IRS offers help as deadline nears

The Nashville office of the Internal Revenue Service will be open Saturday to help answer questions. Free tax preparation is available at many other sites. The deadline to file federal taxes is April 18. Nearly 100 IRS offices will be open across the country on Saturday. The centers offer help to anyone who has federal tax account issues or questions and offers free tax preparation and e-filing to most people whose 2010 household income was $49,000 or less. Nashville's center at 801 Broadway will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Also, free tax preparation and e-filing are offered at about 180 volunteer-staffed sites in 56 Tennessee counties. These sites are for filers whose household income was $49,000 or less last year or who are 60 or older. Filers can call the IRS toll-free at 1-800-906-9887 to find the closest free help site. IRS Free File at www.IRS.gov offers free online use of brand-name tax software to filers whose 2010 income was $58,000 or less. Free File includes a Fillable Forms option that is free for all filers, regardless of income. Generally, returns prepared manually on paper have an error rate of almost 20 percent, while returns prepared using tax software have an error rate of less than 1 percent. — JENNY UPCHURCH THE TENNESSEAN