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 When tax time rolls around everyone's interested in the latest developments - and they've also got a lot of questions. They're all looking for explanations for any of the recent changes to tax code and what that means to them on their tax return. Believe it or not, the IRS loves it when people pay their taxes on time. Finding mistakes on tax forms just makes more work for everyone involved.
You can avoid this problem by getting your income tax questions answered before you file your return. Quite frankly the IRS itself has a lot of information to share about taxes. We're not talking about the ten page explanations that only lawyers can understand. We're talking about relatively simple answers to surprisingly complex individual questions.
Getting Tax Questions Answered
Since the IRS has to address the needs of all Americans, they're prepared to deliver help through a wide variety of communications channels. Stated another way, you can visit their website, call for help, or a visit a local Taxpayer Assistance Office. There's even an office of Taxpayer Advocate that can help you deal with an IRS problem.
All of these information channels are available to taxpayers and the reason they're available is to help answer questions so taxpayers can avoid mistakes on their tax forms.
Website Answers
If you're connected to the Internet, then your first likely stop should be the IRS website for your answers. They've got questions and answers sorted by keywords - lots of keywords - over 300 of them. From Alimony to Worthless Securities - with that many keywords you're bound to find some useful information.
Frequently Asked Tax Questions
They've also got a section of frequently asked questions broken down by category and subcategory. Here you'll find answers to questions that range from filing procedures to tax credits and individual retirement accounts. If you can't solve your problem over the web, no worries, you can just pick up the telephone.
Income Tax Telephone Assistance
Individual taxpayers can get live telephone assistance by dialing the IRS's toll free telephone number - 1-800-829-1040. If you own a business or have a business-related tax question, you can call 1-800-829-4933.
For the hearing impaired, you can get help by dialing 1-800-829-4059 (TDD). Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
If you're uncomfortable talking to someone on the phone, but you're interested in listening to an explanation over the telephone, then you can call into the IRS's TeleTax Topics by calling 1-800-829-4477. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
TeleTax allows you to listen to over 150 tax topics. You can find a list of these topics in the instructions to income tax form 1040.
Questions Answered in-Person
If you'd like to get your income tax questions answered in-person, then you can have a face-to-face conversation with an IRS professional by visiting one of the many IRS Taxpayer Assistance Offices located throughout the United States. These offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time. There is multilingual help available in every office.
Help with Unresolved Tax Questions
Finally, if you've attempted to work with the IRS to resolve a problem and you've been unsuccessful, then you can talk to someone in the Taxpayer's Advocate Office. You can contact your advocate by calling this toll free telephone number 1-877-777-4778. Keep in mind that the advocate cannot change the tax law or render a technical tax decision. They're here to make sure you're treated fairly and get an impartial review of your tax situation.
About the Author - Income Tax Questions
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