While the Internal Revenue Service is pushing the online and electronic tax-filing trend, tax preparer Larry Domalakes, Frackville, said everyone who does it should also press the print button now and then.
"Always have a hard copy. If there's a problem somewhere along the line, there is no substitute for a hard copy. It's proof," said Domalakes, owner of Larry Domalakes Insurance.
On Jan. 4, the IRS opened the 2012 tax- filing season. The agency expects to receive more than 144 million individual tax returns this year, with most of those being filed by the April 17 deadline, according to the IRS website - irs.gov.
"The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file as it is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds," according to the site.
There are basically three ways to file a federal tax return: Using a service via a website, using computer software to transmit it to the IRS electronically and doing it the old-fashioned way, filling out forms and mailing them to the IRS.
Amy S. Burkhart, executive director of Pottsville Area Development Corp., said she files her personal federal income tax online using Turbo Tax, a program that offers personal tax-filing services and ranges from $19.95 to $74.95.
"It's very easy. Well-explained throughout. But if I had a more complex return to file, with numerous deductions or something like that, then I wouldn't do it myself. I'd hire a tax preparer," Burkhart said Tuesday.
Bill Kirwan, president of St. Clair & Associates, certified public accountants, Pottsville, said Tuesday he believes electronic filing is the way to go.
"The post office still loses pieces of mail. And the IRS still manages to misplace papers. So filing electronically does reduce that possible error," Kirwan said.
"And when the IRS gets a paper return, they have to enter in figures written on the forms into their computer system. So if you file electronically, you save the possibility of them typing it in incorrectly," he said.
Tax returns filed online and electronically are easier to track, said Donna Broadt, owner of the H&R Block office in Pottsville.
"You should know in a very short time whether the IRS has accepted it. If you don't hear anything in a short period of time, like 10 to 14 days, then call the IRS to see if your return has been received. If you mail it, you're not going to have that flexibility," Broadt said Tuesday.
"But if someone wants to do it by paper, they have that right. Some people don't like their information flying off in cyberspace," Domalakes said.
In October, the IRS announced that individual and business taxpayers would no longer receive paper income tax packages in the mail. Those tax packages used to contain the forms, schedules and instructions for filing a paper income tax return.
"The IRS is taking this step because of the continued growth in electronic filing and the availability of free options to taxpayers, as well as to help reduce costs," according to an e-mail message from the IRS to the Pottsville Free Public Library.
Some forms are still available at public libraries.
The Pottsville library is among the area libraries that still participates in the IRS Tax Forms Outlet Program, which provides taxpayers with access to tax forms and related products.
On Tuesday, Hilarie Condrack, Schuylkill Haven, an intern at the Pottsville library, set up a kiosk filled with forms that include the 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ.
Both Domalakes and Kirwan encouraged people filing their tax forms through online services and electronically with software programs to make copies of whatever they send.
"If the person filing online or electronically isn't meticulous in getting it right, these programs will just come back with an e-mail saying the form was filed incorrectly. And it may take you days to figure out what's wrong," Domalakes said. "There are a lot of times when our clients are calling and looking for a copy of their tax return, whether they're applying for a loan or mortgage, to provide proof of income. That's why you need the printed paper."