Tax problems? Some IRS offices open today

The Internal Revenue Service will open a few offices on Saturday, May 15 to help small businesses and individuals solve tax problems. Open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, IRS staff will be available on site or by telephone to help taxpayers who may not have the time to go during the work week.

Mark Hanson, IRS spokesperson:

An example of taxpayers who may want to come in for this assistance would be taxpayers who owe the IRS but can’t afford to pay the full amount. They can come in and get help from IRS employees who can help them set up an alternative payment arrangement like an installment agreement. This allows the taxpayer to meet their federal income tax liability without putting excessive financial hardship on them.

Hanson says that the IRS scheduled these open houses a few weeks ago because many people working during the week don’t necessarily have the time to get to an IRS office during their normal business hours.

Hanson says the website is available 24/7.

Keep in mind that the www.IRS.gov website is a wealth of information. There’s a lot of self-help services there, like the where’s my refund tool, and the with-holding calculator where taxpayers may be able to find the information they need in the most efficient way possible. 

Hanson asks taxpayers to keep in mind that www.IRS.gov  and the IRS You Tube Channels are the only IRS official websites.

Any look-alikes out there could be run by scam artists, and you certainly do not want fall into some of the traps that they set, because you could be setting yourself up to become a victim of identity theft or worse.