Don't miss telephone tax refund

The refund amount is based on the number of exemptions you claim.
YOUNGSTOWN -- There is a new, one-time perk that you will find on your 2006 federal income tax return.
The Telephone Excise Tax Refund is designed to refund previously collected long-distance telephone taxes paid by individuals and businesses alike for the past several years.
The refund also is available for tax-exempt organizations, such as churches, on all taxes paid on long-distance phone calls made between Feb. 28, 2003, and Aug. 1, 2006.
An IRS press release says the government had been collecting a federal excise tax on long-distance phone calls until Aug. 1, 2006, when the tax was canceled.
Individuals can claim either a standard refund or calculate the actual amount of taxes paid to be refunded, which can be determined by going through phone bills from the past 41 months, the release says.
The standard amount is between 30 and 60, and the refund is determined on the number of exemptions claimed on your 2006 tax returns. The more exemptions claimed, the more money on your refund check. The maximum standard amount that can be refunded is 60 if you have four or more exemptions.
When filing the actual amount, Form 8913 must be filled out and sent in with the regular tax return forms. Form 8913 is not necessary when filing for the standard refund.
If you don't file
Individuals not filing for a tax return also can claim the tax refund with the new Form 1040 EZ-T. They must also file Form 8913 if filing for the actual amount.
Businesses can file for the tax refund using Form 8913 and sending it in with their normal tax return forms. Businesses also can calculate the actual amount through phone bills from the last 41 months, the same as individuals, or take two months of phone bills, applied with a special formula to calculate the refund.
Tax-exempt organizations file for the refund in the same way. Self-employed persons and owners of rental property count as businesses under the filing for this excise tax, the IRS says.
Farmers, sole proprietors, and independent contractors, who file Schedule C, E, or F also may file for the tax refund, and the amount of the tax is determined by the person's gross income for the year, the release says.
An estimated 160 million filers may request the telephone tax refund this year, the IRS says.
Taxpayers also have the option on their 2006 returns to split their refund with direct deposits into two or three checking or savings accounts.
You can use Form 8888, "Direct Deposit of Refund to More Than One Account," to divide the refund among different accounts. For the IRS to deposit your refund into one account, use the direct deposit line on your 2006 return.