DAYTON — Preparing to file the previous year’s income taxes is stressful and not something most people look forward to.
News Center 7′s Cheryl McHenry spoke with an IRS Spokesperson on Monday about taxpayers’ options.
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“We want to want to make sure that people understand all the options that they have to file, whether it’s choosing a preparer, somebody to do it for you, or if you decide to do it yourself,” said Luis D. Garcia, an IRS Spokesperson.
Roughly 70 percent of Americans make less than $73,000 a year and qualify to file taxes for free using the IRS free file tool on their website. The tool is a partnership with the IRS and seven software companies that guides the person through a series of questions and does all the work for you.
There are many different tax preparation companies, but they may not be free; Garcia suggests starting on the IRS website first to guarantee that it is 100 percent free.
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“The key is it’s free. Now there’s lots being advertised out there about free tax software, unless you go through irs.gov first and click on free file and then choose your company, you go any other route, you’re probably going to end up paying for tax filing software. So be very, very careful. Make sure that you go to irs.gov first figure out which one you want to go with, and then go ahead and it’ll lead you right out of the site right to the partner site, and then you start putting your taxes together,” said Garcia.
Those who have filed taxes know the stress of preparing and filing them, and some procrastinate, which is one of the biggest mistakes Garcia people make.
“Biggest mistake is waiting ... Most of the people who are waiting to the very end are getting money back, so why wait on getting your money, file now. If you owe, you can file now, just pay us on April 18,” said Garcia.
Garcia gave four tips the IRS wants you to know prior to filing your taxes this year:
- Make sure you file your taxes
- Understand all of your options to file, whether it is having someone do it for you or you do it yourself
- If you make less than $73,000, you qualify for free filing on the IRS website
- Don’t wait to file; file early
For more information on filing your 2022 income tax visit here.
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