What is an interactive tax assistance?

The Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) is a tool that provides answers to several tax queries. The questions can be about the legal implications of tax such as whether you are eligible to claim certain credits, if you can deduct expenses on your tax return and what portion of your income is taxable. The ITA also can answer more general frequently asked questions about your filing status, dependents, tax returns and more. The purpose of the Interactive Tax Assistant is to support the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) customer service.  With unreasonable wait times to just speak to an IRS representative, the Interactive Tax Assistant offsets such disruptions to customer service by acting as an interactive online assistant. 

There is a list of topics on the ITA website that represent common and frequently asked questions such as “Can I deduct my mortgage related expenses” and “What is the simplest form to use to file my taxes”. Once you browse through this list and still feel your question has not been addressed, you can search for a specific question. Once you search for an overarching topic, the ITA will respond with a series of questions that will further narrow down the answers you are looking for. After the final response is generated, you can choose to print out the entire interactive session and/or the final response. In the case that the ITA cannot address your question, you could be redirected to the Tax Trails application at IRS.gov which will lead you to a multitude of other resources for assistance. 

The Interactive Tax Assistant assumes that you are a U.S citizen or resident alien and have been so for the entire duration of the tax year in question. If you are married, your spouse must also meet the same criteria. In case these requirements do not match your statuses, please keep in mind that the advice the ITA provides may not be applicable to you. Instead, you can refer to the IRS Publication 519 titled “U.S Tax Guide for Aliens” for guidance. 

One important piece of information to remember is that any information provided by the ITA should not be considered as written and official advice. If you see the disclaimer on the ITA website, you will notice that it is always better to verify these answers within other IRs sources later, because an ITA response would not hold up in court in case of a dispute. 

In conclusion, the Interactive Tax Assistant could be your solution to a quick doubt, especially when the lines to connect to an IRS representative are holding you up for too long. However, be sure to cross check this information through a written publication of law by the Internal Revenue Services to be sure.