It's Tax Time

By Betsy O'Neil, Reference Librarian

March 8, 2006

Already have your taxes filed? If so, congratulations! If not, read on for some helpful information on completing your taxes...

If you enjoy filling out your forms the old-fashioned way with just a pencil and a calculator, drop by the Natrona County Public Library for hard copies of IRS forms and instructions. If you would rather print off forms at home using the Internet, visit the IRS’s website at www.irs.gov. There you will find every possible form you might need, as well as instructions.

If you earn a modest income and have a simple return, you may want to consider using the Free File program from the IRS. Free File is a partnership between the IRS and private tax preparation sites that allows taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of around $50,000 or less to complete their returns electronically for free. Just visit www.irs.gov to find a prominent link to the Free File site.  Once you pick a tax preparation service, the IRS will link you to Free File.  If you don’t qualify for Free File, you have some other options including paying a preparer to do your taxes or buying tax preparation software.  Don’t forget that if you don’t have Internet access at home, the library has twenty-four Internet computers available for use whether or not you have a library card.

NCPL also has numerous books on various aspects of taxes. For help preparing your taxes, check out “J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax,” by J.K. Lasser Tax Institute. Or try one of the many books addressing tax planning needs, such as “Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn,” by Stephen Fishman, “Tax Savvy for Small Business: Year-Round Tax Advice for Small Businesses,” by Frederick Daily or “How to Pay Zero Taxes,” by Jeff Schnepper. Frederick Daily’s “Surviving an IRS Tax Audit” is packed with information about your rights and how to prepare if you find yourself in an audit situation.

If you need some one-on-one help with your taxes, VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) volunteers are ready to assist.  Casper College and the Senior Citizens Center are this year’s VITA sites. Volunteers will be assisting people multiple times per week until April 15. There are a limited number of volunteers, so be prepared for long waiting lines. For more information about the VITA program, please call the library at 237-4935 ext. 125.

You can also visit the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC), located at 100 East B Street, for help with your taxes.  According to the IRS, your local TAC office is “your source for personal tax help when you believe your tax issue cannot be handled online or by phone and you want face-to-face tax assistance.” Multilingual assistance is available at this office and their phone number is 261-6390.

Finally, you can always call the IRS directly for help with your taxes. For personal income tax help call 1-800-829-1040 and for business tax help call 1-800-829-4933. Although your wait may be long, you’ll be connected with a live IRS employee who will walk you through your tax issues over the phone. 

Good luck with your taxes!

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