Everyone needs a little tax help now and then. Not all of us, however, can afford to pay a tax professional for guidance. Luckily for us, there are some places that offer tax help for free.
Start dialing
The Internal Revenue Service's automated customer service line at (800) 829-1040 offers recorded tax information 24 hours a day. The system has a variety of menus and topics covering common tax questions and is available in English and Spanish.During tax season, if you call Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. your local time, you can talk to a person. But be sure you have the time and patience, as waits can be long during the height of the filing rush.
You also can check out IRS TeleTax topics. By calling (800) 829-4477 you'll hear prerecorded messages on about 150 tax matters. You'll get your information sooner if you know the three-digit code for the tax topic you need. The full list is available in the instruction booklets for each of the three forms (1040, 1040A and 1040EZ).
Most of these tax topics also are available online. If you don't have an instruction booklet or access to a phone while you're online, the automated TeleTax system lists the identification number for each topic.
Finding forms
If you just need a form, check out Bankrate's tax form library for the most frequently filed forms.If it's a specialized form or publication you need, try the IRS Web site or order the document from the agency's Forms Distribution Center at (800) 829-3676. As with the TeleTax topics, the catalog of available documents is in the instruction packages for the individual tax returns.
The IRS promises to get the material to your mailbox within 10 days. If it's backordered, the IRS agent taking your call will let you know.
Come on in
Do you feel more comfortable asking your questions in person? You have several options, depending on where you live.For face-to-face help in obtaining common tax forms and publications, check out your local post office or library. The availability of most forms via the Internet has reduced the amount of tax paperwork found in these locations, but some still set up racks of the most commonly used forms during tax-filing season.
Libraries that do not carry a large selection of forms might have IRS Publication 1132, which contains forms you can copy, or an IRS CD-ROM that contains hundreds of current year tax forms, instructions and publications that can be downloaded. There may be a nominal copying fee.