April 15 is Wednesday: IRS employees offer tips for last-minute filers

With Tax Day less than a week away, a survey of Internal Revenue Service employees conducted by the National Treasury Employees Union yielded helpful tips for last-minute filers in these particularly taxing times.

“IRS employees want taxpayers to know that they are here to help and their job is to ensure that taxpayers are given the opportunity to be compliant,” said President Colleen M. Kelley of NTEU, the union that represents IRS employees.

For last-minute filers rushing to meet that April 15 deadline, IRS employees had these top tips:

• Don’t forget to sign and date your forms! “This is the most common reason for getting a form sent back to you,” said one survey respondent. If you are sending a paper return, you must sign and date it and you must include an original, not photocopied, signature. If it is a joint return, both spouses must sign it. If it is signed by a fiduciary agent, or court-appointed representative, a copy of those legal papers is required. And, be sure to include your daytime telephone number on your return. Having a telephone number on your return may be the difference between getting your refund in two weeks as opposed to four or six weeks if there is a question.

• Review your return for accuracy, computation or math errors. Be sure that you have read all the questions in their entirety before responding.

• Make a copy of your return for your records before sending it in. Keep all documentation that you used to prepare your return, i.e. charitable donations receipts, child care verification, etc.

• Be sure to check the Social Security numbers and names of yourself, your spouse, and any dependents on your return. Be sure the names match those on the Social Security cards. Name and Social Security number mismatches can cause a delay in receipt of your refund.

• If you want your refund direct-deposited into your bank account, double-check to be sure the routing number and account numbers are correct; the account is open and the account is in your name.

The IRS has a wide range of options to help financially-struggling taxpayers, including the ability to extend an Offer in Compromise (OIC), an agreement between a struggling taxpayer and the agency that settles a tax debt for less than the full amount owed; postpone, extend or suspend collection activities for limited periods of time; or create an installment agreement or allow for a flexible payment schedule. IRS employees strongly encouraged financially-struggling taxpayers to reach out to the IRS by calling the tollfree number 1-800-829-1040 or by visiting a walk-in IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center for face-to-face assistance.

Low income, elderly, disabled and limited English-speaking taxpayers can qualify for free assistance. All necessary forms can be found at www.irs.gov.

IRS employees can also help taxpayers who have lost or are missing records by giving them tips on how to recreate records.

Already filed your 2008 taxes? Here is a tip for next year: Start each new year with a large envelope to place your receipts, medical and dental bills, and any filing information needed to complete that year’s return.