Getting year-round tax help from the IRS is easier than ever before. The IRS website has many online tools that you can use to get the service you need. For example, with IRS.gov you can e-file your tax return for free, easily check the status of your refund, or get many of your tax questions answered. Here are some of the online tools that the IRS offers to make filing your taxes less taxing:

• IRS Free File.  You can use IRS Free File to prepare and e-file your federal tax return for free. Free File will do much of the work for you with brand-name tax software or Fillable Forms. If you still need to file your 2013 tax return, Free File is available through Oct. 15. The only way to use IRS Free File is through the IRS website.
• Where’s My Refund?  Checking the status of your tax refund is easy when you use Where’s My Refund? You can also use this tool with the IRS2Go mobile app.
• Direct Pay.  Use our Direct Pay service to pay your tax bill or pay your estimated tax directly from your checking or savings account. Direct Pay is safe, easy and free. The tool walks you through five simple steps to pay your tax in one online session.
• Online Payment Agreement.  If you can’t pay your taxes in full, apply for an Online Payment Agreement.. The Direct Debit payment plan option is a lower-cost hassle-free way to make monthly payments.
• Withholding Calculator.  If you got a larger refund or owed more tax than you expected when you filed your tax return, you may need to change the amount of tax taken out of your paycheck. The Withholding Calculator tool can help you complete a new Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate to give to your employer.
• Get Transcript.  If you apply for a loan or student financial aid, you may need to get a tax transcript. With Get Transcript, you can download and print your transcript or ask the IRS to mail it to your address of record.
• Interactive Tax Assistant.  Use the Interactive Tax Assistant tool to get answers to common tax questions. The tool will guide you step-by-step to the answer to your question based on your situation.
• Tax Map.  The IRS Tax Map gives you a single point to get tax law information by subject. It integrates your topic with related tax forms, instructions and publications into one research tool.
• IRS Select Check.  If you want to deduct your gift to charity, the organization you give to must be qualified. Use the IRS Select Check tool to see if a group is qualified.

1. The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS and is your voice at the IRS.
2. We help taxpayers whose problems are causing financial difficulty. This includes businesses as well as individuals.
3. You may be eligible for our help if you’ve tried to resolve your tax problem through normal IRS channels and have gotten nowhere, or you believe an IRS procedure just isn’t working as it should.
4. The IRS has adopted a Taxpayer Bill of Rights that includes 10 fundamental rights that every taxpayer has when interacting with the IRS:

   Taxpayer Bill of Rights
   • The Right to Be Informed.
   • The Right to Quality Service.
   • The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax.
   • The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard.
   • The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum.
   • The Right to Finality.
   • The Right to Privacy.
   • The Right to Confidentiality.
   • The Right to Retain Representation.
   • The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System.

   Our TAS Tax Toolkit at TaxpayerAdvocate.irs.gov can help you understand these rights and what they mean for you. The toolkit also has examples that show how the Taxpayer Bill of Rights can apply in specific situations.

5. If you qualify for our help, you’ll be assigned to one advocate who will be with you at every turn. And our service is always free.
6. We have at least one local taxpayer advocate office in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  You can call your advocate, whose number is in your local directory, in Pub. 1546, Taxpayer Advocate Service — Your Voice at the IRS, and on our website at irs.gov/advocate. You can also call us toll-free at 877-777-4778.
7. The TAS Tax Toolkit at TaxpayerAdvocate.irs.gov has basic tax information, details about tax credits (for individuals and businesses), and much more.
8. TAS also handles large-scale or systemic problems that affect many taxpayers. If you know of one of these broad issues, please report it to us at www.irs.gov/sams.
9. You can get updates at:
   • facebook.com/YourVoiceAtIRS
   • Twitter.com/YourVoiceatIRS
   • youtube.com/TASNTA

10. TAS is here to help you, because when you’re dealing with a tax problem, the worst thing you can do is to do nothing at all.