WHAT'S HOT!

• EITC Awareness Day is scheduled for January 29, 2010. Think about hosting an event or issuing a news release to help make taxpayers aware of this valuable tax credit. And why not bookmark EITC Central as your gateway to EITC? On EITC Central, you will find technical information, marketing materials, forms and publications, communication products, state-by-state EITC statistics, custom tailored products and much more.

• Here are the updates and exercise answers to the volunteer training Publication 4491-W.

• If you have experienced volunteers at your assistance sites, find out whether they can prepare prior year tax returns.

• Get ready for filing season and find out what provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act affect taxpayers that we serve. You may also be interested in ARRA marketing products for your communities. Or check out these additional outreach products that you may find useful to share ARRA information with those for whom English is a second language.

• The Homebuyer Credit Expanded and Extended, which covers the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, was signed into law 11/6/09. This may relate directly to many of the taxpayers you assist at your volunteer sites this year. Check here for 10 important facts about the extended First-time Homebuyer Credit.

• Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007- Learn about mortgage workouts and how to claim relief on a newly-revised IRS form. See also the frequently asked questions on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act.

QUALITY

• Volunteer Return Preparation Program (VRPP) Quality Improvement Process
  Our volunteer quality assurance procedures and products have been refined for the 2008 volunteer return preparation programs. Check in here to see the latest developments.
• The Site Coordinators Corner has been designed to help volunteer site coordinators find the reference tools they need for their sites.
•  Volunteer Alerts

Volunteers, please remember to include your Site Identification Number on all tax returns that you prepare. If you are using the IRS-provided TaxWise software to file returns electronically for your customers, please set your default on your computer so that ALL of your returns get counted!

VOLUNTEER TAX PREPARATION SCOPE AND PRODUCTS

The volunteer tax preparation training materials are developed throughout the spring and summer of each year, based on feedback from internal and external stakeholders. The training kits (Publications 4491, 4480 and 4555) normally begin shipping in mid-November of each year.

Tax law changes implemented after the products are printed are published in Publication 4491-X in mid-December of each year. In addition to instructional guidance for new legislation, the publication also contains pen-and-ink changes to the products in the training kits. NOTE: Publication 4491-X is available on IRS.gov in mid-December.

Link and Learn Taxes, the e-learning training application, is normally available with tax law for the upcoming filing season in early November.

LINKS TO PRODUCTS

Here is a list of outreach, training and tax preparation products available to the IRS-SPEC network of national and local partners and volunteers. While many of the products are accessible electronically on this site, organization representatives should contact their local SPEC office for product-ordering guidance.

• Child-related
• Credits
• El IRS en Espanol
• Student-related
• Products for Older Americans
• U.S. Citizens/Resident Aliens living abroad - and Visitors to the U.S
• Products for Military - The tax laws provide some special benefits for active members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in combat zones.
  • Publication 3, Armed Forces' Tax Guide
  • New Tax Breaks for Military Personnel and Their Families
  • Reservists, Enlistees May Get Deferral of Back Taxes

ONLINE TOOLS

• Communication tools
• EITC Assistant Online Application
• IRS Withholding Calculator
• EITC Toolkit for Partners
• EITC Information for Partners
• Disaster Services Referral Guide

E-file MATERIALS - Filing a federal tax return using IRS e-file is easier and more convenient than ever before. In 37 states and in the District of Columbia, taxpayers can simultaneously e-file Federal and State tax returns. File a completely paperless tax return at your volunteer site/s by using a Self-Select PIN. With a Self-Select PIN, there is no paper signature document to send in!

• Partners and volunteers who file 1040-series tax returns must abide by the signature requirements for all Electronic Return Originators.
• E-file Made Easy
• IRS e-file Market Research
• Self-Select PIN for e-file

ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)

• An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
• ITIN Publications, Flyers and Guidance

OTHER TIPS FOR PARTNERS AND VOLUNTEERS

• Did you know that there are events in life that may have a significant tax impact?
• Tax Return Information - Can your customers get a copy?
• Do you have a technical tax question?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is committed to making every document on our web site accessible to the widest possible audience. If you need help accessing these products, please link to our "Accessible IRS Tax Products" page.

Do you want to partner with IRS, join a Community Coalition and/or help other people with their federal tax returns? If the answer is yes, please send an email to partner@irs.gov.

We hope our resource center was helpful - If there is something you need that is missing, please let us know by sending us an email at partner@irs.gov.

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