Tax Season Opens With Special Help For Sandy Victims [AUDIO]
Tax filing season is officially here, says the Internal Revenue Service. This year, there is help available for victims of Sandy to help them get their returns together.
IRS Spokesman Dave Stewart says last year, more than 80 percent of filers filed returns electronically.
Will that number go up?
Stewart says, "We certainly hope that it will. It is the fastest, safest, most secure way in order to file your return, there's no doubt about that."
Workshops for Sandy Victims Planned
He says for Sandy victims, there is a special tab on their website. They will also hold two Saturday workshops for Sandy victims in Freehold and Newark.
Stewart says, "We are really looking forward to helping these folks because we know they have been through an awful lot, and we have tried to make it easier for them."
He adds, "We have tried to make it easier for them to get, for example, maybe all of their tax records were washed away. So we have made it easier for them to get a transcript of past returns, for example, so that they can recreate their returns this year."
Stewart says the vast majority of people can start filing their return right now if they wish. And he reminds us that although there's special consideration for storm victims, the filing deadline has not changed. It's still April 15th.