How soon can I file my income tax return?
As soon as you receive the information you need to file (W-2, Unem-ployment 1099G, bank interest etc) you may fill out both the federal and state income tax forms and mail them in.
However for electronic filings the IRS announced plans to open the 2014 filing season on January 13, 2014 for Busi-ness Tax Returns and January 31, 2014 for Individual Tax Returns.
This year the IRS and most states including New York State will not provide a projected refund date. In 2013 the IRS issued more than 9 out of 10 refunds to taxpayers in less than 21 days and anticipates the same results in 2014.
To help you track the processing of your return the IRS has established a site http://www.irs.gov
/Refunds, a cell phone app IRS2GO, and for those electronically challenged taxpayers a Refund Hotline 1-800-829-1954. New York State refunds can be tracked through https://www8.tax
.ny.gov/PRIS/prisStart or by calling 1-518-457-5181.
The IRS and New York State will continue the practice of reviewing some returns with refundable credits (Earned Income Credit, etc) before sending the taxpayer their refund which will delay the processing of those returns and refunds expected.
The IRS cautions you to not count on your refunds by a certain date, even though they issue most refunds within the 21 day period it’s possible your return may require additional review and a longer processing time.
Where do I get the forms & instructions?
As soon as the forms & instructions are approved the
• federal forms & instructions are available on the internet at http://www.irs.gov/Forms-&-Pubs, your local IRS office or you can order up to 10 different forms and instructions to be mailed to your address by calling 1-800-829-3676. The IRS will send 2 copies of each form and instructions to you.
• New York State forms are only available on the internet at http://www.tax.ny.gov/forms/other_ways_to_get_forms.htm or by calling (518) 457-5431.
In either case it usually takes 10-15 days after they are available for your forms to arrive.
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Questions for Deborah Ritz can be e-mailed to The Weekly Adirondack at WeeklyADK@yahoo.com