by Jaime Rodriguez RDPFS Intern
Tax Day 2022, the deadline for taxpayers to file their taxes, is coming up on April 18th. If you haven’t filed yet, here are some tax tips that may be helpful. Please ask a tax professional before applying these tips to your tax return.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has posted tips for taxpayers who are visually impaired. Through their Alternative Media Center, the IRS offers resources and accessibility services in several formats, for use with screen readers, braille displays, and screen magnifying software. Taxpayers may download hundreds of accessible tax documents online in text-only, braille-ready files, browser-friendly HTML, accessible PDF, and large print PDF. Accessible forms and publications can be found on the IRS webpage, “Accessible Forms & Publications”. Taxpayers can call the telephone number 833-690-0598 for accessibility assistance. For more information, read “IRS resources and services for visually impaired taxpayers”.
TurboTax by Intuit has its own tips for taxpayers who are blind or visually impaired, whose visual field is at or below 20 degrees, or whose vision is 20/200 or less in their best eye. Box 12 on the 1040 tax-return form allows filers who are blind or visually impaired to subtract a bigger standard deduction from adjusted gross income, which equates to a larger tax break. These filers can also deduct medical expenses related to their blindness if those expenses are greater than 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. Disability-associated items applicable to include are braille print media, braille printers, eyeglasses, eye exams, eye surgery, guide dogs and all related costs, home modifications, braille instruction, nursing services, and phones with braille and/or audio features and any related repairs. For more information from TurboTax, visit their webpage, here.
