Dear Brad and Bob:

I've been wondering if it's possible to receive tax forms from the IRS via e-mail, thereby saving me a trip to the local IRS office. If so, do you have an e-mail address for the agency?

--ARTHUR F.,
VIA E-MAIL

Brad: Let's start with the bad news. The IRS does not send out forms or publications via e-mail. Nor will the IRS answer taxpayers' questions via e-mail. However, since you can send and receive e-mail, you therefore must also be able to use the Internet. And it is from the IRS Web site that you can browse and print almost any IRS form, worksheet, or instruction booklet. The IRS site is found at www.irs.ustreas.gov. And of course, the IRS will accept downloaded and printed versions of its forms.

Bob: When you get to the site, scroll to the bottom of the IRS home page where you will find a link called "forms and pubs." Click on this to bring up the IRS form and pubs search engine. Be sure you know the name and number of the form or publication you want, however, because using the IRS search engine is tiresome and sometimes completely unsuccessful at finding publications.

Brad: You will need to have special software--the Adobe Acrobat Reader--to view and download IRS forms and publications. Fortunately, you can download the most recent version of this software (4.0) for free from the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com. This is a great utility program, and many Web-based documents are in Acrobat Reader, so you should probably obtain this software even if you aren't going to print IRS documents.

Bob: As long as you are visiting the IRS Web site, we should let you know that you can link to some online tax preparation software sites from the IRS site. These sites, which are hosted by the major tax preparation firms and authorized by the IRS, offer interactive tax preparation software. You may be able to prepare both your federal and state tax returns online at one of these sites for no more than $20.

Brad: For example, at www.turbotax.com, you will find an online version of Intuit's popular PC software program, TurboTax. You can do the TurboTax interview via the Internet for fees ranging from about $10 to $20. Another site is www.secure.com, where you may be able to prepare both your federal and state returns for about $15. After you prepare your return, you can also have the online company electronically file your return for you; the cost of this is usually included in the fee to use the site's software. If filing your tax return electronically makes you nervous, be advised that this is how things will be done in the not-so-distant future; the IRS hopes to have almost all personal income tax returns filed electronically by 2007.

Bob: If you do choose to file your return electronically--and that means by telephone or computer--you still must file a signature to make your return complete. So while you are at the IRS site, download Form 8453 for telephone filing or Form 8453-OL if you choose to file via the Internet. If you are married and filing jointly, be sure that you and your spouse both sign and file the correct form.

Brad: One last item, Arthur. Only taxpayers who file electronically are permitted to pay their taxes with a debit or a credit card. So if you were thinking about using "plastic" to pay your federal taxes, then you must file electronically. But let's hope you actually are due a bit of a refund this year!