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If you need to find tax help, try DIY first
These resources and answers to common questions may help this tax season, as the IRS continues to be overwhelmed.
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FILE - This April 2017, file photo provided by NerdWallet shows Liz Weston, a columnist for personal finance website NerdWallet.com. (NerdWallet via AP, File)
Getting help from the IRS this tax season is going to be a challenge.
The IRS has finally opened the 23.4 million pieces of mail that piled up after the pandemic shuttered its processing centers last spring. But the agency still has a backlog of paperwork from last year even as it ingests this yearâs returns, issues a third round of relief payments and gears up to send monthly child tax credit payments to millions of families.
Tampa Bay tax-help programs have fewer appointments, but lots of demand
Coronavirus safety concerns have limited the number of sites and reduced the number of volunteers for some tax-assistance programs for low-income people.
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Volunteer Kim Grieder, 59, right, speaks with client Sheryl Naime, 50, of Hudson Thursday in Port Richey. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which is run by the IRS, is one of the main providers of free tax prep services for low-income residents across Tampa Bay, many of whom are seniors. [ CHRIS URSO | Times ]
Updated Yesterday
PORT RICHEY â âHey, wassup,â Kim Grieder said, greeting an orange Mini Cooper full of tax-assistance clients on Thursday afternoon. âIâve got your taxes for you.â
Free tax help is available, but booking up fast
COVID-19 impacting amount of volunteers/locations
COVID-19 complicates process for free income tax help
and last updated 2021-04-05 18:32:58-04
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. â With just over a month until taxes are due, local nonprofits tell ABC Action News theyâre seeing an overwhelming demand for tax help. Yet, COVID-19 is complicating the process and making appointments for free tax help harder to get.
Vincent Croce used to get stressed out every time tax season rolled around. Until he found the United Way in Pasco County, where heâs been able to get help filing for the past 7 years.
WKBT
April 1, 2021 8:00 AM Liz Weston
Posted:
Updated:
Getty Images
Getting help from the IRS this tax season is going to be a challenge.
The IRS has finally opened the 23.4 million pieces of mail that piled up after the pandemic shuttered its processing centers last spring. But the agency still has a backlog of paperwork from last year even as it ingests this year’s returns, issues a third round of relief payments and gears up to send monthly child tax credit payments to millions of families.
The tax deadline has been moved from April 15 to May 17, giving people more time to file. Getting help is another matter. Callers face long wait times with no guarantee they’ll reach a human being. Meanwhile, many tax help sites are closed or working at reduced capacity because of COVID-19 restrictions.