Don't Mess With Taxes

Two more IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) Saturday openings are scheduled for April 13 and May 18.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

The Internal Revenue Service's second special Saturday openings this year of Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) will be this Saturday, March 16.

As with the February event, and the two openings in April and May, there's no need for taxpayers to make appointments. They can just walk into the TACs, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, for help.

The following 70 TACs in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be open on March 16:

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.

"While taxpayers are on our site, it's important they also check other IRS.gov pages because the website offers plenty of information and tools, and they might find an online resource that will meet their needs," said IRS Wage & Investment Commissioner Ken Corbin in announcing the March 16 TAC openings.

Tax filing not among the services: Although the three of the four TAC Saturdays are before Tax Day on April 15, 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. They include:

• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites;
• Free File software, in English and Spanish, for taxpayers, individual or family, who earned $79,000 or less in 2023;
• Free File Fillable Forms via Free File for taxpayers regardless of income;
• IRS Direct File pilot program for some taxpayers in 12 states; or
• The Department of Defense MilTax program for U.S. service personnel.

In addition, you can find other online tax resources at IRS.gov, such as the Interactive Tax Assistant tool. It can help answer some taxpayer questions and in some cases resolve tax matters so that they don't have to make a trip to a TAC for help.

You also can find more on available IRS services in Publication 5136, IRS Services Guide.

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 adjusting a taxpayer account, resolving procedural inquiries, obtaining an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN), and establishing a tax payment plan. IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service employees may also 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.

Special taxpayer 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.

Office hour expanded, too: In addition to the special Saturday hours, many TACs are expanding their office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 15.

To see if a nearby TAC is offering the added hours, view its listing at IRS.gov/taclocator.

To make an appointment during regular or expanded hours, call toll-free (844) 545-5640.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Ways to file your federal taxes in 2024
• May 17, 2024, is deadline for nonfilers to claim 2020 COVID cash
• Where is your tax refund? IRS tracking tool aims to answer annual query

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