| It's been a long time since most people filed their 2006 | | | | 2. Do you have any bank statements, dividends, |
| federal tax return, but that doesn't mean now's not a | | | | mortgage records, W-2s, 1099s, or other tax forms |
| great time to catch up! While filing late taxes is often | | | | from 2006? You'll need all of them to file your 2006 |
| associated with big fines and late fees, there's much | | | | federal tax return. |
| more to it than that! People who file their 2006 federal | | | | 3. Figure out who you're going to file with. You could |
| tax return late are actually more likely than average to | | | | prepare your 2006 federal tax return on your own, but |
| get refunds, and their refunds are likely to be larger. | | | | it makes much more sense to work with an |
| So what's the rush? | | | | experienced practitioner. The smartest and most |
| If you don't file your 2006 federal income tax return by | | | | affordable choice is to go to a tax preparation |
| April 15th, 2010, the IRS may not give you any refunds | | | | website, especially one specializing in 2006 federal tax |
| at all. There's nothing quite so annoying as missing out | | | | return filing. You can find sites that have automatic |
| on free money because you missed a deadline. You | | | | income tax calculators that get you the biggest |
| can file late up to that point, but it often takes longer | | | | deduction available and help you avoid extra fees. |
| than expected - the best thing to do is start as soon | | | | Picking the right site to file your 2006 federal tax return |
| as possible so you'll know early on if you're missing | | | | is a great way to avoid some headaches. |
| any documents. | | | | Late filing can be annoying, but if you have a site that |
| So what do you do if you want to start your 2006 | | | | takes care of the boring parts for you, it's not nearly |
| federal tax return today? Here are a few steps to get | | | | as bad as it could be. You can easily avoid spending |
| started: | | | | hours slaving over calculations if you hand it off to an |
| | | | expert, and in a few weeks you could be looking at a |
| 1. If you filed in 2005 or 2007, have those returns | | | | well-timed refund check. But don't hesitate to start |
| handy. You may need to call the IRS to ask for a free | | | | early: not only are you missing out on your late filing, |
| transcript of the information, but it's going to be very | | | | but if it takes too long to file, you might miss the |
| helpful for your 2006 federal tax return. | | | | deadline and miss getting your money. |