What you need to know for this filing season

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It’s that time of the year again when wage earners and businesses file taxes.

The American Samoa Tax Office announces that the 2022 filing season will begin on Monday, January 24, 2022.

This is when the Tax Office will begin accepting and processing 2021 tax returns.

The necessary delay in this year’s filing season would allow the ASTO to revise and update forms, system, and procedures put in place for a successful season.

The ASTO will be sending out Letter 6419 in the upcoming week to taxpayers who received the two payments of the Advance Child Tax Credits in October and December of 2021.

These letters will be sent to the US Post Office for those with mailing addresses.

For taxpayers who have General Deliveries as their mailing addresses, please pick up your letters at the Disbursing Office in Utulei.

Present this letter to your tax preparer or to the ASTO official assisting you in the preparation of your tax return.

This is necessary for the validation of the Advance Child Tax Credit payments you received, and to determine the amount of the credit you are eligible for.

The free filing assistance program offered by the Tax Office will begin on January 31, 2022.

This program is offered to taxpayers filing simple returns like Form 390EZ and Form 390 with the following income limitations.

e Single & Married Filing Separately – $25,000.00
e Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household & Qualifying Widower – $50,000.00

The Tax Office will NOT file any attached schedules or business returns.

If you make more than the above income amounts and are required to file schedules and business returns, you are encouraged to seek assistance from local private tax preparers and professionals.

The Tax Office will be accepting ONLY original documents like birth certificates and social security cards for you and your dependents.

Copies of these documents will not be accepted. Tax Office staff will also be verifying your identity, so please have a valid form of identification on hand.

“Please have all your forms and documents in order before coming in to take advantage of this program and a friendly reminder that this program is free of charge and tips or gratuities are strictly prohibited,” says the Tax Office announcement.

Facemasks and social distancing will be enforced.