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The yellow pages are flooded with ads for businesses that claim to offer reliable IRS help, but can you really trust your financial future and the chance of an IRS audit with just any business picked randomly from the telephone book? Even certified public accountants can rip you off; not every CPA is a good CPA.
With a little research, the average taxpayer can make the most of a personal tax return, and avoid an audit. A great place to start is the IRS help desk. While the IRS itself may have a less than friendly image with the American public, their website is user friendly and is full of great tax tips and useful information.
The IRS help section covers everything from recognizing and reporting a scam email to this year's newest tax deductions.
In the phishing emails section, the IRS reminds taxpayers that they will never initiate communication with any taxpayer through an email. If you receive and email from an organization claiming to be the IRS, it is an attempt to phish personal information, unless it is a response to an email sent by you to the IRS help desk. If you find a fraudulent IRS email in your inbox, you can find an email address on the IRS help page that allows you to report the bogus sender and alert the authorities of the attempted scam.
The IRS help section has a spattering of the most frequently asked tax questions with useful answers, downloads for current tax forms and publications, and instructions for reporting suspected tax fraud. They explain some of the terminology used on the tax forms that confuse so many taxpayers and give step by step, detailed examples of a properly compiled tax return.
You can initiate a live online chat with an IRS help desk employee, check the status of your refund and even contact the IRS directly with your tax related questions and concerns via telephone.
A few reminders and helpful tips from the IRS help desk are:
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A list of companies that offer free e-file services
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How to contact a free tax help service
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Filing your return electronically speeds the processing of your refund
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Remember to double check all important figures and social security numbers before filing your return
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Be sure to sign and date your return before mailing it
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Don't forget to attach all schedules to your return before sealing the envelope
The IRS also offers the Taxpayer Advocacy Service to assist taxpayers in resolving any grievances with the IRS. The Taxpayer Advocacy Service is designed to protect the taxpayer's rights and help improve the filing process by identifying common problems with the tax return system.
The IRS help section provides a wealth of information to help everyday citizens gain knowledge and acquire the tools necessary to file their own tax return. Even if you choose to have your return prepared by a professional, you will be able to guard against scams and sloppy accountants by knowing the basics of an IRS tax return.
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