2019 Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey (Data collection 6/1/2020-5/31/2021)

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Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey

Your experience matters to us.

ITB

Want to take the
survey on the web?
See the back cover
for instructions

IRS Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s this survey about?
This survey provides Congress with accurate estimates of the time and money you, your
spouse (if you filed jointly), relatives, business employees, friends, or unpaid volunteers spent
to complete your 2019 individual federal income tax return.
You won’t be asked about specific income or other financial information.

How will my answers be used?
We’ll use your responses for research purposes only. Your responses will help tax
administrators and policy makers reduce and manage taxpayer burden. Participation is
voluntary, but the information you provide will ensure that households like yours are
represented.

Who should complete this survey?
The person in your household most involved in the completion of your 2019 individual federal
income tax return should complete the survey. This may be you or your spouse (if you filed
jointly). You may need to ask others who helped you complete your 2019 individual federal
income tax return for input.
Your individual federal income tax return refers to Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ, as well as
any associated forms, schedules, and worksheets that you completed or filed. It does not
include forms associated with state and local income taxes, partnerships, corporations,
estates, employment taxes, excise taxes, or anyone else’s individual federal income tax return.
Should I send this to my tax professional?
No, this survey is about the time and money that you spent, not your tax professional.

How long will this survey take?
This survey should take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Who can I contact with questions or concerns about the survey?
If you have questions about the content of this survey, please contact Kimberly Wyborski at
877-828-3122 or send an email to [email protected]. If you
would like to speak with someone at the IRS, please call 877-374-6217.
To read the official IRS announcement regarding this survey, please visit
www.irs.gov/statistics/itb19.

Si desea contestar la encuesta en español, por favor vaya a la contraportada para ver las instrucciones
de cómo contestar la encuesta por Internet. Si prefiere solicitar una encuesta impresa en español, puede
llamarnos al 877-828-3122 o enviarnos un correo electrónico a [email protected].

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Instructions:
Please use a black or blue pen.
Mark

to indicate your answer.

If you want to change your answer, darken the box

and mark the correct answer.

General Questions About Your Taxes
The questions below ask about the ways in which you completed your 2019 federal income tax return.
1.

How did you complete your 2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
I did it myself using paper forms
I used a tax preparation website, software, or mobile app (e.g., TurboTax ®, TaxAct ®, or H&R
Block® At Home)
I had expert assistance from someone such as a paid preparer, a paid professional (e.g., a
bookkeeper, enrolled agent, accountant, or lawyer), an employee of my business, or an unpaid
volunteer

2.

Why did you choose this method for completing your 2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
Ease of use
Time
Familiarity with method
Cost
To ensure that my tax return was completed accurately
To receive all the deductions, credits, and refunds for which I was qualified To
reduce the risk of audit
Other, please describe:

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Recordkeeping
The following questions ask about the records, including forms you may have received from your
employer or financial institutions, as well as tax-related documents you may have kept in order to
prepare your 2019 federal income tax return.
3.

Whether or not you used them, which of the following types of information did you keep for your
2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
Prior year federal income tax returns, including your 2018 federal income tax return
Such as 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ forms
Documentation of non-business income
Such as W-2s, interest, dividends, sales of stock, royalties, rental income, alimony received, IRA
distributions, pension distributions
Documentation of non-business deductions
Such as educator expenses, moving expenses, alimony paid, home mortgage interest, property
taxes, charitable contributions, casualty and theft losses, unreimbursed employee expenses
Documentation of business income and expenses
Such as invoices, business bank account statements, partnership or S corporation income,
cancelled checks, taxes and licenses, advertising costs, depreciation
Documentation of credits
Such as the earned income tax credit (EITC), child tax credit, child and dependent care credit,
education credit
Other tax-related items, please describe:

4.

Thinking about all the records you kept for your 2019 federal income tax return, did you
also keep them for other reasons, such as business or personal reasons?
Yes
No

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Tax Planning
The following section asks about any tax-related planning you may have done for your 2019 federal
income tax return. Tax planning includes any strategies taxpayers use to reduce the taxes they owe,
such as participating in a retirement account, making charitable donations, or buying or selling assets.
5.

Whether or not you did them, did you consider the tax implications of any of the following as part
of your overall planning for your 2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
Buying or selling real estate, including purchasing a home to deduct real estate taxes
and mortgage interest
Participating in or maintaining a retirement account such as a 401(k), any type of IRA, or
a pension plan
Investing in non-retirement tax-exempt or tax preferred investments or plans such as taxfree bonds or education savings programs
Buying or selling other investments such as stocks, bonds, or other securities
Buying or disposing of assets such as equipment or supplies for a business, including
any decisions made for section 179 accelerated depreciation expenses
Structuring your business, such as deciding whether to form a partnership, LLC, or
corporation
Making charitable donations
Making energy efficient improvements to your home in order to claim an energy tax credit
Taking college or other educational classes in order to claim the American opportunity tax
credit
Other, please describe:

None of the above

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Completing Your Tax Return
The next question asks about any resources you may have used when completing your 2019
federal income tax return.
6.

Which, if any, of the following resources did you use when completing your 2019 federal
income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
IRS website
IRS toll-free tax assistance line
IRS walk-in site
IRS tax forms or publications from a library or post office
IRS2GO mobile app
TV, newspapers, or magazines
Tax preparation website, software, or mobile app
Internet search engines
Social media or blogs
Seminars or classes
None of the above

The next questions ask about the ways in which you completed your 2019 federal income tax return.
7.

Who (if anyone) helped you, however briefly, with your 2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
My spouse
Other family members or friends
Employee of my business
Tax professional (paid or volunteer)
Other, please describe:

No one helped me

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8.

Which of the following best describes how you used IRS tax form instructions when completing
your 2019 federal income tax return?
Read most or all instructions
Read instructions as needed
Did not read instructions

9.

If you used a paid or volunteer tax professional, how did you work with them when completing
your 2019 federal income tax return?
Mark all that apply.
Did not use a paid or volunteer tax professional
Completed a tax questionnaire or worksheet for my paid or volunteer professional
Provided records to my paid or volunteer professional
Met with my paid or volunteer professional in person
Communicated with my paid or volunteer professional by telephone or email
Completed and reviewed my tax return with my paid or volunteer professional
Other, please describe:

10. If you used a tax preparation website, software, or mobile app to complete your 2019 federal
income tax return, which of the following best describes your use of the program?
Did not use a tax preparation website, software, or mobile app
Followed the entire step-by-step computer-guided instructions
Only used the step-by-step computer-guided instructions to address specific tax areas
Directly entered information into the tax forms without using the step-by-step computerguided instructions

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When preparing your 2019 federal income tax return, did you or your preparer electronically
import any of the following information so that it did not have to be typed or entered by hand?
Mark all that apply.
Did not electronically import any information
Data from last year's tax preparation software
Data from an accounting software package, such as Quicken, MSN Money, or QuickBooks
Data from my W-2s
Data from my 1098s, 1099s, Schedule K-1s, or other information returns Data
from my bank, brokerage, or other financial accounts
Don't know

Was there anything that made completing your 2019 federal income tax return more difficult
than you expected?
Yes

 Please describe

No

Time Spent on Tax-Related Activities
The questions on the next page ask about the time you spent on activities related to the completion of
your 2019 federal income tax return.
Please include time spent:

Please do not include time spent:
On state or local income tax returns

On your federal income tax return, including Form
1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ, as well as any associated
forms, schedules, and worksheets that you
completed or filed

On anyone else's federal income tax return
Responding to IRS notices or correspondence

Throughout the tax year as well as the tax filing
season

Amending your 2019 federal income tax return
On partnerships (Form 1065), corporations (Form
1120 or 1120S), estates (Form 706), gifts (Form 709),
trusts (Form 1041), employment tax (Form 940, 941,
943, 944, 945), or excise tax (Form 720)

By family, friends, or business employees, however
briefly
Traveling to places such as the library, post office,
or a tax preparer's office

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13. How much time did you spend on the following activities for your 2019 federal income tax return?
If you’re not sure, please provide your best estimate.
Recordkeeping
Include time spent throughout the tax year on activities such as:

:



Keeping track of tax-related information, such as records or receipts



Collecting and organizing your tax-related records



Making a special effort to obtain records or receipts

Minutes

Hours

No time spent

Do not include time spent on non-tax-related business or personal
recordkeeping.
Tax planning
Include time spent throughout the tax year on activities such as:


Calculating or changing withholding or estimated payments



Researching strategies to reduce the taxes you owe such as making
charitable donations, participating in a retirement account, or buying or
selling investments



Working with a tax professional (paid or volunteer) on tax planning



Doing business tax planning related to your personal tax situation

:
Minutes

Hours

No time spent

Do not include any time spent on financial planning that was not tax-related
Gathering or purchasing materials
Include time spent on activities such as:

:



Gathering IRS tax forms, instructions, or publications



Selecting, buying, and installing tax preparation software or mobile app



Selecting a tax preparation website



Selecting a tax professional (paid or volunteer)

Minutes

Hours

No time spent

Completing and submitting your tax return
Include time spent on activities such as:

:



Reading instructions and related materials



Obtaining answers to questions about your return



Completing and reviewing tax forms or worksheets, whether or not
they were submitted



Working with a tax professional (paid or volunteer) to complete your
tax return



Assembling and submitting your tax return



Checking the status of your electronic submission



Checking the status of your refund

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Minutes

No time spent

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14. Did you spend any time on any of the following before realizing you did not need to report on
them?
Mark all that apply.
Itemized deductions
Child Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit
Earned Income Tax Credit
Education deductions or credits
Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled
Quarterly estimated taxes
Unreimbursed business expenses
Alternative Minimum Tax
Depreciation or amortization
Other, please describe:

No

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15. Of the time you spent completing and submitting your tax return (reported in Question 13), how
much of it did you spend on these tax provisions before realizing you did not need to report on
them?
If you're not sure, please provide your best estimate.

:
Hours

Minutes

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Costs of Completing Your Tax Return
The next questions ask about the costs associated with the completion of your 2019 federal income
tax return.
Please include costs:

Please do not include costs associated with:





State or local income tax returns



Anyone else's federal income tax return



Responding to IRS notices or correspondence



Amending your 2019 federal income tax return



Partnerships (Form 1065), corporations (Form 1120 or
1120S), estates (Form 706), gifts (Form 709), trusts
(Form 1041), employment tax (Form 940, 941, 943, 944,
945), or excise tax (Form 720)



Associated with your federal income tax return,
including Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ, as well
as any associated forms, schedules, and
worksheets that you completed or filed
Incurred throughout the tax year as well as the
tax filing season

16. How much did you pay for the following products or services to complete your 2019 federal
income tax return?
If you’re not sure, please provide your best estimate.
Paid preparer services

.

$

Include tax preparation or tax planning advice

Dollars

Do not include any fees for an early or immediate tax refund

Cents

No money spent
Tax preparation website or software costs

.

$

Include the purchase price as well as live advice fees

Cents

Dollars

Do not include any fees for an early or immediate tax refund
Do not include any general purpose accounting software, such as
Quicken, MSN Money, or QuickBooks

No money spent

Fees for an early or immediate tax refund
Include any fees paid for an early or immediate tax refund, such as
a refund anticipation loan, check, or rapid refund

.

$
Dollars

Cents

No money spent
Tax books, classes, or seminars

.

$

Cents

Dollars
No money spent
Postage, filing fees, or travel costs
Include costs associated with submitting your return, such
as electronic filing fees, fees charged for paying your taxes
by credit card, postage, faxes, courier fees, or any travel

.

$
Dollars

Cents

No money spent

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17. Paid preparer services are often paid as one fee. We know it may be difficult to separate the cost
for your 2019 federal income tax return from additional services provided. Were any of the
following services included in the cost you reported under paid preparer services in Question 16?
Mark all that apply.
Did not pay a fee to a paid preparer
Prepared forms for a partnership, corporation, estate, gift, trust, employment tax, or excise tax
Electronic filing fees
Prepared state, local, or city tax returns
Amended previous year tax returns
Responded to IRS notices or an audit
Audit protection costs
None of the above
Don't know

Tell Us About You
For which states did you file a 2019 state income tax return?

Did not file a 2019 state income tax return
Compared to other taxpayers, how would you rate your knowledge, skills, and abilities in
completing your 2019 federal income tax return?
Better than most taxpayers
About the same as most taxpayers
Not as good as most taxpayers
What is the highest level of education that you have completed?
Less than a high school diploma
High school graduate or GED
Some college or some technical school
Associate's degree or professional certificate
Bachelor's degree
Master's or doctorate degree

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21. Tax forms may be difficult, especially if English is not your primary language. Do you feel that
you had any language limitations that made completing your 2019 federal income tax return more
difficult?
Yes
No
22. When completing your 2019 federal income tax return, how stressful was each of the following?

Not at all
stressful

A little
stressful

Somewhat
stressful

Very
stressful

I did not do
this
activity

Recordkeeping throughout the year
Tax planning throughout the year
Selecting or using a tax preparation
software
Selecting or working with a tax
professional
Gathering your tax records (e.g., W-2s,
expense records)
Determining which forms to use
Finding copies of the tax forms you
needed at the library, post office, IRS
website, or other location
Understanding IRS forms, instructions,
and publications
Determining how a life change affected
your tax situation (e.g., birth of a child,
divorce, retirement)
Deciding which credits and deductions
you qualified for
Submitting your tax return electronically
or by mail
Wondering if your return will be audited
Other, please describe:

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Tell Us About Your Preferences
23. The IRS currently contacts taxpayers by mail. How would you prefer that the IRS contact you or
send you tax-related information?
Mark all that apply.
Mail
E-mail
Home phone
Work phone
Cell phone
Text message
Via my paid preparer
24. The IRS now offers taxpayers the option of creating an online account. Which of the following
features would you find most useful?
Mark all that apply.
Personal profile that allows the IRS to send you information tailored to your tax filing situation
Ability to customize information on the IRS website that meets your interests
Access to prior-year tax returns
Online payment options
Access to tax payment history
Ability to upload supporting documentation when you file your return or in response to an IRS notice
Immediate error check when filing your taxes online
Other, please describe:

25. How likely are you to create an online taxpayer account?
I already have an online taxpayer account
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not at all likely

 Please tell us why not

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26. Please share any suggestions you have for how the IRS could improve taxpayer services or make
it easier for you to file and pay your taxes.

Thank you for completing our survey.

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice for Individual Taxpayer Burden Data Collection
Our authority for requesting information with this survey is 5 U.S.C. § 301, and 26 U.S.C. §§ 7801, 7803, and
7805 and the Paperwork Reduction Act. The information you provide allows the IRS to analyze the role of
taxpayer burden in tax administration. This information is also used to fulfil the IRS’s statutory obligations to
the Office of Management and Budget and Congress for information required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act, and to provide tax policy analysis support to the Office of Tax Analysis at the Department of the Treasury.
This information will also help us to better understand taxpayer needs and burden reduction opportunities.
Data collected will be shared with IRS staff, but your responses will be used for research and aggregate
reporting purposes only and will not be used for other non-statistical or non-research purposes such as direct
enforcement activities. The information that you provide will be protected as required by law. We estimate
that it will take 15 to 20 minutes to complete this survey, including the time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing
the collection of information. Providing the information is voluntary; not providing all or part of the information
requested will have no impact on you but may reduce our ability to address taxpayer concerns regarding
paperwork reduction.
We may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it
displays a valid OMB control number The OMB number for this survey is 1545-2212. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for
reducing this burden to: IRS, Special Services Section, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:M:S, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20224.

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Web Survey Instructions
If you prefer to complete this survey on the web, please follow the instructions
below. Web responses are processed more quickly, and you won’t receive follow-up
mail.

1

Go to the website.
Visit www.IRSBurdenSurveys.org to take the secure online survey.

2

Log in.
Use this PIN to access the survey: [PIN]

Problems?
If you have any technical difficulties, including problems with the website, please
call 877-828-3122 or send an email to
[email protected].

Instrucciones para contestar la
encuesta por Internet
Si prefiere contestar la encuesta por Internet, puede hacerlo siguiendo las
instrucciones a continuación. Las respuestas en Internet se procesan más rápido y
ayudarán a asegurar que usted no reciba más comunicados.

1

Vaya a la página de Internet.
Para contestar la encuesta segura en Internet, vaya a la página:
www.encuestataxcargaIRS.org

2

Ingrese a la encuesta.
Para ingresar a la encuesta, necesitará el siguiente PIN: [PIN]

¿Dificultades?
Si tiene alguna dificultad técnica, incluyendo problemas con la página de
Internet, puede llamarnos al 877-828-3122 o enviarnos un correo electrónico a
[email protected].

2019

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