Financial Planner

Checklist: Your Taxes

Things to do this weekend with your money: The April 17 tax filing deadline looms ever closer. Here are some resources for getting your tax questions answered.

* Today: The IRS and the state Franchise Tax Board have Web sites with forms, publications and the answers to frequently asked questions. The IRS site is particularly lively, with daily updates and even a list of the agency’s mistakes. Find it at https://www.irs.gov. The state FTB site is https://www.ftb.ca.gov.

* Saturday: Still having trouble? The tax agencies also have automated and live telephone service. You can call the IRS’ recorded tax information line at (800) 829-4477. For live telephone assistance, call (800) 829-1040. Both lines are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The state’s automated system operates around the clock at (800) 338-0505 or (916) 845-6600. Live telephone assistance is available 6 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays at (800) 852-5711.

* Sunday: Several Web sites have set up special areas to provide tax information. The Times has a tax site with forms, articles and resources at https://www.latimes.com/taxes. Intuit, which produces TurboTax tax preparation software, has tax information at https://www.turbotax.com and https://www.quicken.com. The California Society of Certified Public Accountants has a question-and-answer section at https://www.calcpa.org. Finally, Essential Links offers a cornucopia of tax sites at https://www.el.com/elinks/taxes/.