It is important for any American citizen to know their rights and tax responsibilities should they be subjected to an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. If you owe back taxes, or are involved in an audit, it is important that you know what options you have to protect your rights. The IRS will not tell you what you must do, but they can make suggestions on the forms and documentation that would allow you the most privacy. In many cases, they will even negotiate with you. In all cases, it is up to you to work with the IRS in an attempt to come to some type of resolution. It is always wise to be prepared and informed of your rights and the options that you have available to you.
The Internal Revenue Service offers many free tax preparation services. They provide an online calculator that will help you work out your net wages, or the amount that you will receive after you file your return. If you have an online tax return, you can easily calculate how much money you will have to send in after you file. If you have an e-filing service, you can send in your tax return electronically. You do not have to fax anything in, nor do you have to send any paper tax forms.
When you are trying to determine which tax filing services to use, there are many things that you need to consider. One of these things is price points. This is especially true when you are on a limited budget. There are tax return software programs that range from very affordable to several hundred dollars. The price points for each type of program are determined by the level of sophistication that the software offers.
Most tax filing services to offer their customers a wide selection of tax-filing options. Some tax filing services only offer the electronic filing of your tax returns. Online tax software services are convenient for taxpayers who cannot or do not want to spend the time to fill out the paper tax forms. For instance, taxpayers who make use of online tax filing services may find themselves paying less in taxes because they do not have to print out paper tax forms and send them to the local tax CPA firm.
Another thing that you will need to consider when you are trying to choose among tax filing services is the customer support that they provide. Do they provide a toll-free phone number where you can speak to a live representative? Are there email addresses where you can receive your refund securely? Can a customer service representative assist you with any problems that you encounter during the filing of your return? Good tax filing services will be able to answer all of your questions concerning prior-year returns, child tax return information, or any other tax related questions. If a tax firm does not offer adequate support and assistance to taxpayers, then you should definitely shop elsewhere.
Before you decide on a particular company to provide you with tax services, you will also want to know what kind of refund preparation options they have available to you. Many tax preparation services offer their clients a refund anticipation loan program, which allows taxpayers to utilize the refund advance to pay off existing tax debts. This can help those tax debts that incurred interest be paid off in a short period of time. In some cases, the refund advance may be tax deductible, which will make your refund payments even more beneficial.
The tax preparation industry employs thousands of people, but the overwhelming majority of tax returns that are filed are prepared by individuals. Therefore, there is typically little competition among companies that provide preparing tax returns. When you shop around and compare the different services that tax preparation companies offer, you will be sure to discover one that has a high level of service and expertise so that you get the highest quality results possible. The services that are offered should include:
One of the most important things that you can do before filing your tax return is to secure all necessary documents, such as the original tax statements from all tax situations, and other documentation supporting your tax situation. You will find that online tax service professionals usually have a very high level of service because they spend all of their time preparing and processing returns. Therefore, when you are researching the different companies that provide tax preparation services, you will want to make sure that you find a business that has experience with preparing tax returns, as well as the documentation that supports them. After all, it only takes one mistake or an incomplete document to lose your opportunity to take advantage of an existing tax situation.