sure to read the application description to ensure that it can handle more complex tasks, if it is necessary, especially business expenses for the self-employed.
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Conclusion
It is evident that you never have to file taxes on your own. There are a number of free services and software to take advantage of. The IRS makes it easy for anyone to file their taxes through various funded programs. The volunteers that help with these programs are usually retired accountants and tax preparers. If you need more information, you can visit the Goalry platform and go to the Taxry store to get a better idea of how all these programs work.