Everyone needs a little income tax help from time to time. If you need some tax help you should read on for some tips that might help you to at least get organized. The more organized you are the less stressful it will be when it comes time to file your income tax return. These are just tips and not professional advice. If you need real tax help you need to contact you local tax professional or CPA for the proper and legal advice for your unique situation.

How to Organize your Records

You should come up with a system to keep your tax paperwork organized. You should start now and don't wait for the right time to get your tax paperwork organized. Come up with a system where you will be able to put all of your paperwork. Maybe a small filing cabinet or even a small desktop carboard or plastic file box that you can keep folders in would do the trick. Make a folder for each year or even each type of paperwork. The main reason for coming up with an organization system is so you will have one place to put all of your tax paperwork so it can be quickly found when you need it. You should put all tax related paperwork in this folder or folders all through the year. By keeping up with your paperwork a little at a time it will not be overwhelming when it comes time to file your taxes in April.

If you have a business you will definitely want to separate your receipts and organize them in separate folders to make it easier to find specific types. If they are all in one folder it could be a mess to go through when it comes time to file your taxes.

Knowing What Tax Documents to Save

It is important to know exactly what tax documents you will need to save because if you need tax help from a tax preparer or CPA they will require certain documentation that can only come from you. Every person will need slightly different documents depending on their job, income, business or other criteria but there are some basic documents each person needs to keep or file. Take a look at this list to get an idea of what you will need to save.

• W2 forms from your job
  
• 1099 forms if you are a sub-contractor or you won a prize
  
• Statements from stocks, mutual fund accounts, and other investment transactions
• Mortgage interest statements
• Property tax statements
• Statements for any real estate bought or sold
• Receipts for charitable donations
• A list of college expenses along with any receipts to prove it
• Receipts for child care payments you made through the year
  
• Receipts for alimony paid or received
• Receipts for any union dues and professional association fees paid throughout the year

About 1099 Forms

If you are an independent contractor that made at least $600 during the tax year or if you won a prize from an online sweepstakes or the casino or gambling win you will need a 1099 form because it is proof of just how much you earned. Prize winnings are considered taxable income and you indicate it as other income when you file your taxes. You will usually receive a 1099 from the sponsor from the place you won the prize, whether it be a cash prize or a physical prize like a TV, car, or trip.

Saving Tax Forms Pertinent only to you

As mentioned above, each person will need to save tax documents that pertain to them. If you don't make extra income and haven't won any prizes during the past year then you will not need a 1099 form. If you do not pay child care or alimony then you won't need those documents. Just use your best judgment when saving documents. Receipts, invoices, cancelled checks, pay stubs, etc are also very important to save because they are your proof of expenses you had to pay out.

If you donate items to Goodwill or other charitable organizations you will want to save those receipts as well and make sure they are signed by someone in authority when you drop off your donation. This receipt is what proves that you actually donated what you are claiming on your taxes.

Help When Filing Your Income Taxes

Here is some income tax help for you when you are filing your taxes. If you decide to file your own taxes then you might want to get some tax help from either the IRS or a local tax professional or CPA. The IRS website offers free help for just about anything you need when it coming to filing your income tax return. Their free service is called Free File. Free File is the fast, easy, and free way to prepare and e-file your federal taxes online. The "Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Free File Alliance LLC, a group of private sector tax software companies" has teamed up to make tax preparation free or at a very low cost for most Americans. You must go directly to the IRS tax website to be able to get this tax help for free. If you go directly to the software companies themselves you will not be able to get help for free. Some of the free software available is H&R Block TaxCut, TaxEngine, eSmartTax, CompleteTax, TaxAct and 11 others. You can qualify for this free tax preparation and e-filing if your adjusted gross income is $56,000 or less in 2008.

The free tax programs will lead you through the filing process step-by-step and ask you the necessary questions to help you file your income tax. If you have all of your documents in order and organized in that filing system you will know where everything is located and you won't have to look all over when it comes time to file your taxes.

By using the IRS website to get free tax help you will be able to file your taxes any hour of the day or night, get a faster refund in as little as 10 days through Direct Deposit, and know that your return is safe and secure

Tax time doesn't need to be stressful if you get organized and look for help on the IRS website. You can rely on the IRS free tax programs, or your local CPA or tax preparer to help you. Don't try to do it alone when there is so much free tax help available online.