Free service available through IRS

By HANK EZELL

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

April 3, 2005

ATLANTA — If you haven't yet filled out your tax return online, this is the year to do it.

This year, it's free.

The service is provided by the Internal Revenue Service and a dozen or more software companies, at least three of which offer free tax preparation and filing to all comers.

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The IRS has tested the programs for security and accuracy, but it does not endorse any of the products. Note that you have to go through www.irs.gov to get the free offer.

You can do it the old-fashioned way, of course. But you won't get the step-by-step prompts provided by the software. The guidance could alert you to tax breaks you might otherwise miss. Your refund, if you have one coming, will take much longer to get back home if you file on paper.

But accuracy may be the biggest benefit of filing online. Do it on paper, and you get the chance to make mistakes in adding and subtracting, or to leave out crucial information or forget deductions.

There are more chances for goofs when your paper return gets to an IRS service center. For example, since you didn't punch in all the numbers on your computer, an IRS temp will do it for you. The IRS hires about 2,400 key punchers at the Atlanta center alone.

The IRS has been trying for years to cajole more taxpayers into filing electronically. This year, the agency expects that about half of all returns will be e-filed, which includes all those freebies.

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