For those of us who are tax do-it-yourselfers, here is some good news from the IRS. It was announced yesterday that the IRS will be hosting a national Open House with the purpose of providing help to individuals as well as small businesses to solve their tax problems.
The first of three scheduled Open Houses will be Saturday, May 15 at locations throughout the country. Approximately 200 IRS offices will participate in this Open House and at least one office will be open in each state. The Open House will be from 9 am to 2 pm on May 15, local time. Staff from the IRS will be available by phone or on site to help small businesses or individuals work though issues and resolve problems.
“Our goal is to resolve issues on the spot so small businesses and individuals can put any issues they have with the IRS behind them,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said. “If you have a problem filing or paying your taxes or resolving a tough tax issue, we encourage you to come in and work with us.”
Each Open House location will have the ability to handle tax problems that involve tax return preparation, notices and payments, audits as well as other related issues. The last time the IRS hosted these Open House sessions, approximately two-thirds of the taxpayers received help with payments and notices. It was also estimated that 88 percent of taxpayers who came with issues had them resolved the same day.
As an example, taxpayers who are unable to pay a tax balance can meet with an IRS representative and discuss whether installment agreements are appropriate and if they are, the IRS representative will be able to assist them in completing the necessary paperwork right then and there. Taxpayers who have difficulty completing IRS forms or schedules can get help from IRS representatives to complete forms.
The May 15 Open House is the first of three open houses planned between now and the end of June. The dates for the next two are Saturday, June 5 and Saturday June 26.
Locations for these open houses are available by state at the following IRS website. http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/article/0,,id=220631,00.html
This is a good opportunity to get needed help for questions you might have related to your tax returns.
Has anyone ever attended any of these Open House sessions?
photo by: David Reber’s Hammer Photography
