Guide to Using the IRS Website

As April 15 approaches, many Americans are dreading the consequences that come with that date. The income tax deadline means forking over some of that hard-earned money to Uncle Sam for the benefit of the country. Many helpful resources can be found on the IRS official website - www.irs.gov.

The IRS website lists many of the hot topics on their home page. Currently, one of the hottest topics is the Telephone Excise Tax Refund. Clicking on that link returns a page with all the details of this topic as well as questions and answers and links to related forms. Also on the home page are links to the most popular forms and publications.

Through a federally funded program, the IRS allows citizens to electronically file for free provided certain qualifications are met. The qualifications include having an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $52,000 or less. Complete details can be found on the IRS website along with links to participating companies' websites.

Another fantastic tool on their website is the "Where's My Refund" tool. This allows taxpayers that are expecting a refund from the IRS to check the status of their refund. Information necessary to use this tool includes social security number, filing status and refund amount. This tool will list the approximate (and usually accurate) date the check will be mailed to the taxpayer, provided the information is in their system.

The Frequently Asked Questions section of the website is quite extensive. While it is unlikely that every possible question is answered in this section, the list of questions is lengthy and is broken down into category, sub-category and keyword for ease of searching for a particular topic.

Possibly the most resourceful tool on the IRS website is the ability to print forms and publications. All of the forms that might be needed in order to file taxes and their instructions can be viewed and printed from the IRS website. All forms and publications are in Adobe PDF file format, so Adobe Reader must be installed on the computer viewing the IRS website. Adobe Reader is a free software program and the IRS has links for users to download.

Even though the simple mentioning of the IRS brings up awful thoughts to many Americans, they have done an excellent job in providing tools and resources for citizens through their website. Whether its individuals, businesses, non-profits, charities, government entities or others, helpful information can be found at the IRS' website.