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WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of seven new members for the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC).

The new appointees will join 13 returning members. Committee members represent the taxpaying public, tax professionals, small and large businesses, the financial industry and payroll providers.

“Information reporting requirements reach into every corner of the tax code and present major implications for both the IRS and the public,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “The new IRPAC members bring a wealth of insight and experience that we are fortunate to have as we seek to effectively administer the tax law.”

The following people have been appointed to serve on the committee for three-year terms beginning in 2014:

Robert J. Birch is Director of Corporate Tax at Wellmark Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa. He has over 35 years of experience with tax information reporting. Two of the companies in Wellmark Inc.’s consolidated group are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association doing business in Iowa and South Dakota. Birch is a member of the Board of Directors of the Tax Executives Institute Inc. and the first president of the IOWA TEI Chapter.

Beatriz Castaneda is Director Client Reporting at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. in San Francisco. She has 14 years of tax reporting experience at Charles Schwab. Castaneda is a member of the Financial Information Forum (FIF) Cost Basis Working Group and FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) Group. She is also a member of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Tax Compliance Committee and Cost Basis Working Group.

Ernesto S. Castro is Manager of Government Relations at Ultimate Software Group Inc. in Santa Ana, Calif. He has more than 20 years of experience working with tax information reporting with a concentration in compliance and problem resolution. Castro is a founding member of the National Association of Tax Reporting and Payroll Management.

Roseann M. Cutrone is Tax Counsel with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, in Washington, D.C. She has worked for 27 years as tax counsel with information reporting and withholding issues. Cutrone has represented clients including large domestic and foreign commercial banks, investment funds and other entities with respect to all aspects of their information reporting and withholding obligations.

Carolyn Diehl is Tax Compliance Officer and Vice President with National Financial Services, LLC, a Division of Fidelity Investments, in Jersey City, N.J. She has worked in the financial industry for more than 35 years as both a tax preparer and compliance officer for a leading financial services firm specializing in high net worth clients and as a compliance officer for a large broker/dealer organization. Diehl is a member of the SIFMA tax compliance committee and participates in dialogue on cost basis and FATCA with the Financial Information Forum (FIF).

Michael W. Gangwer is Associate Tax Advisor in the Legal Department of The Vanguard Group, Inc. in Valley Forge, Pa. He has worked at Vanguard in information reporting for more than 10 years. He currently serves as the lead technical consultant for information reporting and tax withholding for Vanguard’s retail, institutional retirement and brokerage tax reporting and cost basis departments. Gangwer is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Investment Company Institute and the Securities Institute and Financial Markets Association.

Darrell D. Granahan is Vice President, Payment at First Data Corp. in Omaha, Neb. He has worked for First Data Corp. for 17 years. First Data is an electronic payment facilitator/payment settlement entity. Granahan serves on Thomson Reuters – ONESOURCE Tax Information Reporting Advisory Board, is a member of Information Systems Audit and Control (ISACA), and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

The 2014 IRPAC Chairman is Boyd Brown, Benefits Tax Counsel in the Global Tax & Trade group at Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif. He has worked for more than 20 years in the compensation and benefits area. Brown serves as tax counsel supporting Human Resources, Compensation & Benefits, Payroll, Legal, HR Legal, and Compensation & Benefits Accounting. He is an adjunct faculty member with Georgetown University Law Center, teaching courses in taxation of fringe benefits and nonqualified deferred compensation.

The IRPAC was established in 1991. The committee’s purpose is to provide an organized public forum for discussion of relevant tax administration issues between IRS officials and representatives of the public.

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IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2014-03, January 30, 2014

The 2014 tax filing season opens on Friday Jan. 31. That is the first day that the IRS will accept 2013 federal income tax returns.

If you are working on your taxes and need tax help, the IRS website has the tax help and information you need.

Taxpayers are strongly encouraged to explore the various self-service, technology-based options that exist for tax help and tax return preparation on IRS.gov. Taxpayers should be aware that due to limited resources, individualized tax help on IRS toll-free lines and Taxpayer Assistance Centers has changed beginning this year. More information on service changes for the 2014 tax season is available on IRS.gov.

The quickest way to get information and help is through IRS.gov. The web site is available 24/7, so you can get tax help any time you need. You may wish to bookmark 1040 Central as your go-to page for tax help. This web page has information and links to many helpful tools, products and services that will help you prepare and file your tax return. They include:

• Tax Forms and Publications.  Download tax forms and publications. Many publications are also available in Spanish.
• IRS Tools.  You’ll find several tools and self-service options on IRS.gov to help you with your taxes. Here are just a few:

o Use the Interactive Tax Assistant to answer many of your tax questions.
o Find out if you’re eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit by using the EITC Assistant.
o Use the AMT Assistant tool to find out if you may need to pay Alternative Minimum Tax.
o Track your refund using the ‘Where’s My Refund?’ tool.

When you are ready to file your tax return beginning Jan. 31, there are several, free options that you should consider. Taxpayers who have visited IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers in prior years for free tax preparation should be aware that, beginning this year, these offices are no longer offering this service. Other options for free tax preparation include:

• Use Free File to e-file for free.  Most people e-file their tax return these days. Everyone can useIRS Free File to prepare and e-file their federal taxes for free. The only way to use this program is through the IRS website. If you made $58,000 or less, you can use free tax software. If your income is more than $58,000 and you feel comfortable doing your own taxes, use Free File Fillable Forms. This option has the electronic versions of IRS paper forms.
• Get taxes done with VITA or TCE.  You may be able to get free tax preparation at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or Tax Counseling for the Elderly site. IRS-trained volunteers can help you get the tax credits and deductions you’re entitled to claim. The VITA program generally offers free tax return preparation and e-filing to people who earn $52,000 or less. The TCE program offers help mainly to people 60 or older. Thousands of free tax preparation sites around the nation will open in late Jan. and early Feb. Visit IRS.gov to find the one nearest you.

IRS YouTube Videos:

• Welcome to Free File – English
• Do It Yourself Free Tax Preparation – English | Spanish | ASL
• IRS Information Available in Spanish – English | Spanish | ASL
• How to Get 1040 Forms – English | Spanish | ASL

IRS Podcasts:

• Do It Yourself Free Tax Preparation – English | Spanish
• IRS Information Available in Spanish – English | Spanish
• How to Get 1040 Forms – English | Spanish

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