Niles residents will no longer be able to get free tax instruction booklets from the Niles District Library due to budget cuts at the Internal Revenue Service.

Library Director Nancy Studebaker said the library typically distributes around 500 tax instruction booklets a year, meaning the change will impact a lot of people.

Studebaker also wants to public to know that it is not the library’s fault.

The IRS, which has been providing free tax instructions to libraries for the past 20-plus years, decided to cut the program to save money, she explained.

“It really is unfortunate because it will likely hurt the people that are toward the bottom of the rung anyway,” she said. “The main thing is we want people to know that we won’t have them this year, so they can’t wait until (near the tax filing deadline) to rush into the library.”

Studebaker said the library would still have tax forms available for residents, just no tax instructions.

However, the library can print copies of the instructions for approximately $10. She said the high cost is due to the large number of pages in the instruction booklet. For example, she said, the 1040 form instruction booklet is more than 100 pages long.

People can also access the instructions for free at irs.gov.

For those who want a hard copy of the tax instructions in their hands, Studebaker said people can order one for free online at irs.gov. People can also order forms, schedules or instructions by calling 1 (800) 829-3676.

It can take between seven and 15 days for delivery, so Studebaker is urging people to order as soon as possible to avoid running up against the tax deadline.