Tax Season: From Paper Trail to E-File

February 04, 2012

Death and taxes are the two things you can always count on. However, we can’t always count on getting tax forms. 

Unfortunately, the IRS has not mailed forms in about two years. It happened so quietly that a lot of us didn’t notice—I certainly did not—and then we realized that it was time for taxes to be filed, and we still hadn’t received our forms in the mail. Why haven’t we gotten our forms in the mail you ask?

To answer, the IRS has taken the paperless route. Unless you request a form to be sent to you, you probably shouldn’t wait too long by your mailbox. This all sounds rather troublesome, but there is good in the troublesomeness.

According to their website, the "IRS is taking this step because of the continued growth in electronic filing, as well as to help reduce costs."

I think the most important part of that statement is "to help reduce costs." Sometimes, I don’t consider how the little things we expect, like the tax forms, have gotten fairly expensive. With the rising costs of gasoline and postage, we don’t often think about the government having to pay for these things too. Keeping this in mind, I suppose we can give them a little slack.

Personally, I like to e-file. One: it’s faster. Two: the computer does the calculations for you. And three: you are less likely to miss something like a tax deduction. However, it’s difficult sometimes to accept new things. Getting the tax packages in the mail is something we have all gotten used to. It is one of the most personal things that we get from the government. 

Not to panic though, the library can help! Just as every year before we have received tax forms, they are free to the public. If there is a tax form that we don’t have on hand, such as a state tax form, then we can find it for you from the IRS website. You can use the computers to print these other forms—as the saying goes "where there is a will, there’s a way." Instruction booklets are in too!

AARP Tax-Aide representatives will be at the Parkville Branch Tuesday, February 7 at 9 a.m. to assist seniors with moderate incomes with tax questions and tax return preparation. The tax season is from Feb. 1st, 2012 to April 15th, 2012. Contact us at the Parkville Branch for more information. 

While we can’t help you do your taxes because we are only librarians after all, we can do what all awesome librarians can do, direct you to help.

~Penny M.
Parkville Branch