by Elaine Thigpen

Created on: September 06, 2008   Last Updated: September 16, 2008

Before we know it, it'll be tax time again. Unfortunately paying our income taxes help keeps our economy flowing. When you file you may be entitled to more money from the tax credits that they offer. Or, in some cases if not enough taxes are taken out and you don't qualify for the credits, you would owe the government.

There are a few options to choose on who you want to file your taxes:

1- Do it yourself which can be the least expensive method and your confident enough to do them.
2- Have a friend or individual tax preparer who is more experienced. A little more costly.
3- Hire an expert which can be a lot more costly, but if there's a problem they can assist without any extra cost.
4-IRS volunteers Free programs provided by the IRS such as VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is for people with low to moderate income, and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) is for people age 60 and older.

When you prepare your own tax return you have more options to choose from: How do we want to have them done?
1- Use paper forms and booklets that are available at your local library and post office and return by mail, unless they send them to you.
2- Online go to irs.gov website. They have a link that lists free income tax preparations.
3- Purchase tax software, such as Turbo Tax or Tax Act, they offer online tax preparations.

In this day in age of technology and scam artists, we will always have to watch out for them. We need to take that extra step in protecting ourselves during tax time because our vital information is provided, such as bank accounts, and social security numbers. When you deal with a professional you need to take the time to read through your documents and double check information is correct.

Whichever you choose do the research. If you choose an expert ask them questions about their procedures, policy and importantly, if you have children, is it child friendly. You can ask other people their experiences about the professional and get their recommendations. Online tax programs you can check them out to see which one you like and comfortable with.

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