• Will regularly survey taxpayers who successfully e-filed a tax return through the Free File program, reporting their results quarterly to the IRS.

Remember, as long as you qualify for the Free File Online federal return offer, you must NOT be charged for preparation and e-filing of federal tax returns.

If you need help when you are on the company’s website and doing your taxes, you may refer to the company’s Free customer service options.

If you used Free File last year, you should receive an email from the same company product that you used, welcoming you back to Free File. The email should include a link to the company’s Free File Online program and explain how to file with the program.

Many Free File Online products offer free state tax preparation, some charge a state fee. Be sure to read each company’s information carefully.

If you find you do NOT qualify for a specific company’s Free File offer after visiting their website, you may return to the IRS.gov Free File website to seek another Free File Online offer. Each Free File company will provide you information when you do not qualify, with the option to select a link to bring you back to IRS.gov Free File site to select another company.

The IRS also reminds taxpayers that they don't have to wait until January 27 to start their tax return or contact a reputable tax preparer — which we urge you to do with every newsletter!

Tax professionals is a generic term describing a variety of professions including enrolled agents, certified public accountants, financial planners, accountants, tax preparers, and some lawyers.

The enrolled agent (EA) is a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. An EA has to pass the Special Enrollment Examination, or must have worked at the IRS for five years in a position which regularly interpreted and applied the tax code and its regulations. The IRS conducts a background check as well as a review of the applicant’s tax compliance. Also, the IRS requires ERs to complete 72 hours of continuing professional education every three years.

The tax preparer is an individual who has been given limited training, usually 3-6 weeks, on the tax forms, types of income and expenses and how to use tax software. Thanks to recent law changes they must be licensed and receive annual training to ensure familiarity with the most recent laws.

A certified public accountant (CPA) has general knowledge in all accounting disciplines such as audit, cost, revenue, preparation of financial statements and tax. A CPA may specialize in one or more area, so it is important to understand what areas of accounting they have practical experience.

A tax attorney has a law degree and also has an accounting degree usually with a CPA specializing in tax. Many tax attorneys focus on corporate and/or partnership taxes, acquisitions/ divestitures, real estate or representing a defendant in an IRS audit.

The financial planner is a practicing professional who prepares financial planning for people covering various aspects of personal finance which include: cash flow management, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, tax planning, estate planning and business succession planning (for business owners). All of this is commonly known as personal financial planning designed to create a financial plan, a detailed strategy tailored to a client's specific situation, for meeting a client's specific goals.

Bottom line, help from a tax professional is always your best option in any dealings with the IRS. Keeping up with our newsletters is, of course, your preferred option in staying up-to-date with the most important news that may have an impact on your taxes and financial situation.

Like most new years, 2020 seems equally promising and challenging. In trying to navigate the surprises that the future may hold, we tend to hang on to the beaten path and the certitudes. The question to ask is, what else is more certain than taxes!? So, with that in mind, hang on to that certainty as we keep you up-to- date with everything new and of interest from the IRS and the Treasury Department throughout the length of the year.

The IRS has kept busy and recently confirmed that the nation's tax season will start for individual tax return filers on Monday, January 27, 2020, when the tax agency will begin accepting and processing 2019 tax year returns.

The deadline to file 2019 tax returns and pay any tax owed is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. More than 150 million individual tax returns for the 2019 tax year are expected to be filed, with the vast majority of those coming before the traditional April tax deadline.

The IRS set the January 27 opening date to ensure the security and readiness of key tax processing systems and to address the potential impact of recent tax legislation on 2019 tax returns.

While taxpayers may prepare returns through the IRS' Free File program as well as many tax software companies and tax professionals before the start date, processing of those returns will begin after IRS systems open later this month. Also, the IRS encourages everyone to consider filing electronically and choosing direct deposit, It's fast, accurate and the best way to get your refund as quickly as possible. In general, the IRS claims that returns with refunds are processed and payments issued within 21 days. For paper filers, this can take much longer, however. The IRS and tax professionals strongly encourage electronic filing.

Taxpayers can get free help preparing and filing taxes through IRS Free File online or free tax help from trained volunteers at community sites around the country. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $56,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS- certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Just before the beginning of the new year, the IRS announced an agreement with Free File, Inc. (FFI) designed to bring more clarity for taxpayers choosing to use free online software during the 2020 filing season.

The agreement reached will help make the Free File program more taxpayer- friendly while strengthening consumer protections in several key areas.

Each year, Free File partners, offer their software free to eligible taxpayers. Any taxpayer earning $69,000 or less can find one or more free commercial software products available by visiting IRS.gov/freefile.

Some providers offer both free federal and free state tax preparation. Active duty military personnel with incomes of $69,000 or less may use a Free File software product of their choice without regard to other criteria.

The program also offers Free File Fillable Forms, a fillable version of IRS' printed forms best suited for taxpayers experienced in preparing returns by hand and who need limited assistance. The Fillable Forms program, which is available to anyone regardless of income, will be available again in the 2020 tax season for people completing their tax year 2019 returns.

Highlights of the new agreement reached on the Free File program include several features designed to make the program more taxpayer friendly. Among the features in the new agreement, FFI members:

• Will not exclude their Free File Landing page from an organic internet search. (A landing page is a standalone web page, created specifically for marketing or advertising campaigns, and organic search results appear as paginated lists, are based on relevance to the search terms, and exclude advertisements.)
  
  
• Will ensure a link on their sites is available to return taxpayers to the IRS Free File website at the earliest feasible point in the preparation process if they do not qualify for the Member's Free File offer, and