Where to go for assistance
Advertiser staff and news services
Here are some resources to tap when preparing your 2002 federal and state income tax returns:
Federal income tax information
Filing deadline: April 15, 2003
Web: www.irs.gov
The first place to download federal tax forms and publications, learn about rule changes and online filing, and track your refund's status.
Phone (for assistance via recordings): (800) 829-4477
Tele-Tax covers about 140 topics of common confusion, with many recorded in Spanish.
Phone (to speak to assister): (800) 829-1040
IRS assisters can help you handle questions that are too technical or specific for Tele-Tax and that pertain to your own account.
Other phone services
Tax forms and publications: (800) 829-3676
Refunds (assistance via recordings): (800) 829-1954
Help with business returns (talk to assister): (800) 829-4933
Finding forms
Web: www.irs.gov
Address: 300 Ala Moana
Phone: (800) 829-3676
Fax: (703) 368-9694
Taxpayer advocates
Contact a taxpayer advocate if you are suffering — or are about suffer — a significant hardship, or to handle a tax problem you can't resolve through normal channels. (See IRS Publication 1546.)
IRS (national): (877) 777-4778
Volunteer tax counseling
Federal and state tax officials train volunteers to provide free help preparing returns for low-income, disabled, elderly or non-English-speaking taxpayers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.
Taxpayers with incomes under $60,000 may take advantage of the service, provided that their returns are "simple." Volunteers are trained to prepare basic forms and forms claiming credits such as the earned income tax credit and the child credit.
To find a TCE site near you, call:
Internal Revenue Service: (800) 829-1040
Tax Aide: (888) 227-7669
Your local senior center
State income tax information
Filing deadline: April 20, 2003
Web: www.state.hi.us/tax/tax.html
Phone: 587-4242, 587-6515
Finding forms
Web: www.state.hi.us/tax/tax.html
Phone: Taxpayer Services Forms Request Line at (800) 222-7572 or 587-7572.
Forms by Fax Service (24-hour service): 587-7572 if calling from O'ahu or at (808) 678-0522 if calling from outside O'ahu.
Other services
Free tax preparation available for eligible taxpayers from the state Tax Department and AARP-TaxAide (for site locations, (877) 227-7844).
The Hawaii Asset Building Coalition also offers free tax help to low-income working taxpayers who qualify to claim the Earned Income Credit. For information, call 528-7050 or Tom Matsuda at 521-4531.
