New VITA information

Well, it appears I was given some bad information when I called 211 regarding free tax help. We have now been informed that there will be help available at the Bridgerland Applied Technology Center on Wednesday's from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and at the Bear River Valley Senior Center in Tremonton on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.  This is on a first-come, first-serve basis - walk-ins only; no appointments can be made. For more information, check Vita Online at http://utahtaxhelp.org/

Susan

Update on the tax forms

If you think you might make it through life without having to do your taxes online, then you live in another place and time than the here and now. The State of Utah decided to go paperless this year so they did not send out forms or instruction booklets to anyone including the library.  If you want a paper copy, you'll need to print it yourself from the Internet.  Some people still haven't gotten this message.

The deadline for filing your taxes has been moved to Tuesday, April 17th because April 15th falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Monday, April 16th. According to federal law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file this year. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until October 15th to file their 2012 tax returns.

If you need help doing your taxes and earn under $50,000 a year, there is no longer free help for you in Brigham City. Due to lack of volunteers, the VITA program is not coming to our area. If you want help, you will need to call 211 to schedule an appointment either in Logan or Ogden. I tried this number today and was on hold for a very long time. I also checked with H&R Block about their  advertisement for free help to anyone doing a 1040EZ and there are no strings attached to this service - they will help you for free.  However, it will cost $39 for the State electronic filing fee if you have them do that.

If you need information about what is new this year on the federal taxes, check out the IRS site at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/index.html?portlet=107M where they have a list of all the latest news. Remember that library employees are not trained tax preparers and we do not have the training to help you with your taxes.  We can help you get to Internet sites and print forms or direct you to a book, but we don't know the answer to tax questions.

Susan

Taxes, taxes, taxes

People in Brigham City are really on the ball, they want to pay their taxes right now and get it over with. Some were even excited to get started on them the end of December - they were wondering "where are those stupid tax forms?" Well, some of the tax forms are here in our lobby now and so are some of the tax instruction booklets, but the 1040 instruction booklet is not here yet. I promise we'll put them out the minute they arrive. I've had a notice they were supposed to ship the middle of January and that we would have them the end of January - but tomorrow is February and I haven't seen them yet. The government is having a hard time this year because they didn't pass some tax legislation until the very last minute - then they had to get all those instruction booklets changed and printed up - it takes awhile. Some they printed up wrong and we had to throw them away - don't rush the government.

If you are filing an itemized return, the government doesn't want to see it until the middle of February - don't rush! If you make under $49,000, you are eligible for free tax help through VITA. These volunteers will be at Bridgerland ATC at 325 West 1100 South, starting Wednesday, February 2, from 5:30 until 8:00 pm. You cannot make an appointment - it is first come first serve. If you want to make an appointment in another location you can call 211 to get information.

Susan