FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
Call Now & End Your Tax Nightmare!
Co-Author of the
best selling book
“Breaking the Tax Code”
Salvatore P. Candela, EA, ATA, ABA
Enrolled Agent - Tax Advisor
tax tips
Got tax questions? Check the IRS
website, or download their app
As the April tax deadline draws closer,
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) off ers
taxpayers several tips and time-saving
resources to get them the help they need
quickly and easily.
Th e redesigned IRS.gov now makes it
easier to use the agency’s website, whether
on a computer or a mobile device. A good
fi rst stop is the IRS Services Guide, which
provides an overview of the many online
tools available on IRS.gov.
IRS Publication 17, Your Federal
Income Tax, contains information about
preparing tax returns and answers to
many common tax questions.
Get answers anytime on IRS.gov by
using the Interactive Tax Assistant, Tax
Topics, Frequently Asked Questions, Tax
Trails and the IRS Tax Map. Also, with
the revamped “search” tool on IRS.gov,
anyone can research a wide variety of tax
issues, and there’s even a Tax Pro page
dedicated to the unique needs of tax professionals.
Many tax questions can also be
answered by tax soft ware products.
Taxpayers whose income is $66,000 or
less can use IRS Free File to access a
number of free tax-preparation soft ware
products. Alternatively, eligible taxpayers
needing free in-person tax-preparation
assistance may opt for the Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
Taxpayers can also use IRS.gov to help
choose a qualifi ed tax professional.
IRS.gov also has information about
several available payment options. Th is
includes information about how to create
an online payment agreement for those
who owe additional tax but are unable to
pay right away.
Although the IRS always urges taxpayers
to retain a copy of their prior-year
tax returns, IRS.gov still off ers options
if they failed to do so. Having a copy
makes it easier to prepare a 2017 tax
return, and taxpayers who changed tax
soft ware products this year may need
their adjusted gross income from the prior
year return to help validate their electronic
signature.
Th ose who need a copy of their return
for a prior year can get one either online
or by mail at Get Transcript. To access
tax records online, taxpayers must register
through the IRS’ two-factor authentication
process called Secure Access. Th is
identity-proofi ng process is designed
to rigorously protect sensitive information.
Please note some taxpayers may be
unable to complete this process successfully.
As an alternative, these taxpayers
can use the mail feature and expect delivery
in fi ve to 10 business days, so the IRS
encourages taxpayers to plan ahead.
Smartphone and tablet users can
download the IRS2Go app available at
Apple, Google or Amazon stores. Use the
IRS2Go app to check refund status, make
a payment, fi nd free tax preparation assistance,
sign up for helpful tax tips and
more. IRS2Go is available in both English
and Spanish.
From the Internal Revenue Service