IRS posts YouTube videos to help taxpayers with 2014 returns

The Internal Revenue Service is offering taxpayers a number of instructional YouTube videos to help them prepare their taxes for the upcoming filing season, which begins Friday, Jan. 31.

Several options are available to help taxpayers prepare for the 2014 tax season and get their refunds as easily as possible. Many software companies are expected to begin accepting tax returns in January and hold those returns until the IRS systems open Jan. 31. This includes the Free File partners that offer access to their software for free at irs.gov/FreeFile.

The IRS will not process any tax returns before Jan. 31, so there is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date. Taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file or Free File with the direct deposit option.

In addition, the IRS has short and informative YouTube videos on a number of tax-related topics in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. The channels have received nearly 6.5 million views.

IRS videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos; ASL videos at http://www.youtube.com/IRSvideosASL; multilingual videos at http://www.youtube.com/IRSvideosMultilingua.

Specific videos that taxpayers may view to help them get ready over the coming weeks include “Do-It-Yourself Free Tax Preparation,” “Do I Have to File a Tax Return,” “How to Get 1040 Forms,” “Tax Scams” and “Record-keeping.”

The IRS uses social media tools and platforms to share the latest information on tax changes, initiatives, products and services. These social media platforms include the IRS2Go phone application, YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. To protect taxpayer privacy, the IRS only uses social media tools to share public information, not to answer personal tax or account questions. It advises taxpayers to never post confidential information, like a Social Security number, on social media sites. A listing is available on IRS.gov.