The deadline to file your federal income tax return (April 17th) is fast approaching.  The Internal Revenue Service offers free tax help by computer, telephone, and in person.  Free tax preparation sites sponsored by community organizations and staffed by volunteers are also available for those who are income-eligible. Rather than turning to commercial tax preparers, whose fees can eat into your refund, here are four free and easy ways to get help:

1. IRS website

The IRS website at www.irs.gov is a one-stop shop for a wide array of tax information. You can even prepare and file your federal tax return – for free – through Free File, a service offered by IRS and its partners who offer free tax preparation software and free electronic filing.  You must go through www.irs.gov to use Free File.

2. Community resources

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offers free tax preparation for low- to moderate-income filers. Volunteers, sponsored by various organizations, receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. VITA sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, and shopping malls. Some locations also offer free electronic filing.  Click here to find the Oklahoma VITA site nearest you or call 1-800-906-9887.  Qualified seniors (age 60 or older) can also find help at a local Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program.  Visit the AARP or call 888-227-7669 for more information about the TCE program. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one of our most widely read and popular blog posts. It was written by Paul Shinn and initially ran on our blog on April 15, 2009.

April 15. I’m not a fan of tax day. Who is? After several tortuous weeks of determining whether I have excess distributions from my 529 plan  and deciding how much I owe to the two states I lived in last year, I’m in line at the post office to send all these forms and too many checks to too many different governments. I’ve had it. Why can’t we make society work without taxes? I’m willing to try, I think, as I dose off…

In the morning, it slowly dawns on me that I’ve awakened in a tax-free America. So far, it’s great; I didn’t need to set the alarm! No real point in taking the kids to school, if it’s even open today. I’m not wealthy, so I can’t afford one of the schools that is open five days a week, requires the teachers to have a degree, uses textbooks, and has standards about what my kids should learn during the year. When little Heather asks about whether she can go to college, I just laugh. We can’t pay the tens of thousands of tuition for a private college. There’s no grant or loan programs and womens’ sports don’t make a profit, so there are no athletic scholarships awaiting her. Child care is risky too, since nobody determines if day care operators are qualified, safe, and not just in it to find victims for something. Read the rest of this entry »