NASHUA – Tax season is almost upon us, and for people who still use the paper forms to file, local libraries are an important resource.

Through the Internal Revenue Service’s Tax Forms Outlet Program, libraries and post offices have been able to provide the public with printed tax forms and instruction booklets for free. Additionally the Nashua Public Library and the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford host meetings for the AARP, who assist seniors with filling out their taxes.

"We had a couple of emails from the IRS, one of which said there would be a limited package sent out where we could choose from option one or two," said Kim Gabert, title reference and adult services librarian at the Wadleigh Memorial Library. "We could get more of the 1040s and a few copies of instructions, or we could get fewer of the tax forms."

This year, the Wadleigh Memorial Library and Merrimack Public Library chose option two and are only able to provide residents with 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, Publication 17 and Publication 4604 paper tax forms. But Gabert said the library will provide some assistance for people who need the forms printed.

"We got a lot less last year. We were cut dramatically," Gabert said. "Now we’re getting three-quarters of what we had last year, which means we’ll need to be charging people the 10 cents a page for people to print out the pages."

According to Alex Estabrook, head of reference services at Merrimack Public Library, it’s not just the forms the people come looking for.

"People ask for the 50-to-100 page booklet that we have for
reference on how to fill out the forms," Estabrook said. "Last year we made copies to put out and circulate in the library so people could use them, this way people don’t have to pay to print everything."

According to Anny Pachner, an IRS spokesperson, because of the high volume of people who file their taxes online, the agency cut back on the paper forms distributed to programs like the Tax Forms Outlet Program.

"There just seems to be less paper need and more e-filing," Pachner said.

At the Nashua Public Library, the 2014 tax filing year used 1,213 of the 1040 forms, 1,186 of the 1040A forms, and 1,134 of the 1040EZ forms. According to Carol Eyman, the outreach and community services coordinator, the library was expected to receive 1,687 of the 1040 forms, 752 of the 1040A forms, and 1,696 of the 1040EZ forms for this tax season.

However, Eyman said an email she received from the IRS late Monday indicated that the agency intends to send more instruction booklets, and maybe more forms than they had originally planned.

"They’ll send instructions they said they weren’t planning to send, they’re going to send more forms now, even more than last year," Eyman said. "Some of us had been ordering these instruction booklets for ourselves so we could bring them in, but now it looks like we’ll have more for people."

The email addressed to Tax Forms Outlet Program participants said that, based on feedback, they will provide instructions for the forms 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ, and Publication 1132.

"People have come in here for years and they have expected to get all their tax forms here, it’s going to make the library to be the right place again to come and do their taxes," Eyman said. "Also, the AARP will come in three times a week to help during tax season. They do over 1,000 forms a year here."

Sara Webb can be reached at 594- 6531, swebb@nashuatelegraph. com or @Telegraph_Sara.