On January 30, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published six top tips to make filing a 2024 tax return easier. The IRS explained these tips are also available on IRS.gov on the “Let us Help you” webpage. Taxpayers are encouraged to use these helpful suggestions to make filing easy this year.
1. Gather Important Tax Paperwork — Taxpayers should have a list of common items needed for filing tax returns. These include Social Security numbers (SSNs) for the individuals on the tax return, your bank account and routing numbers, tax forms such as a W-2s, 1099s, 1098s and digital asset sale records. You should keep IRS Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement as well as any letters sent to you by the IRS.
2. Report All Income — Taxpayers are reminded that all income from any category is taxable. This could include income from goods that you created and sold online, investment income, part-time income, self-employment or business income and funds received for services through mobile apps.
3. Avoid Paper Returns — The best and safest way to file is with an electronic return or tax software. The software checks your math and guides you through each section of the return. After you have completed your data entry, a powerful benefit of tax preparation software is that it conducts hundreds of checks on your entries to ensure you have a correct return. If you file a paper tax return, your refund may be significantly delayed and the potential for filing errors increases dramatically.
4. IRS Free Resources — There are multiple resources to assist taxpayers. The IRS Free File program offers commercial software at no cost to individuals with income in 2024 of $84,000 or less. There are 25 states that participate this year in the Direct File program on IRS.gov. The web-based service is free for individuals with simple tax returns and guides you through the filing process with a series of questions and enables you to use your state’s tools to complete your state tax return. If your income is over $84,000, you can use the IRS Free File Fillable Forms. Most taxpayers with incomes of $67,000 or less, with a disability or limited English capabilities, or those age 60 and over, can benefit from the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. Military members may use the MilTax program.
5. Tax Filing Options — There are multiple methods for tax filing. Last year, over 54% of taxpayers used the services of a tax return preparer. The IRS maintains the Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications on IRS.gov. Many individuals will use commercial software, the IRS Free File system or the IRS Direct File system. Only a small percentage of individuals are expected to prepare their own taxes without outside assistance.
6. Online Resources — Taxpayers can use multiple resources on IRS.gov. The most popular resources are the Interactive Tax Assistant and the “Let us Help you” webpage.
