(646) 403-6500 [email protected]

Home Blog Filing taxes when English isn't your first language

Filing Taxes When English Isn't Your First Language

Your language rights, the free interpreters the IRS and New York offer, and the signs of a tax preparer you can trust, from our office in Jamaica, Queens.

Published October 4, 2026 by Hillside Accounting Services

In short: You don't have to file your taxes in English alone. You can ask the IRS to send its letters in Bengali and 19 other languages by attaching Schedule LEP to your return, call the IRS for a free interpreter at 833-553-9895, and get a free interpreter from the New York State Tax Department at 518-453-8137. New York State and City law require their agencies to offer help in Bangla. If you pay someone to prepare your return, they must sign it with their IRS preparer ID, register with New York State unless they're exempt, and let you review the return before you sign.

Ask the IRS to Write to You in Bengali

Schedule LEP (Form 1040), "Request for Change in Language Preference," tells the IRS which language you want its letters in. Bengali is one of 20 languages on the form (code 017), along with Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Arabic, Spanish and others. You attach it to your tax return. Letters keep coming in English until the IRS has a translated version of that letter, so keep bringing every IRS letter to someone who can explain it.

Free Interpreters on the Phone

  • IRS: call 800-829-1040 for Spanish, or 833-553-9895 for all other languages. An IRS representative will connect you with an interpreter or set up an appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center.
  • New York State Tax Department: free interpreter service at 518-453-8137, and a page of information in Bengali on its website.
  • Your rights as a taxpayer: the IRS publishes Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer, in Bengali.

Your Language Rights in New York

Since July 1, 2022, New York State's language access law (Executive Law section 202-a) has required state agencies to translate their vital documents into the 12 most common languages of New Yorkers with limited English, including Bangla, and to provide interpretation in a person's primary language. New York City's Local Law 30 does the same for city agencies in 10 designated languages, including Bengali, with phone interpretation in at least 100 languages.

How to Choose a Tax Preparer You Can Trust

A preparer who speaks your language makes taxes easier, but check these things wherever you go:

  • A signature and an IRS preparer ID. Anyone paid to prepare federal returns must have a valid PTIN and sign the return with it. The IRS calls a preparer who won't sign or give a PTIN a major red flag, and you're legally responsible for what's filed.
  • New York registration. Paid preparers must register with the New York State Tax Department unless they are CPAs, attorneys, public accountants or enrolled agents, and their New York preparer ID goes on your state return.
  • Prices and your rights, in writing. New York requires preparers to post a price list showing their minimum fees and to give you a free copy of the Consumer Bill of Rights before discussing your return. In New York City, preparers must also give you the city's bill of rights in your language when a translation exists, and there is one in Bengali.
  • A chance to review. Under New York's rules, the preparer must let you review the return before you sign, give you a copy, and can't guarantee a refund or charge a separate fee to e-file your New York return.
  • Credentials you can check. The IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers lists preparers with IRS-recognized credentials or a record of its Annual Filing Season Program.
  • Your refund, your account. Make sure any refund goes to your own bank account, and don't sign a return you haven't reviewed.

What to Bring So Nothing Gets Lost in Translation

  • Every letter from the IRS or New York State, even ones you couldn't read
  • All W-2s, 1099s and income records, including anything from abroad
  • Bank statements from Bangladesh or other countries, in Bangla or English
  • Last year's return, so changes are easy to see
  • A family member who helps you with paperwork, if you'd like them there

Our tax prep checklists have the full lists.

How We Help

At Hillside Accounting Services you can do your whole appointment in Bangla or English. We explain each line before you sign, give you a copy of what was filed, read IRS and New York letters with you, and, if you'd like IRS letters in Bengali, include Schedule LEP with your return. Call (646) 403-6500 or visit 167-13 Hillside Ave, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, Queens, NY 11432. In Bangla: বাংলায় ট্যাক্স ফাইলিং.

বাংলায় সংক্ষেপে

ইংরেজি ভালো না জানলেও ট্যাক্স ফাইল করতে অসুবিধা নেই। রিটার্নের সাথে Schedule LEP দিয়ে আইআরএসকে বাংলায় চিঠি পাঠাতে বলতে পারেন (বাংলার কোড ০১৭)। আইআরএসে বিনা খরচে দোভাষী পেতে ফোন করুন 833-553-9895, আর নিউ ইয়র্ক স্টেট ট্যাক্স ডিপার্টমেন্টে 518-453-8137। টাকা নিয়ে যে রিটার্ন তৈরি করে, তাকে নিজের পিটিআইএন (PTIN) দিয়ে রিটার্নে সই করতে হয়, সই করার আগে আপনাকে রিটার্ন দেখাতে হয় এবং রিফান্ডের নিশ্চয়তা দেওয়া যায় না। আমাদের অফিসে পুরো কাজ বাংলায় করা যায়।

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026.