HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Well, if you're one of those last minute tax preparers, we get it. We've all been there. For some, tax season appears to arrive quicker every year. With the April 15th deadline approaching, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Prim Escalona shares some do's and don'ts.
The first thing to note is that there are two things to watch out for. "So it's a busy time of year and that tax day approaches and can sneak up on a lot of us. There's the opportunity for fraud and for identity theft, and so those are the things we really want to be watchful for with when someone is preparing your taxes."
Your tax preparer should also have a tax identification number which should have been issued from the IRS. "The other thing you want to make sure about is that they have signed your tax return. There's a place for them to indicate that they prepared it and to sign that you should never file what's called a ghost return, which is where someone else prepares it, and then you sign it without them also signing it as the preparer."
Another don't when it comes to taxes is when a tax preparer asks you to sign a blank form. "You never want to sign something that is blank. have them prepare it and then use the tax payer and the tax filer should review that document and you should review both the form and any attached schedules to ensure that they're accurate."
Furthermore, some of the most targeted individuals is the elderly community. "Unfortunately, the elderly in our community are some people who are targeted by fraudsters and others when they're looking for a group of people to take advantage of."
IRS spokesperson Alejandra Castro stresses that whatever you do don't forget that the deadline to file taxes is April 15th. If for some reason you can't quite meet the deadline, make sure to file for an extension. "Taxpayers that cannot meet the April 15th deadline that they make sure to file an extension. Now, that extension is only an extension to file. It's not an extension to pay. Taxpayers should pay their taxes due by Monday, April 15th. Monday, April 15th is the filing deadline."