Don't Mess With Taxes

Photo by RODNAE Productions

Last year, as the country started emerging from COVID-19 closures, the Internal Revenue Service joined the resocialization. It opened some of its Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) across the country so individuals could get some face-to-face tax help, no appointments needed.

That resumption of more-normal taxpayer interaction was such a success, the agency is doing it again this 2023 filing season.

For one Saturday a month, beginning in February and continuing through May, TACs in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be open on four upcoming Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. Normally, these centers are not open on Saturdays, and people must make weekday appointments to receive IRS TAC help.

TAC when's and where's: The first TAC walk-in Saturday will be this weekend, Feb. 11. The other Saturday TAC openings will be March 11, April 8, and May 13.

TACs in larger, more populous states will be open on every special walk-in Saturday. Those states also will have multiple TACs open for walk-ins during the four-month event. More than 40 locations plan to be open on Feb. 11, with 58 offices planning to open on March 11.

You can check the special IRS.gov page for the full TAC face-to-face schedule. The drop-down information for each date also lists the addresses of the TACs that will be open on the Saturdays. The only states (so far) not on the schedule are Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

"These Saturday openings are part of the extra steps the IRS is taking to make a difference for taxpayers," said Acting IRS Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "These walk-in locations are critical, and funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is allowing us to add more employees across the nation to better assist taxpayers this filing season and beyond. These special Saturday hours will help people get the services they need."

Tax filing not among the services: Although the three of the four TAC Saturdays are before Tax Day on April 18, IRS employees won't be offering tax return preparation and filing help.

However, the TAC staff will share information about available local free tax return filing assistance options.

Such return filing help can be found at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites. Free File software, in English and Spanish, also is available to taxpayers, individual or family, who earned $73,000 or less in 2022. U.S. service personnel should check into the Department of Defense MilTax program.

Where TAC staff can help: IRS staff at TACs can help taxpayers sort through a variety of other, non-filing, tax matters.

This includes such services as getting tax forms, setting up or making adjustments to a taxpayer account, resolving procedural inquiries, obtaining an Identity Protection PIN, and setting up a tax payment plan. IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) employees also may be available to help with some issues.

You can find exactly which services are offered at your nearby TAC by checking the IRS' Contact Your Local Office website. The online search tool took me to a page showing that staff at my nearest Austin, Texas, TAC can help with, among other things, basic tax law explanations, departing alien clearances, obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), and filing Form 911 to request TAS help if representatives aren't at the Saturday event.

No cash, please: If, however, you plan to head to a Saturday TAC opening to pay a tax bill, take note. The offices that will be open for walk-in service cannot accept cash. The IRS reps will take only checks or money orders.

People who need to pay their federal taxes with cash can visit IRS.gov/payments to get information on several payment options.

Special considerations: During the upcoming face-to-face TAC Saturdays, professional foreign language interpretation will be available in many languages through an over-the-phone translation service.

For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who need sign language interpreter services, IRS staff will schedule appointments for a later date. If you need the interpreter service, you also can make an appointment yourself by calling TTY/TDD (800) 829-4059.

And where taxpayers have issues that cannot be resolved by IRS TAC staff at the special Saturday hours, they'll receive a referral for these services.

Preparing for TAC tax help: While you can walk into a TAC that's open on Saturday without having to make an appointment, you do need to come prepared.

Regardless of your tax question or problem, you need to bring the following information —

• Current government-issued photo identification,
• Social Security cards for members of their household, including spouse and dependents (if applicable),
• Any IRS letters or notices received and related documents, and
• For identity verification services, two forms of identification and, if filed, a copy of the tax return for the year in question.

During the visit, IRS staff also may ask you for a current mailing address, an email address, and bank account information so that you can receive payments or refunds by direct deposit.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Open a bank account to get your tax refund sooner
• VITA & TCE volunteers are back, helping taxpayers prepare & file returns for free
• Free File 2023 is open, with 7 companies offering 9 no-cost tax prep/e-file options

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