The federal government of the United States levies the federal income tax and it is levied on every taxable earner of the United States. This includes the resident aliens and every earning individual who Adjusted Gross Income is above a stipulated level. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) handles the federal income tax levy and administration.



The taxable income of the person is determined by a two-tiered system. First the person's actual income is determined and this is considered as the base of the calculation. Upon this net income, certain deductions are made to obtain the gross total income. Then the gross total income is adjusted with the itemized deductions list or the standard deductions list, whichever is deemed applicable to the individual in question. The deductions are what finally give the adjusted gross income or AGI. Any income tax applicable is then calculated on the basis of a person's AGI.

The IRS follows the internal revenue code to determine taxable amounts and each year the taxable amount is changed and adjusted based on the inflation. There is a minimum AGI amount, below which a person will not have to pay tax. However, every earning member is expected to file a tax return.

As per the Internal Revenue Code, the returns can actually be divided in to tax returns and information returns. But the usual term used for both is 'tax returns' and it is often used to talk about both types of returns. Every person is expected to declare the tax liable assets that the person holds. The tax will thus be based on that. However, there are provisions under which a person can gain tax credits during filing tax returns. These credits are actually better than the deductions because tax credits are calculated after the tax is charged and not before. Hence, a deduction would mean a saving equivalent to the taxable percentage of the amount. Whereas, a tax credit means that the entire amount of the tax credit is saved. So at 17% tax, a $100 deduction saves you $17 but a $100 credit saves you the full $100.

Filing returns however can be very complicated and arduous. This can soon turn in to an uphill process if you are not sure which policies apply to you. Plus you will have to go through a lot of paper work to submit your federal income tax returns correctly. So the IRS has provided you with E-files. E-files is an electronic system of filing your tax return, which is also available from a few trustworthy IRS registered service providers.

With e-files there is absolutely no paper work to be done and you will be guided through the filing process. These combines eliminate any errors that you might have made during the filing process. It is also free for those with an AGI below $56,000 annually. This is a very safe and secure method of payment, which also alerts you of policies that may apply to you, there by reducing your tax returns.