Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
The tax-filing season is in full swing. Learn about Direct File, a new tax filing service available in 12 states that is helping people save time and money by filing their taxes online, for free, directly with the IRS.
By the time tax season closes on April 15 the last day to submit a return — the IRS expects to receive 146 million returns, and planning for it is “a monumental task,” said IRS Wage and Investment Division Deputy Commissioner Kevin Morehead on a Friday, March 22 Ethnic Media Services briefing.
Kevin said that the IRS began accepting 2023 tax returns on January 29. As of March 8, the IRS had received 62.8 million returns and processed 61.9 million, issuing nearly 43 million refunds totaling more than $135 billion.
As part of the “Inflation Reduction Act” (Inflation Reduction Act), the IRS continues to improve the user experience. Last year, it added more than 5,000 telephone customer service personnel. The hotline wait time is now less than three minutes, and customer service provides Spanish and English services.
At the same time, the IRS cooperates with local departments and organizations to provide various offline face-to-face services, giving taxpayers the opportunity to learn more information. Taxpayers can log on to https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/ to check the tax assistance center near their residence. Tax assistance centers have recently extended their working hours.
Direct File walks you through the processes of preparing your return. You’ll follow a step-by-step checklist that guides you through filing and helps you easily track your progress. When you finish, Direct File shows you a clear summary of your 2023 federal taxes based on the information you entered. He said that the direct tax filing pilot project just launched in March this year has been used in 12 states, including California, and direct tax filing provides Spanish and English services.
Taxpayers can confirm whether they are eligible for direct filing requirements on the IRS official website. The details behind each step of the tax filing process will be introduced in detail, and there is a live-chat function to communicate with customer service staff. However, direct filing only reports federal taxes, and taxpayers also need to file California state taxes. Morehead reminded everyone to be wary of tax fraud. The IRS will not ask taxpayers to provide personal information through social networks or over the phone. You can get more information about fraud prevention from the official website.
