A Resource Guide: Key Dates, Phone Numbers, Web Sites and Other Survival Tips

Federal Taxes

(IRS)

Forms: Obtain federal forms, instructions and publications 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling (800) TAX FORM. Allow 10 days for delivery. For faster service, call the IRS fax-back line at (703) 368-9694 and follow the prompts to access 100 of the most commonly used forms. You can get as many as three items per call faxed to you immediately. Forms also are available through the Internet (see below) and at many post offices and libraries.

Questions: For tax questions, you have two options. You can call the IRS’ recorded tax information line 24 hours a day at (800) 829-4477. For live telephone assistance, call (800) 829-1040 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. PST Saturday.

Internet: Tax forms and information also are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov. Taxpayers can buy IRS Publication 1796 on CD-ROM, with more than 3,300 forms, publications and other information, for $22 on the Web or for $27 by calling (877) CD-FORMS.

Walk-in help: IRS offices in the Southland are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Extended hours and weekend hours vary. Locations include:

El Monte: 9350 E. Flair Drive, 3rd Floor

Laguna Niguel: 24000 Avila Road, Room 3202

Long Beach: 501 W. Ocean Blvd., 3rd Floor

Los Angeles: 300 N. Los Angeles St., 4th Floor

Camarillo: 751 Daily Drive, Suite 100

Palm Springs: 980 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite C

San Bernardino: 290 North D St., 1st Floor

San Diego: 880 Front St., 1st Floor

San Marcos: 1 Civic Center Drive, Suite 400

Santa Ana: 801 Civic Center Drive West, Suite 200

Santa Barbara: 1332 Anacapa St., Suite 101

Santa Maria: 2801 S. Santa Maria Way, Bldg. B, Suite 200

Van Nuys: 6230 Van Nuys Blvd., 1st Floor

California Taxes

(Franchise Tax Board)

Forms and refunds: Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the state’s automated phone system. Call (800) 338-0505 or (916) 845-6600.

Questions: The automated phone system also provides answers to many tax questions. Live telephone assistance is available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Call (800) 852-5711. TDD LINE: (800) 822-6268.

Internet: State tax forms and tax information also are available at the Franchise Tax Board’s Web site at www.ftb.ca.gov.

Walk-in help: FTB field offices are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Locations include:

Long Beach: 4300 Long Beach Blvd., Suite 700B

Los Angeles: 300 S. Spring St., Suite 5704

San Bernardino: 464 W. 4th St., Suite 454B

San Diego: 7575 Metropolitan Drive, Suite 201

Santa Ana: 600 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Suite 300

Van Nuys: 15350 Sherman Way, Suite 100

West Covina: 100 N. Barranca St., Suite 600

Avoiding common filing

errors

Double-check Social Security numbers. Make sure the names on your tax return match the names on your Social Security cards. Include Social Security numbers for all dependents claimed. Check your math. Sign and date your return. Don’t claim an exemption if you or your spouse is claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return. Check the filing instructions included with your tax forms to make sure you’re mailing your return to the correct address.

For faster refunds

* Electronic filing shaves weeks off the time it takes to get your refund. The system also checks your return for errors that would otherwise delay your check.

* Allow the IRS to deposit your refund directly into your checking account, and get your money a week or so earlier. Information on direct deposit is included in your tax return instructions or tax preparation software.

* File early. More than half the tax returns filed arrive between March 15 and April 15, clogging the system.

* Don’t borrow. Those “instant refund” offers at tax preparation chains are just loans with high interest rates.

* To check on the status of your refund, visit the “Where’s My Refund?” page at www.irs.gov. Taxpayers without Web access can get refund information by calling the automated refund service at (800) 829-4477 or by using the new IRS refund hotline at (800) 829-1954.

Mark your calendar

April 15: Due date for income tax returns or for extension applications. Last day for tax-deductible IRA contributions that count for the 2002 tax year.

Aug. 15: Deadline for submitting 2002 tax return and owed taxes if you received an extension in April. Second extension application due.

Oct. 15: Final deadline for submitting 2002 tax return if granted second extension.

Tax software, Web sites

The two bestselling tax preparation software packages are Intuit’s TurboTax and H&R; Block’s TaxCut. TurboTax (www.turbotax.com) costs about $40 for the deluxe CD version; the basic online version costs $19.95 for federal returns (before April 1) and $14.95 for state returns. TaxCut (www.taxcut.com) costs $24.95 for either the deluxe CD version or the downloadable version.

If you can’t file by April 15

If you can’t complete your tax return on time, file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension, with the IRS by April 15 to get a four-month reprieve. (A state extension will be granted automatically when you file the federal form.) If you owe taxes, you must estimate and pay your tax by April 15, even if you take longer to file your return. However, file even if you can’t pay: Penalties for failing to file are much greater than penalties for failing to pay.

Free tax preparation

options

Low-income taxpayers, non-English speakers and the elderly can get free tax preparation help at more than 85 sites throughout Los Angeles County. For more information about Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), the earned income tax credit (EITC) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), go to www.eitc-la.com or call the EITC hotline at (800) 601-5552. For assistance with state forms, call the Franchise Tax Board at (800) 338-0505. Have your ZIP Code ready to find the site nearest you.

Free electronic filing

Both the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board offer free electronic filing for many taxpayers. To see if you qualify or to link to a free filing site, go to www.irs.gov for federal returns and www.ftb.ca.gov for state returns.

Payment options

Taxpayers who owe money to the state or federal governments can pay by check, major credit card or direct debit (an electronic withdrawal from a bank account). Credit card transactions can be made directly through your credit card issuer or through Official Payments Corp. ([800] 2PAY-TAX), which processes credit card payments for the IRS and the state. These options are available only to Discover, American Express, MasterCard and Visa cardholders. Official Payments charges 2% to 3% of the billed amount (about $25 on a $1,000 tax payment). You also can pay your federal taxes at www.pay1040.com. Taxpayers who file electronically may pay their bill through an automatic withdrawal from their checking or other bank account. The service is free, and the direct debit can be scheduled to occur as late as

April 15. The procedure, which requires the bank’s routing number as well as the account number, is included in the e-filing software.

Sources: IRS, Franchise Tax Board

Los Angeles Times