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IR-2014-6: IRS Filing Season Tax Tips Begin Jan. 28

January 24, 2014 11:12 am / Leave a comment

IR-2014-6, Jan. 24, 2014

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service will make available a special series of daily Tax Tips beginning Jan. 28 to help people prepare their tax returns.

More than 60 IRS Tax Tips will be available through a free email subscription or by visiting IRS.gov. The tips, one available each business day through the April 15 tax deadline, offer single-topic briefs on tax topics affecting millions of people.

The easy-to-read tips cover a wide range of topics to help people with the 2014 filing season, which begins Jan. 31. Many tips offer information on money-saving tax credits and deductions that can be easy to overlook and could affect your refund.

Topics for 2014 include:

How to avoid tax scams
Help available through IRS.gov
Who can claim the Earned Income Tax Credit
Free File
Free volunteer tax help
Fastest and safest way to get your refund
How to choose a tax preparer
Tax help ‘en Español’
Tax return errors that slow down your refund
The home office deduction
Education tax credits
Helpful tips for paying your taxes

You can receive the Tax Tips automatically each day via email by signing up for a free service on IRS.gov. From the Subscriptions page, choose the “Tax Tips” drop-down menu, then click on “Subscribe.”

In addition to more than 60 filing season tips, several special edition tax tips will be available on the IRS website. To see the Tax Tips, visit the News section of IRS.gov or type “Tax Tips” into the search box.

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2014-02: IRS Warns of Tax-time Scams

January 23, 2014 1:19 pm / Leave a comment

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IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2014-02, January 23, 2014

It’s true: tax scams proliferate during the income tax filing season. This year’s season opens on Jan. 31. The IRS provides the following scam warnings so you can protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of these crimes:

Be vigilant of any unexpected communication purportedly from the IRS at the start of tax season.
Don’t fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure. Thieves often pose as the IRS using a bogus refund scheme or warnings to pay past-due taxes.
The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of e-communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
The IRS doesn’t ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential information for credit card, bank or other accounts.
If you get an unexpected email, don’t open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. For more about how to report phishing scams involving the IRS visit the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

Here are several steps you can take to help protect yourself against scams and identity theft:

Don’t carry your Social Security card or any documents that include your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Don’t give a business your SSN or ITIN just because they ask. Give it only when required.
Protect your financial information.
Check your credit report every 12 months.
Secure personal information in your home.
Protect your personal computers by using firewalls and anti-spam/virus software, updating security patches and changing passwords for Internet accounts.
Don’t give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact and are sure of the recipient.
Be careful when you choose a tax preparer. Most preparers provide excellent service, but there are a few who are unscrupulous. Refer to Tips to Help you Choose a Tax Preparer for more details.

For more on this topic, see the special identity theft section on IRS.gov. Also check out IRS Fact Sheet 2014-1, IRS Combats Identity Theft and Refund Fraud on Many Fronts.

IRS YouTube Videos: