• You must file your taxes by April 15 every year.tax forms image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com
  
  April 15 is the day that federal taxes are due. Millions of people across the country file returns. Typically, some filers submit will their returns early, while others will wait until the last minute. This is the time to find receipts, add up your wages and determine what tax credits might apply to your particular circumstances. However, every year people have tax return questions, especially since Congress frequently changes the tax laws.
  
  

Who Should file a tax return?

• The IRS recommends filing a tax return, if you are eligible to receive any type of refund, even if you do not have to file. You should file a return whenever you have tax withheld from your pay, send in quarterly estimated payments, or when overpayments from a previous year are applied to a current year's tax. In addition, if you can claim a tax credit for the year, you should file a return. These include the earned income credit, child tax credit, health coverage tax credit, first-time home-buyer credit, credit for prior year minimum tax, work pay credit, and government retiree credit.
  
  

When should I file quarterly estimated tax payments?

• You must send the IRS estimated tax payments if you anticipate owing a minimum of $1,000 in taxes as of April in any given year, after deducting tax credits and withholding. In addition, you will need to make quarterly taxes if you think your credits and withholding will add up to less than 90 percent of the tax you paid on your current year tax return, or if these same two elements equal 100 percent of the tax displayed on your previous year's tax return.
  
  

Will I receive a tax refund, if I have a payment arrangement for a prior year's tax return?

• When you make a payment arrangement with the IRS for taxes that you owe, any future refunds you are due will be applied instead to the balance you owe. There is no need to notify the IRS, your refund will automatically be applied to your back taxes. Although the IRS will apply your refund to the balance owed, you still must stick to the payment schedule you set up until the back taxes have been completely paid off.