IRS Offers Saturday Help as Filing Deadline Approaches

Nashville, TN – The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that the April 18th tax filing deadline is less than a month away and announced that nearly 100 IRS offices will be open nationwide Saturday, March 26th.

In Tennessee, the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers in Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville will be open Saturday, March 26th, from 9:00am to 2:00pm. These IRS centers offer help to anyone who has federal tax account issues or questions and offer free tax preparation and e-filing to most people whose 2010 household income was $49,000 or less.

Free tax preparation and e-filing are also offered at about 180 volunteer-staffed help sites in 56 Tennessee counties. These sites are for filers whose household income was $49,000 or less last year or who are age 60 or older. Filers can call the IRS toll-free at 1-800-906-9887 to find the closest free help site.

“Last-minute tax filers make the most errors,” said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. “IRS encourages people to reduce the chance of errors by filing now and by using tax software or finding a qualified, reputable tax preparer who does.”

IRS Free File at www.IRS.gov offers free online use of brand-name tax software to filers whose 2010 income was $58,000 or less. Free File includes a Fillable Forms option that is free for all filers, regardless of income.

Generally, returns prepared manually on paper have an error rate of almost 20 percent, while returns prepared using tax software have an error rate of less than one percent.