Montana Department of Revenue encourages E-filing this tax filing season

From Montana Department of Revenue

HELENA — As income tax return filing opened this week, the Montana Department of Revenue reminded taxpayers about the advantages of filing electronically and about changes to refund timelines and tax forms. People can receive their tax refund sooner if they file their taxes electronically.

“While we encourage taxpayers to e-file your state income taxes because you’ll get your refunds faster, no matter how you file, we appreciate the effort that it takes,” said Mike Kadas, director of the Department of Revenue.

Starting Tuesday, the Department of Revenue began accepting Montana 2015 individual income tax forms. Taxpayers can e-file their returns for free on Montana Taxpayer Access Point https://tap.dor.mt.gov. Montana taxpayers can also e-file federal and state individual income tax returns using IRS software or an approved third-party software provider listed under Online Services at revenue.mt.gov. 

  Taxpayer assistance is available year-round through the department’s call center. To ask questions or get help filing a Montana tax return, people can call toll free at 866-859-2254, or in Helena at 406-444-6900. Regular call center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department will extend hours during the last week of tax season.

  Walk-in assistance is available at the Department of Revenue’s Helena and Missoula offices. The Helena office is at 125 North Roberts, east of the Capitol, and the Missoula office is at 2681 Palmer Street. There are also more than 100 volunteer tax preparation sites around the state through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and AARP Tax-Aide Montana. People can visit http://www.montanafreefile.org to find out if they qualify for free tax preparation assistance and to see a list of locations

  2015 Montana tax forms can also be filled out and submitted on paper. Forms can be printed for free from revenue.mt.gov or picked up at libraries, post offices, county offices, and some banks around the state. This year, taxpayers only need to choose between two tax forms, the 2 and 2EZ. The department discontinued the little-used form 2M to make it easier for taxpayers to decide which form to use. Keep in mind that no matter how early you submit a paper tax return, you’ll receive your refund faster if you e-file because of the extended time required to process paper.

  Because of the nationwide increase in identity theft and filing of fraudulent returns, the department is taking more time to review returns to make sure they are valid. This means that it will take longer to receive refunds than in previous years. “We want to make sure the returns we receive are really from you before we send you a refund, and this takes a little more time. We want to protect your money and we appreciate your patience if your refund takes a little longer to get to you,” director Kadas said.

  Regardless of how people file, if they request a direct deposit of their refund it is important to confirm the accuracy of their bank routing and account numbers to eliminate delays and errors.