The IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, is the single most valuable tax management resource for federal taxes. Here are 10 ways it can help you prepare your tax return and manage your taxes year-round…

1. Free File. Up to 95 million taxpayers, 70% of all, will be able to prepare and file their tax returns for free this year under the Free File program, which is a joint effort of the IRS and leading tax return preparation businesses.

Taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes (AGIs), single or joint, of $52,000 or less are eligible to use Free File to prepare their tax returns.

How it works: You use the exact same computerized tax return preparation programs and filing services that the major tax preparation firms charge their customers for — but at no cost.

To do so, you must click on the Free File link on the IRS Web page. This will take you to a Web page that asks questions to determine your eligibility, then lists offerings from different commercial tax preparation firms, and provides instructions on how to use them.

Not all the services will be available to everybody — individual providers can target the services they offer to particular groups (such as members of the military, persons at specific income levels, or people who live in specific geographic areas).

But, if your AGI does not exceed $52,000, there will be a free filing service for you — and probably more than one to choose from.

User satisfaction: In a survey of last year’s Free File users, 94% said that they found it easy to use and intend to use it again this year.

2. Late tax law and filing news. Several deductions and other tax breaks that can be claimed don’t appear on tax returns because Congress renewed or enacted them late in the year, after tax return forms were sent out for printing.

Example: The federal deduction for state and local sales taxes.

The IRS Web site tells all about these and provides instructions for claiming them on your tax return.

To reach this information on the IRS home page, click on “1040 Central,” then, go to “Tax Law Changes.”

The “1040 Central” page will also provide other late-breaking news for filers — such as errors discovered in tax forms and glitches in service center return processing — and advise taxpayers what actions to take, if any.

3. Electronic filing, refunds, and payments. Benefits…

  • Electronic filing eliminates almost all of the math and paperwork errors that can delay the processing of paper returns. E-filers also receive an electronic receipt from the IRS that proves that their returns were received — saving the bother and cost of getting a certified mail receipt.

  • Electronic deposit of tax refunds directly into your bank account gets them to you faster than by mail, with no risk that they will be lost in the mail or stolen. A refund can be sent electronically to an IRA or health savings account instead of a regular bank account — or be split among up to three of them.

  • Electronic transfers of tax payments let you keep payment funds in your own account until the last minute, while guaranteeing that the IRS receives them on time.

    • All kinds of payments — quarterly estimated taxes, payroll taxes, business taxes, etc. — can be made electronically, year-round. Electronic management of them provides many benefits.

    Examples: You can time payments to be made automatically… manage your tax accounts from anywhere at any time, day or night… integrate payment records with computerized bookkeeping packages so that payments are automatically recorded in your books.

    To learn about all of these options, click on the E-File logo on the IRS home page.

    4. Audit-proof your return. The very same audit guides that IRS auditors follow when examining tax returns are available for free on the IRS Web site.

    Currently, more than 40 guides are available. They cover audit subjects such as executive compensation, lawsuit awards and settlements, and partnerships, as well as dozens of specific industries such as auto dealerships, construction, and commercial banking.

    Opportunity: By obtaining the guides that apply to you, you can learn the particular kinds of filing mistakes that trigger audit difficulties, which will help make your return as audit-proof as possible.

    To reach the IRS audit guides on the IRS Web site, click on “Businesses” and then on “Audit Technique Guides.”

    5. Forms, publications, and explanations. The IRS Web site is the greatest single source of useful information about the tax rules when preparing your return. You can obtain information from the IRS Web site on almost any tax subject of interest to you by entering the subject in the search box in the upper right corner. A sampling of what you’ll find…

  • All the IRS forms and instructions that you need to file a return, plus explanatory publications on almost every subject, can be obtained by clicking on “Forms and Publications.”

  • Answers to the questions that the IRS most commonly receives are provided in its extensive listing of “Frequently Asked Questions.” Click on the link with that name on the IRS home page.

  • The official texts of the Tax Code, IRS regulations, tax treaties, and other tax guidance, such as Revenue Rulings and Revenue Procedures, are on the IRS Web site if you wish to examine them. Click on “Individuals,” then on “More Topics.”

    • 6. Free tax preparation help. Military personnel and their families, as well as other individuals with incomes of $39,000 or less, can obtain free tax return preparation help from the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Seniors age 60 and older may qualify for free help through the IRS-sponsored Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program.

    To learn more about these programs and locate local sources of such help, on the IRS Web site, click on “Individuals” and then “Free Tax Preparation For You by Volunteers.”

    7. “Can’t pay” help. If you prepare your return only to find that you can’t pay what you owe, it is now possible to obtain short-term payment extensions and multiyear installment payment agreements through the IRS Web site.

    You can obtain a streamlined installment payment agreement if the amount owed does not exceed $25,000. Full payment must be completed within five years.

    On the IRS Web site, click on “Individuals” and then on “Online Payment Agreement (OPA) Application.”

    8. Refund tracking. After you file your return, you can track the status of any refund you claimed through the IRS Web site. On the IRS home page, click on “Where’s My Refund?”

    9. Protecting your rights. If an intractable problem arises with the IRS bureaucracy and/or you think that your rights are being violated, you can learn your rights from the IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Office (TAO).

    Information: For full information about your rights, and to learn how to contact the TAO nearest you, click on “Taxpayer Advocate” on the IRS home page.

    10. Local IRS help. If you want help from a live person in your local IRS office about a specific problem, you can find the address, phone number, and other contact information for it on the IRS Web site. Click on “Individuals,” and then “Contact My Local Office.” Enter your ZIP code in the search box to find a Taxpayer Assistance Center within up to 100 miles of your home.

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