1. Introduction: What is Form 15344?

IRS Form 15344, officially titled Free Tax Preparation and Assistance for Your Employees!, is an administrative outreach flyer and informational announcement published by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is governed by the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) organization within the IRS Wage and Investment / Taxpayer Services Division.

Unlike standard tax forms used to calculate tax liabilities or report income, Form 15344 is an employer engagement document. It is designed for businesses, corporate human resources departments, and payroll managers to promote the IRS Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA) program. Form 15344 serves as a turnkey announcement flyer and meeting invitation that employers can customize and distribute to help workers prepare their federal and state income taxes online for free using IRS-partnered software.

2. Purpose of the Form: Why Does Form 15344 Exist?

Many low-to-moderate-income workers spend hundreds of dollars each year on commercial tax preparation fees, software subscriptions, or high-interest refund advance loans. These fees eat directly into crucial tax refunds and refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).

The IRS created the Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA) initiative under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free, online tax preparation tools to eligible taxpayers. Form 15344 exists to help employers introduce this financial wellness perk to their workforce without incurring software licensing fees, extra overhead, or corporate liability:

Promoting Financial Wellness at Zero Cost: It allows employers to offer a valuable, no-cost employee benefit that helps workers save money and keep 100% of their hard-earned tax refund.
Connecting Workplaces with Community Coalitions: It outlines the process where the IRS pairs an employer with local VITA/TCE partners who provide free software links and dedicated customer assistance.
Hosting Educational Informational Sessions: It includes customizable invitation fields where HR teams can schedule virtual webinars or conference calls co-hosted with their local IRS SPEC Relationship Manager.
Offering Multi-Channel Support: It informs workers that if they encounter tax questions while preparing their returns online, IRS-certified volunteers are available to assist them via chat, email, or telephone.

3. Who Needs to File / Use This Form?

Form 15344 is an outreach document used by organizations and managers rather than a return filed by individual filers. You should use Form 15344 if:

You are an employer, human resources director, or corporate benefits coordinator who wants to promote free tax preparation software to your workforce.
You are a VITA or TCE community partner collaborating with local employers to expand taxpayer access to free online filing tools.
You are an IRS SPEC Relationship Manager conducting workplace outreach to increase participation in Facilitated Self Assistance programs.
Your organization wants a ready-to-print flyer to distribute alongside employee annual Form W-2 statements, on company intranets, or in staff break rooms.

4. Who Is Exempt / Not Required to File?

Because Form 15344 is a promotional flyer, large categories of individuals and entities do not use it:

General Individual Taxpayers: Everyday citizens preparing their personal taxes never file Form 15344 with their Form 1040.
Commercial Paid Tax Preparers: For-profit CPA firms and retail tax preparation chains do not distribute volunteer FSA flyers.
Membership Organizations and Unions: Labor unions, civic associations, and credit unions promoting free tax help to their members use companion Form 15345 (Free Tax Preparation and Assistance for Your Members!) rather than Form 15344.
Employers Not Participating in FSA: Companies that choose not to partner with IRS community tax initiatives have no requirement to distribute this form.

5. When to File / Distribute: Deadlines and Frequency

Form 15344 is an event-based informational flyer rather than an annual recurring tax filing. It has no statutory tax deadline and can be shared whenever an employer chooses.

However, employers achieve the highest engagement by aligning distribution with the tax calendar:

Fall Planning (November – December): HR departments customize the form and schedule virtual employee informational meetings ahead of the new tax year.
January W-2 Distribution: Including Form 15344 inside employee Form W-2 envelopes or attaching it to digital payroll notices reaches workers right as they begin thinking about filing taxes.
Peak Tax Season (February – April): Posting the flyer on company intranets and bulletin boards provides continuous support up to the April filing deadline.

6. Where and How to Distribute / Coordinate

Form 15344 is an internal workplace announcement that is never submitted to a standard IRS tax processing center. Employers distribute it through internal corporate channels:

Digital Intranet and Email: Save the customized Form 15344 as a PDF and post it on your company’s employee benefits portal, or distribute it via company-wide email announcements.
Payroll Inserts: Print physical copies of Form 15344 and insert them into the envelopes when mailing out paper Forms W-2 in January.
Workplace Displays: Display printed color flyers in employee break rooms, cafeteria bulletin boards, or human resources service desks.
Coordinating with the IRS: To obtain your organization’s unique free software link and schedule an informational webinar, contact your local IRS-SPEC Territory Office using the designated IRS address as per instructions provided in Publication 5047.

7. Step-by-Step Instructions to Fill Form 15344

Form 15344 is designed as a single-page, visually engaging promotional flyer. While the top half features pre-printed program benefits, the bottom half contains fillable fields for employers to customize meeting details. The table below outlines each section of the form.

Section	Item Name	Content & Customization Instructions
Header Banner	Employee Benefit Overview	Pre-printed highlights emphasizing zero cost to employers, free federal/state filing, and refund preservation.
How It Works	Process Roadmap	Four-step summary: community partnership, free software link, workplace promotion, and remote volunteer support.
Meeting Info	Dates & Times	Fillable fields where HR enters the exact calendar date(s) and time for the informational meeting.
Meeting Info	Virtual Meeting Access	Fillable text block for entering video conference links (Zoom, Teams), dial-in numbers, and access codes.
Contact Block	SPEC Relationship Manager	Contact name, phone number, and official email of the local IRS SPEC Relationship Manager.
Footer	Official Branding	IRS Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program logos.

Part 1: Reviewing Program Highlights and “How It Works”

The top section of the form explains the core value proposition for your workforce. It emphasizes that both federal and state tax returns can be prepared and e-filed for free, with no software fees or hidden preparation charges. It outlines the four-step model: the IRS connects your company with a local VITA partner, provides a dedicated free software link, your company advertises the link, and volunteers provide chat, email, or phone support.

Part 2: Customizing the Informational Meeting Block

The middle of the form invites workers to attend an informational presentation. Employers should fill in the customizable text boxes:

DATES: Enter the specific day or days when the presentation will occur (e.g., “Thursday, January 25, 2026”).
TIME: Enter the start and end times, including the time zone (e.g., “12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST”).
MEETING INFORMATION: Enter the virtual meeting URL (such as a Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting link), webinar ID, and phone dial-in credentials for employees without computer access.

Part 3: Adding IRS SPEC Contact Details

At the bottom of the form, provide the contact details for your local IRS-SPEC Relationship Manager. If workers or HR staff have questions about the service, they can contact this representative directly via phone or email for localized support.

8. Required Documents and Information Needed Before Filling

Before customizing and distributing Form 15344, assemble the following operational details:

Contact information for your assigned IRS-SPEC Territory Relationship Manager or regional VITA partner coalition.
The specific, dedicated URL linking to your partner’s free commercial tax preparation software.
Confirmed dates, times, and video conference links for your employee informational webinar.
Your company’s payroll distribution schedule for Form W-2 to coordinate joint mailings.
IRS Publication 5047: Facilitated Self Assistance for SPEC Partners (for operational reference).

9. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Distributing an incomplete flyer can confuse employees and reduce participation. Watch out for these frequent mistakes:

Leaving Meeting Details Blank: Distributing Form 15344 with blank “DATES” and “TIME” fields looks unprofessional and leaves employees unsure of how to get help. Always fill in meeting details or remove the meeting box before printing.
Distributing Without a Software Link: Form 15344 tells employees that a free software link is available. Ensure your HR department provides the actual web link on your intranet or email announcement when circulating the flyer.
Using Form 15344 for Membership Groups: If you are promoting tax help to union members, church congregations, or credit union customers, use companion Form 15345, which is tailored specifically for members rather than employees.
Assuming Employer Tax Liability: Employers sometimes hesitate to share Form 15344 fearing they will be held responsible for an employee’s tax mistakes. Under Facilitated Self Assistance, employees prepare their own returns; the employer bears zero legal liability for return accuracy.
Treating the Form as an IRS Filing: Form 15344 is an informational flyer. Mailing it to an IRS tax processing center serves no purpose.

10. Penalties for Non-Filing or Errors

Because Form 15344 is an educational outreach flyer, there are zero fines, civil tax penalties, or legal liabilities associated with it:

Completely Voluntary: Employers face no penalties or reporting mandates if they choose not to participate in the Facilitated Self Assistance program.
No Accuracy Sanctions: Distributing the flyer creates no corporate tax audit exposure for the employer.
Missed Opportunity Costs: The only downside of non-participation is the financial loss to your workforce. Failing to share free filing options means employees may unnecessarily spend hundreds of dollars of their tax refunds on high-cost commercial tax prep fees.

11. Related Forms or Schedules

Form 15344 operates within an interconnected system of IRS community outreach forms and volunteer publications:

Form 15345: Free Tax Preparation and Assistance for Your Members! (the companion flyer for membership groups and credit unions).
Form 15348: Filing Your Taxes Costs Less Than This (promotional flyer).
Form 15349: File Your Taxes Yourself For Free.
IRS Publication 5047: Facilitated Self Assistance for SPEC Partners.
Form 13533: VITA/TCE Partner Sponsor Agreement.
Form 13614-C: Intake/Interview and Quality Review Sheet.
Form W-2: Wage and Tax Statement (frequently mailed together with Form 15344).

12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA)?

Facilitated Self Assistance is an IRS initiative that allows eligible taxpayers to prepare and e-file their own federal and state tax returns online for free using interview-based tax software, with access to IRS-certified volunteer assistance via chat, email, or telephone.

2. Does it cost our company anything to provide Form 15344 to employees?

No. The program is completely free for both the employer and the employee. There are no corporate sponsorship fees, software licensing costs, or hidden charges.

3. Is our company legally responsible for an employee’s tax return?

No. The employer simply shares the informational flyer and software link as a financial wellness benefit. The employee prepares and files their own return, and the software vendor and IRS-certified volunteers provide technical support.

4. Are state income tax returns included for free?

Yes. Unlike many commercial “free file” promotions that charge extra fees to file state returns, the software provided through IRS VITA/FSA partnerships includes both federal and state tax preparation completely free of charge.

5. What is the difference between Form 15344 and Form 15345?

Form 15344 is written specifically for employers promoting free tax prep to their employees. Form 15345 is written for membership organizations (such as labor unions, fraternal groups, and credit unions) promoting the service to their members.

6. How does an employer connect with an IRS SPEC Relationship Manager?

Employers can connect with a local SPEC Relationship Manager by contacting their regional IRS Taxpayer Services office or reaching out to local United Way or VITA coalitions that coordinate community tax partnerships.

13. Conclusion: Key Takeaways

IRS Form 15344 provides employers with a ready-to-use, zero-cost financial wellness tool that delivers immediate value to working families. By sharing this flyer, businesses empower their employees to prepare their taxes online for free, access expert volunteer support, and keep 100% of their hard-earned tax refunds.

Because tax season begins in January, human resources and benefits teams should customize Form 15344 with meeting details in late fall, coordinate with their local IRS SPEC Relationship Manager, and distribute the flyer alongside annual Form W-2 statements to maximize employee savings.

IRS Form 15344 Guide: Free Employee Tax Assistance Flyer