We're less than two weeks away from April 15th and the IRS is reminding you to get your taxes filed on time.
More than 80% of taxpayers will file their taxes electronically this year, and that's a good thing, because there are all sorts of advantages to it.
Two-thirds of taxpayers will get refunds from Uncle Sam this year and for most of them, the sooner they get that check, the better. That's one of the benefits of filing electronically. "If you do a refund and you use direct deposit, you can get your money in as little as ten days. If you file by paper and wait for a check to come in the mail, you're looking at 4 to 6 weeks," Mark Hanson, IRS Spokesman.
Hanson says just about everybody can file their taxes electronically for free. you can fill out all the forms you need at www.irs.gov.
People who fill out paper returns have about a 20% chance they'll get something wrong. Often, it's simple stuff, like mixing up digits on a social security number or just forgetting to sign the return.
That kind of error rate drops down to less than one percent, if you file electronically.
Hanson says, if you still want to use a professional to prepare your taxes, just make sure to find one you can trust. "Because if the IRS questions information on a return, we're going to contact the taxpayer not necessarily the tax preparer."
And keep in mind the IRS will not contact you by e-mail. Watch out, if you get something in your inbox that looks like it's from the IRS. "Those emails that are claiming to be from the IRS are probably phishing scams," said Hanson, "They're trying to get you to provide your personal information so they can steal your identity or worse."
If you owe money to the IRS and can't pay off all of it, it's important that you still file a return or an extension by April 15th, to avoid late charges.
Hanson says the IRS can work with you on a payment plan.
The average tax refund this year will be around $3,000.
For more information http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=108543,00.html
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