Some Iowa State students may have received an extra Christmas gift this year from the Internal Revenue Service.

The TeleFile system, initiated two years ago, allows qualifying taxpayers to have their taxes filed with a 10-minute, toll-free phone call.

Only people who have received TeleFile packages in the mail may use the system. If the booklet gets lost, however, it cannot be replaced, and the opportunity to use the fast method for filing a tax return will be lost.

As soon as TeleFile users get their W-2 forms from their employers, they can call the 24-hour line to file.

Tax refunds may be expected within three weeks. But, if users opt to have their refunds directly deposited into their bank accounts, refunds will come even faster.

According to a press release from the IRS, more than 50,000 Iowa taxpayers, many of whom were students, filed their federal tax returns by phone last year.

To qualify to use TeleFile, a person’s filing status must be single or married filing jointly, and income must be from wages, salaries, tips, taxable scholarships or fellowship grants, taxable interest income of $400 or less and unemployment compensation.

All wages, salaries, tips and taxable scholarships or fellowship grants must appear in box 1 of W-2 forms to use TeleFile, and no dependents can be claimed using TeleFile.

Also, a person must have the same mailing address as the one printed on the TeleFile booklet received.

To use TeleFile, fill in the top half of the TeleFile Tax Record located in the center of the TeleFile booklet. Have this record and all W-2 forms from 1997 on hand when calling the TeleFile number.

A recorded voice will answer the call and ask for the customer service number, which is printed on the TeleFile Tax Record. This number takes the place of the taxpayer’s signature.

Then, the recorded voice will direct you through the process of entering the information from the top half of your tax record and from your W-2 forms.

The TeleFile program will then calculate and inform the caller of the amount of the refund or tax to be paid before the April 15 deadline.

It will also give a confirmation number, which means the IRS has received the return.

The IRS advises students who use TeleFile to keep their completed worksheet as a personal tax record for use when applying for financial aid.