The U.S. Internal Revenue Service website is an ample resource for tax forms, publications, information, contacts and other tax related information. Since the site has so much information on it, it can be helpful to first know what one is looking for before navigating to the website. This can make searching through the website simpler even though the website does seem to be designed with ease of use in mind and is quite functional in terms of accessing information that is relatively comprehensible.
Navigation instructions
Navigating the IRS website is fairly simple and consists mainly of tabs, links and keyword searches. The tabs are for large categories such as filing status, the links are for more detailed but frequently used information and the keyword search helps locate information that is not readily visible and/or accessible through links. The first few steps one may want to perform in navigating the site are follows:
1. Decide what you want from the site
2. Go to http://www.irs.gov
3. Click on the tab that applies to you i.e. individual, business, tax professional etc.
4. Scan the next page for information and/or links that may take one to what one is looking for.
2. Go to http://www.irs.gov
3. Click on the tab that applies to you i.e. individual, business, tax professional etc.
4. Scan the next page for information and/or links that may take one to what one is looking for.
IRS website search tips
If one is looking for a specific supplemental form for a form 1040 one can find a link on the home page of the website entitled "forms and publications", from there one can scroll down to find the from number if known or perform a keyword search to locate which form might be needed. For example, by typing small business or medical expenses into the keyword search bar and pressing search, the website will return a list of links rated by percentage relevance to the key word search. The information within those links may be informative about which forms to use.
• For questions not answered by the website click on the "contact IRS" link at the top of the page and call the appropriate number.
• Read or download form instructions instead of printing them to save ink and paper.
• Take the time to understand the information before deciding to let it be confusing.
• For supplemental such as e-filing and more in depth tax code information one may need to navigate away from the IRS website.
• Read or download form instructions instead of printing them to save ink and paper.
• Take the time to understand the information before deciding to let it be confusing.
• For supplemental such as e-filing and more in depth tax code information one may need to navigate away from the IRS website.
Helpful features of the IRS website
The IRS website is a government website so the information contained within it is subject to strict Government regulation requirements. This can be helpful as the website is a primary source of information meaning it is a tax authority and provided one has understood the information in the website correctly, that information is from the original source.
Several additional helpful features are also available through the IRS website including a tax return look up, free file qualification information, e-filing sources recommended by the IRS, frequently asked questions, numerous contact numbers and office locations, tax professional standards and more. For more legal investigation and interpretation of the tax code one may have to link to a number of websites including the following:
• Office of the Law Revision Counsel: http://uscode.house.gov/lawrevisioncounsel.shtml
• The Library of Congress: Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov/
• Cornell University Law School U.S. Code Collection: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/#SECTIONS
• The Library of Congress: Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov/
• Cornell University Law School U.S. Code Collection: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/#SECTIONS
If one is looking for more summarized and prepared information the IRS website might be sufficient for one's search and information goals. Other useful tabs contained on the IRS website include employer information, tax statistics, and tax advocacy assistance for help with tax filing such as low income tax filing clinics.
In summary, the United States Internal Revenue Service website can be a useful resource for both domestic and international tax filers. The information at the site is especially accessible with a little familiarity of the key search mechanisms, several of which have been discussed in this article. If one takes enough time to navigate and search the website it can be helpful as the massive amount of information may become overwhelming especially if one has a complicated tax situation. If after visiting the IRS website, one still has questions or concerns it can be helpful to contact the IRS contact numbers, tax advocacy contacts or tax accountant or tax professional knowledgeable in specific aspects of tax code.
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