Planning now can make tax season less stressful next year

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Does the thought of filing your taxes make you break out in a cold sweat? Do you dread tax season every year? Taking a few easy steps in the next few weeks can make preparing your 2022 tax return easier in 2023 — and it could just lower your heart rate in the process.

“Most people don’t think about their taxes until it’s time to fill out their returns,” said Revenue’s Megan Denison. “But doing a few simple things in the weeks before tax season can make filling out your return and filing on time less stressful.”

Those things include following the suggestions below, Denison said.

View your account information online

Taxpayers can make sure their information is current at Revenue Online, a secure web service that provides access to your tax account at any time.

Gather and organize your tax records

Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier and avoid errors. Wait to file until you have your tax records including:

• Forms W-2 from your employer(s)
• Forms 1099 from banks, issuing agencies and other payers including unemployment compensation, interest, dividends, stock transactions, distributions from a pension, annuity, retirement plan, or other non-employee compensation
• Form 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, W-2 or other income statement if you worked in the gig economy
• Year-end receipts or statements from charitable contributions, day care providers, mortgage companies, or property taxes

Use a bank account to speed tax refunds with direct deposit

File electronically, choose direct deposit and you will get a refund faster. Information is available at this IRS Web site.

Choose a reputable tax return preparer

Taxpayers should choose a tax return preparer wisely. This is important because taxpayers are responsible for all the information on their return, no matter who prepares it for them. The Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners offers a Licensee Lookup web site. The IRS has a web site with information.

To get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments, visit www.oregon.gov/dor or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. You also can call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish) or 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon. For TTY (hearing- or speech-impaired), we accept all relay calls.