Free tax assistance for Texarkana households

Taxpayer Advocate Service

TAS is an independent office inside the IRS. It takes cases where an IRS action is causing financial hardship, where a problem has not been fixed through normal channels, or where an IRS process is not working. Contact your local TAS office or submit Form 911 ^[1].

TAS has local offices around the country, and the contact page lists them along with the national number. Before you call, have your notices, your tax identification number and a short timeline of what you have already tried; TAS will ask what the IRS has done and what harm it is causing ^[1].

It is worth calling TAS when a levy release, refund or account correction is stuck. TAS does not represent you in the way a hired professional does, but it can move a case that has stalled.

Low Income Taxpayer Clinics

LITCs are independent clinics that receive IRS grants to represent eligible taxpayers in audits, appeals and collection disputes for free or a small fee ^[2][3].

For Arkansas residents, the 2026 IRS list includes Legal Aid of Arkansas (Springdale) and the UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law clinic ^[2][4]. For Texas residents it lists Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and the Texas A&M Tax Dispute Resolution Clinic in Fort Worth, Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston Volunteer Lawyers and South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in San Antonio, and a clinic in Addison ^[2]. Ask each one whether it accepts cases from Bowie or Miller County; eligibility depends on income.

VITA and TCE

VITA prepares returns for free for people who generally make about $70,244 or less, people with disabilities and limited-English speakers; TCE focuses on taxpayers 60 and older ^[5]. Sites open each filing season; the IRS locator lists current ones ^[6].

Bring photo ID, Social Security cards or ITIN letters for everyone on the return, all W-2 and 1099 forms, and last year's return if you have it. For a joint return both spouses usually need to be present to sign.

Arkansas residents who need a state return should ask the site whether it prepares Arkansas returns ^[7]. Bring your transcripts if you are catching up on past years ^[8].

Paying the IRS without help

If you owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest, you can usually set up a payment plan yourself online; short-term plans are available for balances under $100,000 ^[9].

Bowie County jobs paid an average of $1,062 a week in Q1 2026 and Miller County jobs $984 ^[10][11]. If the monthly payment the IRS asks for does not fit that kind of budget, a hardship review may make more sense than a plan. Keep making any plan payment you agreed to while you ask for a change; a missed payment can put the agreement in default.

When a professional makes sense

Watch out for anyone who asks for a large fee before reviewing your IRS transcripts, or who promises a settlement amount on the first call. The Texas Attorney General takes complaints about deceptive business practices ^[12]. Real IRS contact never requires gift cards or wire transfers.

Free programs have limits: VITA does not handle collection disputes, clinics have income limits and waiting lists, and TAS will not take a case that is moving normally. Payroll tax, a revenue officer, or an offer usually needs a paid representative.

If you are not sure, call. The first call is free, and you get a real professional instead of a national call center. If a free program is the better fit, you will be told so.