diff --git a/src/jquery.tagsinput.js b/src/jquery.tagsinput.js
index b6c75e4..ef01303 100644
--- a/src/jquery.tagsinput.js
+++ b/src/jquery.tagsinput.js
@@ -166,6 +166,11 @@
 		var tagslist = $(this).val().split(delimiter[id]);
 		return (jQuery.inArray(val, tagslist) >= 0); //true when tag exists, false when not
 	};
+	
+	$.fn.getTags = function() {
+		var id = $(this).attr('id');
+		return $(this).val().split(delimiter[id]);
+	};
 
    // clear all existing tags and import new ones from a string
    $.fn.importTags = function(str) {