Guest Post Author Bio:  Manny Davis is a tax professional and writer for Back Taxes Help, a site that provides individuals with tax tips, news, guidance, IRS tax help, and more throughout the entire year.

It is income tax time yet again, the season of dread for so many people. If you are one of those individuals who becomes over anxious at tax time and stresses about getting your taxes filed on time, you are not alone. To help overcome your tax time stress, simply follow these great tips for preparing and filing your income tax return.

Get Informed of Tax Changes

The tax code changes each year and more deductions and credits may be available for you each tax year. Many people fall in a routine with preparing taxes and just assume the same situation each year and may be missing out and paying additional taxes. It is especially important to be aware of tax laws when you have made a major life change because typically there are tax deductions and credits associated with big events. Did you buy a home, have a baby, pay for education, get married, move for work or any other major event? If so, do your research to get informed or work with a tax preparer to review your finances to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Get Organized

Simple tax preparation and filing is all about the organization. If you have stayed organized throughout the year then you are set. If however, you haven’t, now is the time to gather everything you will need to get your taxes filed. Start a tax folder and start organizing everything into it that is tax related. Add to it your W-2’s, T-1′s, 1099’s and other tax documents that are coming in the mail. Gather up receipts from donations and any expenses that you plan to use as a deduction. When you have everything all in one place, you now must make the decision to do your taxes yourself or to hire a professional.

Decide Who Will Prepare Your Taxes

Many people prefer to do their taxes on their own, where others simply find it way too daunting. If you are going to do it on your own, you should consider using a software package like TurboTax. These software programs help to make sure you have not missed any data, check your work and make filing on your own much simpler.

Many times people with tax returns that are a little more complex than the standard return will opt to use tax software rather than using a professional to save a little money. Even with tax software, deductions can easily be missed. A professional tax preparer should save you time, stress and can be cost effective for you in the long run by catching additional deductions you could have missed if you were to prepare the taxes on your own. If you are going to have someone prepare your taxes for you, now is the time to set up an appointment. The sooner you have your appointment made, the better off you will be.

Double Check To Make Sure You Haven’t Missed Anything

Even if you have someone prepare your taxes, you will want to double and triple check to make sure that everything is correct including your social security or SIN number. Check to make sure you haven’t missed any tax credits or deductions that you may be eligible for.

Copies & Receipts

If you send your tax return by regular mail instead of efiling, be sure to get a receipt. It is a good idea to send by certified mail and request a return receipt with the mailing. Also, do not send in your only copy of the return, be sure to have a copy for your records as well. If the IRS or CRA says they never received your return and it was lost in the mail, you are the one responsible unless you can prove it was actually filed.

Don’t Miss The Tax Deadline

Finally, start now. Don’t wait until the last minute and then have to scramble to find everything you need to file. Having your taxes prepared early and filed on time relieves unnecessary stress and keeps you from having to file for an extension (extensions not available in Canada) or from paying penalty fees. Below is a general overview of tax filing deadlines.

	United States	Canada
Individual Deadline	April 18, 2011	April 30, 2011
Fling For Extension Deadline	April 18, 2011	N/A
Tax Payments for 2010 Due	April 18, 2011	April 30, 2011
Self-Employed Tax Filing	April 18, 2011	June 15, 2011
Deadline W/ Extension Filed	October 17, 2011	N/A