"Understanding Taxes" is an interactive, Internet-based program that replaces print materials previously provided to teachers each year by the IRS. The site can be used for traditional classroom, self-study or home-schooling use.

The site is divided into a student section and an educator section. The student homepage offers links to student lessons, word puzzles, tax trivia questions, story problems, tax filing simulations, and examples of how and why taxes affect and influence our daily lives.  The teacher homepage includes detailed lesson plans, interactive student activities, assessments and presentations. Both sections includes links to tax trivia, "VITA e3" (a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program emphasizing electronic filing for schools), and "TAX Interactive," or "TAXi," a program developed with the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation.

The site conforms to the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. In cases where student activities require the user to use "drag-n-drop" capabilities, the sight-impaired user has the same activity in an appropriate format. All lessons are correlated to both national and state educational standards and curriculum areas.

To view the new site, go to IRS.gov, then click on "Individuals," then "Students," then "Understanding Taxes" or go directly to www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/index.jsp.