As we enter tax season it is good remind ourselves what we need to prepare.
- Gather your records together: By now you should have received most if not all of your tax forms in the mail. Gather them all together along with any relevant receipts or other pertinent records you might need and viola! Task one accomplished!
- Decide how you will file: There are plenty of free resources for filing your taxes and starting with IRS.gov is not a bad idea. There are both free services for filing and help if you get stuck.
- How will you receive your refund or pay your taxes: Once you have filed your return, before you submit it, decide how you want your refund. It is simple to link a bank account so that your refund is automatically deposited. You can always receive a check in the mail but expect it to take longer.
If you prefer to have a paid preparer do your tax return for you, you will still need to do the above tasks. If you have a trusty professional that prepares your return every year you are ahead of the game. If you need to find one be careful to check them out first. There can be unscrupulous people out there.
Before and after you prepare your taxes be aware of scams. Remember the IRS will never call you or ask for money or your social security number. And as always, if it sounds too good to be true – yep, you’re correct, it probably is!