Professional Tax Preparation Software has been set to Extended Deadline

Services for tax preparers e-file

IRS Kicks Off 2012 Tax Season with Deadline Extended to April 17

IRS YouTube Video: April 17th Tax Deadline: English  | ASL
 
IR-2012-1, Jan. 4, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today opened the 2012 tax filing season by announcing that taxpayers have until April 17 to file their tax returns. The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file as it is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds.

The IRS also announced a number of improvements to help make this tax season easy for taxpayers. This includes new navigation features and helpful information on IRS.gov and a new pilot to allow taxpayers to use interactive video to get help with tax issues.

“At the IRS, we’re working hard to make the process of filing your taxes as quick and easy as possible,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Providing quality service is one of our top priorities. It not only reduces the burden on taxpayers, but also helps in filing an accurate return right from the start.”

Taxpayers will have until Tuesday, April 17, to file their 2011 tax returns and pay any tax due because April 15 falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Monday, April 16. According to federal law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file this year. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Oct. 15 to file their 2012 tax returns.

The IRS expects to receive more than 144 million individual tax returns this year, with most of those being filed by the April 17 deadline.

The IRS will begin accepting e-file and Free File returns on Jan. 17, 2012. Additional details about e-file and Free File will be announced later this month. IRS Free File provides options for free brand-name tax software or online fillable forms plus free electronic filing. Everyone can use Free File to prepare a federal tax return. Taxpayers who make $57,000 or less can choose from approximately 20 commercial software providers. There’s no income limit for Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms, which also includes free e-filing.

The IRS also reminds paid tax return preparers they must have and include a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) on all returns they prepare. All PTINs must be renewed for 2011. Tax return preparers can obtain or renew PTINs online.

Assistance Options

The IRS continues to focus on taxpayer service. The best way for taxpayers to get answers to their questions is by visiting the IRS website at IRS.gov. The IRS has updated the front page of the IRS website to make it easier for taxpayers to get key forms, information and file tax returns. The front page also has links to taxpayer-friendly videos on the IRS YouTube channel. More improvements are planned for IRS.gov in the months ahead.  

Last year, the IRS unveiled IRS2Go, its first smartphone application that lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information. The IRS reminds Apple users that they can download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the Apple App Store and Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app.

Individuals making $50,000 or less can use the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for free tax preparation and, in many cases, free electronic filing. Individuals age 60 and older can take advantage of free tax counseling and basic income tax preparation through Tax Counseling for the Elderly. Information on these programs can be found at IRS.gov.

For tax law questions or account inquiries, taxpayers can also call our toll-free number (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time) or visit a taxpayer assistance center, the locations of which are listed on IRS.gov.

Virtual Service

The IRS has begun a new pilot program where taxpayers can get assistance through two-way video conferencing.  The IRS is conducting a limited roll out of this new video conferencing technology at 10 IRS offices and two other sites, and may expand to further sites in the future. A list of locations is available on IRS.gov.

Check for a Refund

Once taxpayers file their federal return, they can track the status of their refunds by using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, which taxpayers can get to using the IRS2Go phone app or from the front page of www.IRS.gov.  By providing their Taxpayer Identification Numbers, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of their anticipated refund taxpayers can generally get information about their refund 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of their e-filed returns, or three to four weeks after mailing a paper return.

29 comments

  1. Hi,

    Tax that unless your financial affairs are extremely simple, chances are you will benefit from at least occasional help from a tax professional.

  2. I am glad that I discovered this site , precisely the right info that I was searching for! .

  3. I am still learning about ZUmba but this far I love what I see!

  4. Trisha Kalfa says:

    Your website is the greatest I have seen for a long time!

  5. Egads, am I ever glad I arrived to your blog. Great information!

  6. Audrey Tatem says:

    Wammy, am I ever pleased I clicked to your blog. Great details!

  7. This is my fourth time to your website, I love it every time!

  8. Trisha Kalfa says:

    Excellent thread.. I had to check it twice to comprehend it all though, haha!

  9. Great thread.. I had to scan it twice to comprehend it all though, haha!

  10. Egads, am I ever pleased I came to your blog. Awesome details!

  11. Your page is the greatest I have seen for a long time!

  12. Wammy, am I ever thrilled I arrived to your blog. Wicked stuff!

  13. I am going to try this sometime soon!

  14. Wow, am I ever happy I clicked to your website. Thorough stuff!

  15. Hello there, simply become aware of your blog via Google,my site is http://www.chilggoooto.com

  16. Awesome post.. I had to check it twice to understand it all though, haha!

  17. This is my third time to your article, I love it every time!

  18. Hello, i believe that i saw you visited my blog so i got here to ¡°go back the want¡±.I’m trying to find issues to enhance my site!I suppose its adequate to use a few of your ideas!!

  19. Rick Finell says:

    naturally like your web-site but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find it very troublesome to inform the reality then again I’ll surely come back again.

  20. I am therefore glad this web thing performs and your publish really solved the problem. Usually takes a person up on which home assistance you

  21. Superior write up. Remember to keep up the very notable performance.

  22. Wikia…

    Wika linked to this place…

  23. on the web sites with directories:- increased…

    motivation for relevant le;- big number of web sites in any niche;- your link will be standing on static pages (good for indexing);- big field for automating all routine on finding site-partner and exchanging links with it.on web sites with automatic…

  24. Recent Blogroll Additions……

    [...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……

  25. imlement seo says:

    Great website…

    [...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……

  26. Trackback for this article…

    [...] Left you a trackback for your main followers to obtain more information [...]…

  27. SEO Services says:

    Websites you should visit…

    [...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……

  28. Favorite webpage…

    [...] If you are searching for additional information in regards to this situation, addiitional information about modern day problem is readily available on [...]…

  29. Websites we think you should visit…

    [...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.