IRS Help, Smartphone Application and Social Media Tools

IRS has on their website at www.irs.gov The Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) that is a tool that provides answers to a number of tax law questions.  It can determine if a type of income is taxable, eligibility for certain credits or if you can deduct expenses on your tax return.  It also can provide answers to general questions by using the search feature or by viewing the categories listed.

IRS has a smartphone application called "IRS2Go".  This lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and also obtain helpful tax information such as easy-to-understand tax tips.  IRS claims E-filers can now get refund information within 24 hours after they receive e-mail acknowledgement saying the IRS received their tax return.  Paper-filers will need to wait 4 weeks before they can check the refund status.  You can enter your email address if you want to get daily tax tips during the tax filing season and periodically the rest of the year.  For the free "IRS2Go" app go to either the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace to download.

IRS SPONSORED FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION AVAILABLE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA:

Other ways to get tax information:

1.  YouTube - here you can find IRS short, informative videos on various tax-related topics offered in English, American Sign Language and other foreign languages.  To access the videos go to the IRS YouTube Video channel.

2. Twitter - follow tweets @IRSnews for tax-related announcements, news for tax professionals and updates for job seekers.

3. Facebook - IRS Facebook pages post useful information for general public in English and Spanish tax professionals.

4.  LinkedIn - IRS Linkedin page posts important tax information, updates and announcements from the IRS.  

5.  Instagram - The IRS Instagram account will share information on a variety of topics to help people get read for the tax season and to navigate    tax law changes.  Also provided is the latest tax scam information to help combat tax-related identity theft.

6.  Audio files for podcasts - short audio recordings on one tax-related topic per podcast available on iTunes or through the Multimedia Center on www.IRS.gov

7.  Subscriptions - sign up for free e-News subscriptions on many topics.  This news is delivered straight to your E-mail inbox.  Choose which ones you want to join.

To find links to any of these social media tools, go to www.irs.gov and click on "Social Media" under the Multimedia Center