NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tax Day is next Monday and if you are dreading the process of completing your return, there is perhaps some good news. Eight out of ten Tennesseans are due a refund — and there's a new program that could make the filing process go a little easier.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel sat down with me today to spread the word about the free IRS pilot program called Direct File. Tennessee is one of 12 states taking part.
"There are five million filers in Tennessee and one million of them are eligible for Direct File this year. These are mostly simple filers. So if you take the standard deduction and you don’t have a business income, you’re basically a wage earner — very likely Direct File is going to be the tool for you this year."
There is not an income limit and if you are unsure whether this is right for you, head to IRS.gov and there are a few questions to answer to see if you qualify. Werfel told me most people are finishing filing in under 30 minutes — but also told me it's important people don't rush the process.
"We like to say measure twice, cut once. The biggest mistake people make in filing their taxes is filing an incomplete return, or having a simple error on it like having the wrong social security number. Just making one mistake can really slow things down."
For any questions you may have along the way, a live chat feature part of Direct File can help. "There is a chat box right there — you are not chatting with a computer, you are chatting with a live assister," said Werfel.
As tax day gets closer, scam artists get more and more creative. "We never contact you out of the blue with an immediate demand for payment, we never reach out to you out of the blue and threaten immediate legal action likwe we are going to deport or bring in local law enforcement — and we never demand you pay in a specific way," said Werfel. If you're ever in doubt, here's how to know if it's really the IRSthat's contacting you.
If you file electronically and select 'direct deposit' if you are getting a refund, you can expect it within 21 days according to Werfel.
The 2023 federal income tax return filing deadline is April 15 2024. You can file for an extension on the IRS.gov website.
If your household income in 2023 was less than $70,000 you may be eligible for free tax preparation through United Way of Greater Nashville's VITA program. You can find more information on that here.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
