If you run a business, you have to do it. If you don’t run a business, but work for one, you probably have to do it. And if you are a human being of average intelligence, you are probably completely confused as to how to be sure you are doing it properly.

What “it” refers to is, of curse the annual filing of a tax return. Filing a tax return for everyone who has more than one income stream and a greater than Spartan lifestyle can get very complicated, and most business owners have turned to tax accountants and tax advisors when it is time to file theirs. Bigger businesses have even seen the wisdom go keeping a firm of tax accountants on retainer so that they can know in advance the best way to classify their operations for tax return purposes.

Tax Accountants And Tax Software Tax accountants are in the business of preparing other people’s tax returns, and the good ones do it in a way that guarantees their clients the smallest tax bill or largest tax refund allowable under the law. In addition to preparing your tax return, a tax accountant will aid you in tax planning and finding ways to reduce your tax burden. On the business conglomerate level, tax accountants can save their clients millions of dollars each year by helping them take advantage of tax loopholes.

Tax return preparation software is an alternative for those who prefer to handle their finances on their own. The software will do your calculations automatically and guide you through the tax return forms in a logical progression. The IRS Is Your Friend Even the IRS has gotten in on the act of making it easier for you to file your tax return. The IRS website at www.irs.gov has a section devoted to explaining to people why they may be exempt from filing a tax return, and even allows those who filed tax returns and paid taxes needlessly in previous years to request refunds.

While the forms and instructions on the IRS website may make filing your tax return easier, you may still need help. If you do, you can get it from the Taxpayer Advocate Service. This is a service backed by the IRS and is intended to help the average taxpayer find his or her way through the maze of Federal tax regulations.

The national toll-free phone number for the Taxpayer Advocate Service is available on the IRS site, but you can also do an Internet search to find its mailing address or to locate an office near you so you can speak to a representative in person.