Tax Clinic Set-up

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Don't make fun of me.  I made this in paint.  Currently taking donations of any program from the Adobe Suite.

IRS Communications

And you thought the IRS was inaccessible and scary.  Well, perhaps that's just me.  Now that I am getting multiple emails from them every day, I am conquering the intimidation of a previously confusing process (filing taxes) and agency with KNOWLEDGE.  In this case at least, knowledge really does equal power.  Or at least confidence.  

This is an example of an email I got from the IRS today, check out what they are doing in the realm of media and mobile devices!  I know you will all be scrambling to follow them on Twitter, as I can testify that the entirety of their communication are just as enthralling.

I'm also encouraged that they developed an Android app as well (which I promptly downloaded).  iPhones are not the "end all be all" of smart phones, and I breathe a sigh of Apple-monopoly relief when companies simultaneously develop for both platforms.

IRS Launches the IRS2Go App for iPhone, Android; Taxpayers Can Check Refunds, Get Tax Information

Video: IRS2Go: English
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today unveiled IRS2Go, its first smartphone application that lets taxpayers check on their status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information.

"This new smart phone app reflects our commitment to modernizing the agency and engaging taxpayers where they want when they want it," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "As technology evolves and younger taxpayers get their information in new ways, we will keep innovating to make it easy for all taxpayers to access helpful information." 

The IRS2Go phone app gives people a convenient way of checking on their federal refund. It also gives people a quick way of obtaining easy-to-understand tax tips. 

Apple users can download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the Apple App Store. Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app. 

"This phone app is a first step for us," Shulman said. "We will look for additional ways to expand and refine our use of smartphones and other new technologies to help meet the needs of taxpayers." 

The mobile app, among a handful in the federal government, offers a number of safe and secure ways to help taxpayers. Features of the first release of the IRS2Go app include:

1. Get Your Refund Status - Taxpayers can check the status of their federal refund through the new phone app with a few basic pieces of information. First, taxpayers enter a Social Security number, which is masked and encrypted for security purposes. Next, taxpayers pick the filing status they used on their tax return. Finally, taxpayers enter the amount of the refund they expect from their 2010 tax return. For people who e-file, the refund function of the phone app will work within about 72 hours after taxpayers receive an e-mail acknowledgement saying the IRS received their tax return. For people filing paper tax returns, longer processing times mean they will need to wait three to four weeks before they can check their refund status. About 70 percent of the 142 million individual tax returns were filed electronically last year.
2. Get Tax Updates - Phone app users enter their e-mail address to automatically get daily tax tips. Tax Tips are simple, straightforward tips and reminders to help with tax planning and preparation. Tax Tips are issued daily during the tax filing season and periodically during the rest of the year. The plain English updates cover topics such as free tax help, child tax credits, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits and other topics.
3. Follow the IRS - Taxpayers can sign up to follow the IRS Twitter news feed, @IRSnews. IRSnews provides the latest federal tax news and information for taxpayers. The IRSnews tweets provide easy-to-use information, including tax law changes and important IRS programs.  IRS2Go is the latest IRS effort to provide information to taxpayers beyond traditional channels. The IRS also uses tools such as YouTube and Twitter to share the latest information on tax changes, initiatives, products and services through social media channels. For more information on IRS2Go and other new media products, visit www.IRS.gov.

Related Item: IRS Goes Mobile With IRS2Go

Crazy Training Weeks

I have dreams about taxes.   About training taxes.  About missing a tax training and 15 angry people being lost and confused about taxes.   Tax season at my organization is nuts.  This week especially, we have trainings every day, sometimes two a day (taking all three people on the Central Ohio team to handle everything).  All the organizations are gearing up and they need many new people trained.

These trainings come in all shapes and sizes. Earlier this week I trained two gentlemen in Logan County at a library:

 The library reserved their "large study room" for me.  There is a possibility that I am biased just coming from Miami, where we had an amazing library with study rooms to accommodate the plethora of class groups, but I was still a little unprepared for what I found:

I didn't have enough room to capture the entire table, but there are 6 chairs in the "large study room."  Just enough room for me to squeeze around to help.

I also had a training in Pickaway County, in Circleville.  I always have trainees introduce themselves and explain what agency they are from.  In this case they were all involved with the same agency, and they all described in one way or the other how the head of the organization had strong-armed (her words!) them into coming to this training.  Hey, I don't care how they get there, as long as they are trained and can help people file their taxes for free.  I did think it was funny though.

The next training was at a facility that will stay un-named, where I found this sitting on the desk:

 

Finally, my training in Springfield on Monday provided these lovelies for everyone:

Christmas COOKIES!

If anyone is keeping count, I have conducted 10 trainings in the past 3 weeks, traveling a total of 490.8 miles to seven different counties in Central Ohio.