Read This Before You Do Your Taxes

In all my years of practicing before the IRS I've seen people that had a rough patch in their life that kept them from filing and paying their taxes.

Extensions can be one of the few parts of the tax world where you can take it a little easy on yourself. The supposed employee gave the victim a case number and an employee identification number.

Before you start your taxes, look closely and make sure you have all the forms you expect.

Do not click on the links in these emails, which take you to sites cloned from IRS.gov and solicit personal information.

"Why would you pay earlier than you need to pay?"

Walls won't solve Europe's migrant crisis — United Nations chief
The hope is to discourage asylum-seekers from trying to make the unsafe trip across the Aegean Sea on their own in flimsy boats. Two men were pulled out unconscious from one of the boats amid the screams of fellow passengers and were later pronounced dead.

Pick your preparation methodAnother key question to answer is how you intend to do your taxes. If you claim that you were exempt from health care coverage, you must file Form 8965. The longer you intend to wait, the more important it is to make an appointment early. The membership organization and lobbying group for people age 50 and over has more than 5,000 locations nationwide. Plus, if you owe taxes you can pay with your fingerprint.

Individual taxpayers who have health insurance through traditional employer-provided plans most likely need only tick a checkbox on their tax return.

Most tax software comes with free or affordable electronic filing options, and many taxpayers can qualify for free electronic filing under the IRS Free File system. "When a taxpayer hasn't received all of their information or had the opportunity to gather it", says Twila Denton Midwood, an enrolled agent and president of Advanced Tax Centre in Rockledge, Fla. 11% of those surveyed would clean Chipotle toilets, and over a quarter would get an IRS tattoo, if it meant they could live in a tax-free future. Beyond that, TurboTax is really just giving your Social Security number to the IRS and asking them for a tax refund status check, so the system is as secure as the IRS is - which may or may not be comforting to app users. He pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to filing false claims.

IRS officials also urge you to use strong firewall and anti virus protection on your computer, with a strong password. After entering some basic information, you'll be able close to getting the tax information you're seeking.