January 18, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9 IThe Internal Revenue Service opened the 2012 tax filing season by announcing that taxpayers have until April 17 to file their tax returns. The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file as it is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds. The IRS also announced a number of improvements to help make this tax season easy for taxpayers. This includes new navigation features and helpful information on IRS.gov and a new pilot to allow taxpayers to use interactive video to get help with tax issues. “At the IRS, we’re working hard to make the process of filing your taxes as quick and easy as possible,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Providing quality service is one of our top priorities. It not only reduces the burden on taxpayers, but also helps in filing an accurate return right from the start.” IRS extends tax filing deadline to April 17 Taxpayers will have until Tuesday, April 17 to file their 2011 tax returns and pay any tax due because April 15 falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Monday, April 16. According to federal law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file this year. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Oct. 15 to file their 2011 tax returns. The IRS expects to receive more than 144 million individual tax returns this year, with most of those being filed by the April 17 deadline. The IRS will begin accepting e-file and Free File returns on Jan. 17, 2012. Additional details about e-file and Free File will be announced later this month. IRS Free File provides options for free brand-name tax software or online fillable forms plus free electronic filing. Everyone can use Free File to prepare a federal tax return. Taxpayers who make $57,000 or less can choose from approximately 20 commer- cial software providers. There is no income limit for Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms, which (continued on page 19) Many people have heard the term occupational therapy at one time or another, but few seem to know exactly what it is. Richard Sica, an occupational therapist at Achieve Sports Medicine and Rehab, a family-owned business with clinics in Wyckoff and Waldwick, explained, “Occupational therapists work with men, women, and children to keep them as active, satisfied, and self-sufficient as possible.” According to Sica, occupational therapists help people achieve a high level of function and independence by working to improve strength, range of motion, or ability to perform a certain task. “OT’s also may work within the task What is occupational therapy? to ‘modify’ the task,” Sica continued. “An example of this would be the use of a fat pencil to allow a person with a weak grasp or pain from arthritis to better grip a pencil. Occupational therapists may also provide strategies to compensate for a person’s limitations, such as the use of a memory log for an individual with a memory deficit.” Occupational therapy is one of the fastest growing jobs in health care. Occupational therapists work in the fields of pediatrics, orthopedics, mental health, neurology, and geriatrics. For additional information, contact Achieve Sports Medicine and Rehab at (201) 493-7440 or (201) 891-0411.