Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Where to Find Tax Filing Help

By Mary Niles

When you file your next tax return, the odds are better than even that you will need some tax filing help. Most people think that the tax codes are complex and they do not really understand many aspects of tax returns. Whenever they receive their W-2 or 1099 forms, they take them to a tax preparer for him or her to take care of it.

While it is fine to take tax documents to a tax prepare to get tax filing help, it is best if the taxpayer understand how to file his or her own tax return. By understanding tax credits and tax deductions, the taxpayer can ensure that the tax preparer helps him or her claim as much as possible from the IRS.

No one knows more about a taxpayer than the taxpayer himself or herself. That means, a tax prepare, although equipped to give you tax filing help, can overlook some facts about you that may be critical in reducing your tax bills. While you can probably count on the tax preparer to input your information correctly in tax forms, you cannot count on him or her to know enough about you to claim everything there is to claim.

Some taxpayers are brave and do not want any tax filing help. They would rather save the money that they would pay a tax preparation service and do it themselves. Taxpayers can save anything from less than $100 to over hundreds of dollars in tax preparation fees if they do it themselves. It can be worth it but taxpayers must make sure that there are no mistakes that could be avoided.

If a taxpayer makes a mistake in his or her tax return, get tax filing help immediately. There are certain mistakes that will need to be corrected immediately such as income reporting. The taxpayer may need to file an amended return. When an amended return is involved, the taxpayer usually need more tax filing help to correct the mistakes made the first time.

Many people use tax preparation software to help them file tax returns instead of getting tax filing help from persons or organizations. There are many tax software to choose from and some of them are very good and efficient, making filing tax returns very easy. These software can cost anything from nothing to over a hundred dollars.

The benefits of getting tax filing help upfront far outweigh the trouble of having to correct a tax return if a mistake is made. There are many places that a taxpayer can get help, some places even offer help for free. Some places offer verbal help whereas others will actually prepare a tax return for you.

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