Business and finance

 by: Wayne M. Davies

We all love to criticize the IRS, don't we? It's easy to

ridicule a huge organization of government bureaucrats who

often seem to be Public Enemy #1.

Our negative attitude toward the IRS can lead to a

strong desire to just ignore it altogether. But

self-employed people who ignore the IRS do so at their

own peril.

So when it comes to providing free information about

taxes, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

The IRS does provide some excellent resources to help

us make the best of a potentially bad situation.

If you need tax assistance and prefer not to pay for it,

do not overlook these five ways to obtain help from the IRS:

1. The Internet

http://www.irs.gov

There's a wealth of information just for small business

owners and self-employed people at:

http://www.irs.gov/smallbiz

Here you'll find everything from how to obtain a federal

business tax ID to a free 6-session streaming video

presentation of the "IRS Small Business Workshop."

Also known as the Small Business Self-Employed Online

Classroom, you can access this directly at:

www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=97726,00.html

If you prefer to attend an IRS small business workshop in

person, check here to see what's available in your state:

www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99202,00.html

Need tax forms and/or their instructions?

Look no further than the IRS website:

http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html

Here you'll find a boatload of links to every tax form

imaginable, available as downloadable PDF files or

in fill-in format. All form instructions can also be

downloaded.

http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/lists/0,,id=97817,00.html

The IRS has many free publications that explain virtually

every major (and many minor) tax topics in great detail.

Sure, IRS "pubs" are not always written in the most

entertaining style, but, hey, remember the price.

http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/lists/0,,id=97819,00.html

2. Telephone Hotlines.

Special toll-free numbers exist for the following:

-- To order forms & pubs: 800-829-3676

(in case you'd like to receive a paper copy via snail-mail)

-- To ask business tax questions: 800-829-4933

-- To ask personal tax questions: 800-829-1040

Use common sense when phoning the IRS: to avoid long

wait times, don't call on Monday morning. And no matter

when you call, be prepared! Write out your questions

beforehand and have all relevant documentation in front

of you, as well as a favorite book or magazine to read

during the inevitable wait time. Stay calm; don't yell;

treat the IRS employee like a human being and he/she

will likely return the favor.

-- Need help with long-standing problems: 877-777-4778

-- Prerecorded messages on 140 topics: 800-829-4477

3. TaxFax Service.

You can receive most IRS forms instructions via fax

by calling 703-368-9694 from your fax machine.

4. CD-ROM for Small Business.

This is known as "The Small Business Resource Guide

CD-ROM", aka Publication 3207. It includes all the

tax forms and publications needed to run a small

business. Call 800-829-3676 to request a free copy.

5. Walk-In Offices.

Need some face-to-face tax help? For a complete

list of IRS offices in all 50 states, including

hours of operation and contact info, check out:

http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts