Income Taxes- Individuals Tax Time has Come and Gone! Get prepared for next year. In order to take advantage of all the legal income tax deductions available to you and minimize your taxes you need to plan ahead and take actions before it's time to actually file your taxes. "It's How Much You KEEP, That Counts! Not how much you Make" Learn how to REDUCE YOUR TAXES to the LEGAL MINIMUM by studying and using the ONLY 'Plain English' Step-by-Step Guide to HOME-BUSINESS TAX BREAKS Authorized by Congress. If you are a taxpayer operating a legitimate Home-Based Business with the intent to make a profit... Most likely you can slash your taxes, perhaps by up to 50% or more! You might even qualify to claim Thousands in refunds on previously filed Tax Returns! Want to know how ? Home Business Tax Savings This web site is loaded with tons of practical and useful Tax-Savings and Business-Success tools, advice and resources. Look around. A lot of it is FREE, and ALL of it is VALUABLE. New York Times #1 Bestselling Author Robert G. Allen, says: “Anyone with a home-based businesses needs this information. Anyone without a home-based business needs it even more.” Invest a little time and check out Home Business Tax Savings. You'll be glad you did. Understanding Taxes The IRS has also developed an interactive, instructional tax program called Understanding Taxes to provide high schools, community colleges, and the general public with a technology-based instructional tool. IRS VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Tax Course The IRS Link & Learn Taxes Series is actually provided for training volunteer tax preparers but contains useful information for anyone wanting to learn about preparing taxes for individuals. Basic Tax Course Intermediate Tax Course Advanced Tax Course Other Useful Tax Information Supplied By IRS: Check Out The IRS for Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions By Category Get The Forms You Need For Doing Your Taxes IRS Tax Forms Detailed Instructions For Preparing Your Return Publication 17 Online Detailed Instructions for Preparing IRS Required Forms IRS Form Instructions Online Although this Toolkit is provided as an aid for tax preparers , it can also be beneficial to individuals. This Toolkit courtesy of the IRS features resources and information to help you: Determine eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit; Ensure full compliance with EITC rules and regulations; File accurate claims; and Answer questions. EITC Toolkit 1040 Central No matter which form you use, 1040 Central has the links you’ll need to file your tax return. Get the latest news and forms, plus information about special tax credits. Check out e-File. Track your refund. It’s all at 1040 Central. Free Tax Help Puzzled by the tax law or which credits and deductions to take? Need assistance with your tax return? You may want to visit a volunteer site. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program or the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program offer free tax help if you qualify. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) The VITA Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income ($36,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Volunteers sponsored by various organizations receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. VITA sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free electronic filing. To locate the nearest VITA site, call 1-800-829-1040. Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program provides free tax help to people age 60 and older. Trained volunteers from non-profit organizations provide free tax counseling and basic income tax return preparation for senior citizens. Volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS. As part of the IRS-sponsored TCE Program, AARP offers the Tax-Aide counseling program at more than 9,000 sites nationwide during the filing season. Trained and certified AARP Tax-Aide volunteer counselors help people of low-to-middle income with special attention to those age 60 and older. For more information on TCE call 1-800-829-1040. To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit AARP's Internet site. This is definitely not the way to present your tax information to your tax return preparer (accountant). Remember, the better you have your records summarized and organized, the cheaper your fee ! Even if you do your own taxes, it helps to be organized. MetLife and the Charlie Brown gang provide some good common sense guidance for organizing and preparing your taxes. Doing Your Taxes MSN Money Central has an excellent tax site that provides all sorts of useful tax information. Tax Check List This checklist can be your personal guide to compiling and organizing your tax documents. It can save you time and remind you which tax documents you've gathered throughout the year. Deduction Finder Guides you thru what you are allowed to deduct when calculating your taxes. Tax Articles Useful articles and tips. Federal Tax Forms & Publications Describes and provides online links to IRS tax forms and publications. State Tax Forms Need forms to do your state taxes. Find them here. Life Events These useful articles from H&R Block will help you understand the tax consequences of major life events, from buying a home and adopting a child to losing a spouse. Tax Planning Tax Planning is the place to organize and plan for your taxes. These resources also answer your tax questions. Tax Terms Definitions of Tax Terms Tax 101 Presented by HR Block HR Block's "Tax Planning 101" series offers what you need to know about filing status and rates, dependents and family, and end-of-year tax tips, with a few savvy deductions for good measure. Why e-file ? E-file E-file is a quick, easy, smart way to get your taxes where you want them to be --- Done! 60 million returns were e-filed in 2004! Quick - No more last minute trips to the Post Office - just hit Send! Or tell your preparer "I want the safety and speed of e-file". Easy - The computer software leads you step-by-step and verifies the math! Smart - IRS provides an official acknowledgement that your return was received. Owe money? You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal from your savings or checking account or use a credit card. Estimated Tax Calculators Get an idea of what you owe or how much you'll be getting as a refund ! Tax Calculator Estimated Tax Calculator provided by KJE Computer Solutions, LLC. lets you do a quick estimate of what you owe the IRS for income taxes. MSN Tax Calculator MSN-Money Central also provides a very good calculator. Need a Copy of a Prior Year Return ? Copy of Your Taxes Tax Topics and Information World Wide Web Tax Glossary provides definitions of tax terms. World Wide WebTax Topics provides a Master Index of Tax Topics arranged alphabetically. Tax Help provides a good source of information on surviving an audit and lowering your tax. US Tax Code online reference. 1040 Essentials provided by Kleinrock requires free registration to access online Tax Guide, Quick Answers, and Tax Updates. Tax Courses The Tax College's Free Tax Course If you’d like to take a fast and free online income tax course written by tax professionals, not university professors, then check out the tax college! Wiseguides WiseGuides offers a unique service to the accounting community. FREE TAX and ACCOUNTING courses. All of their courses are FREE to use -- you only pay for CPE credit (not the course). Thus if you, or your staff, just want to study any or all of their 100 tax, accounting, and management courses be their guest for FREE. Note: Membership is required but is Free ! Signup/Registration and Login Page Login/Register Course Listing -Excellent Tax Courses - Accounting Courses - Management Courses and ..... More ! Course Listing Some Quick Tax Advice presented on the LearnThat Site Tax Preparation for Beginners by Learnthat.com Staff Mention the word taxes and many people start sweating . . . The maze of tax forms you must wade through can seem overwhelming, and following the rules can seem impossible. But take heart: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has worked hard (hic) in recent years to try to simplify the process for most taxpayers. Filing incorrectly may bring heavy penalties, so it's important to take advantage of all the help you can get. Avoid an IRS Tax Audit by M.E. Hansen An IRS Tax Audit can be one of the scariest situations a person or business can face. Often times the IRS has a distinct advantage because the average person doesn't know enough tax law to defend him/herself against an audit. This tutorial is designed to help level that playing field. Also check out the links at the right for more help and information. Can I Deduct my Home Office? by Learnthat.com Staff If you work at home, as millions of Americans now do, it's well worth investigating whether you qualify for home office deductions. The 1.5 million tax filers who claimed exemptions for the business use of their homes cut their annual Federal tax bill by an average of some $2000 in 1994 (the last year for which data are available). But before you take those savings to the bank, you'd better understand the rules State Income Tax Information State Taxes