… do you pay someone to do them?

To get an accountant to prepare an itemized federal return — Form 1040 and Schedule A — along with a state return cost an average of about $246 nationally in 2012, according to a survey released in January by the National Society of Accountants. The cost was nearly 6 percent more than in 2010. Preparing non-itemized federal and state returns cost an average of about $128 last year, and taxpayers in Oregon and other Pacific states paid more, on average, than other regions of the country, the survey showed.

… or do them yourself?

Free filing services

For information on how to file your taxes online for free, visit the Oregon Department of Revenue’s website at www.oregon.gov/dor/ESERV/Pages/online.aspx. The IRS tax filing deadline is Monday.

In-person help

Bend: The Downtown Bend Public Library will offer free tax help for individuals today at 10 a.m., Saturday at noon, Sunday at noon and Monday at 11 a.m. Visit www.deschuteslibrary.org/bend/ for more information.

Redmond: United Way will offer free tax preparation clinics today from 4 to 7 p.m. with certified volunteers to help those who need assistance to file both federal and state tax returns; appointments requested; M.A. Lynch Elementary School, 1314 S.W. Kalama Ave., Redmond; 541-389-6507.

… meanwhile, a few tax facts

The IRS collects some demographic data on taxpayers. The most recent statistics available are for taxpayers who filed in 2011. For comparison, data from 2005 is shown in parentheses (2005).

In Deschutes County, 71,253 (63,245) individual taxpayers (or spouses filing jointly) filed returns for their 2010 income. Fifty-six percent (58 percent) used paid preparers to file their returns. Of the total number of returns, 48 percent were e-filed. Seventy-four percent (71 percent) of taxpayers received a refund.

In Crook County, 8,359 (8,321) taxpayers filed returns. Sixty-one percent (62 percent) used paid preparers. Of the total number of returns, 55 percent were e-filed. Seventy-four percent (72 percent) of taxpayers received a refund.

In Jefferson County, 9,720 (9,395) taxpayers filed returns. Sixty percent (60 percent) used paid preparers. Of the total number of returns, 51 percent were e-filed. Seventy-eight percent (78 percent) of taxpayers received a refund.

The three counties combined filed 89,332 (80,961) returns, 57 percent (59 percent) of which used paid preparers. Forty-nine percent of the total number of returns were e-filed. Seventy-four percent (72 percent) of taxpayers received a refund.

In Oregon, 1,678,794 (1,545,120) returns were filed. Fifty-one percent (53 percent) used paid preparers. Of the total number of returns, 43 percent were e-filed. Twenty-eight percent of taxpayers used paper forms, while 29 percent used an online tool. Eleven percent used a computer to generate their tax forms and then filed using paper. Seventy-seven percent (74 percent) received a refund.

Nationally, 138,917,662 (128,852,668) returns were filed. Fifty-nine percent (61 percent) of taxpayers used a paid tax preparer. Of the total number of returns, 48 percent were e-filed. Twenty-six percent of taxpayers used paper forms and 26 percent used an online tool. Thirteen percent used a computer to generate their tax forms and then filed using paper. Eighty percent (79 percent) received a refund.

Source: IRS