By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Tax season is in full swing after beginning just about a month ago, and officials with the IRS are issuing tips to keep people prepared during the filing period.
IRS spokesman Cesar Yabor says for a relatively simple filing you should make sure you have a complete set of documents; most should have been received by now.
"Their W-2's, any 1099-K's if they've got other forms of income, they really need to make sure that they do everything possible to feel confident that they have a complete set of documents illustrating their various forms of income from last year," Yabor tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Yabor says the best way to file your return is electronically.
"Folks can buy their own software off the shelf, they can go online to file, but the IRS itself actually offers a service called free file for taxpayers who make up to $79,000 a year, it's entirely free," Yabor explains.
Yabor says one thing to be cautious with using free file is nefarious advertisers that say the service is free but will charge anyways. You can access free file on the IRS website.
Once your tax return is filed electronically it should be expected in less than 21 days.
Yabor says if you seek help from a tax preparer, be sure to research and make sure they are legitimate, because one of the biggest scams is preparers that are not legitimate
"Who won't sign a tax return and they'll let their perspective client hang, which is not great," Yabor says. "A legitimate tax preparer will sign the tax returns that they've prepared on behalf on a tax filer, and there will be a legitimate process and the tax filer will be properly covered."
Yabor says another red flag is a preparer making promises that seem too big to be true. You can find a list of tax preparers on the IRS website.
The tax filing deadline, or deadline to request an extension, is April 15th.
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