Yep, it may be that beautiful time of year when the sun finally starts peeking its head out and the days get longer (sorry, East Coasters), but it's also that really crappy time of year when your heart starts to beat because you haven't filed your taxes yet. Beat no longer little hearts, and get it done online! Online tax services are usually free (or go up to around $15 or so, depending on your situation) and are fast and easy.
Turbo Tax is a tried and true online staple, but it can be a little confusing. H&R Block's site is a touch simpler and more user-friendly, but tends to cost slightly more than Turbo. After years of either paying over $100 to have my taxes done for me, or before that, doing them for free myself, by hand, I think online taxes are my happy medium. Trust me, get it done, get your refund, and breathe a giant sigh of relief.
Anyone else used an online tax service that they like?
Wallis
I just finished mine with Turbo Tax last night! I have used them for at least 4 years now. It was a little more complicated this year but still straight forward. The best part....it is DONE!!!
1I've used TurboTax for 7 years now, and I have never had a complaint. You can usually find a link for a discount off of their prices, too - I went through a link on the Fidelity website this year; you don't have to be a Fidelity customer to use it (I'm not, and it worked just fine for me). I think it's a 25 or 35% discount? Anyway, I think they were a bit more complicated this year just because the tax laws are more complicated, but the program itself I think is pretty easy to use, and I love that it stores all my info from year to year so I don't have to re-enter it, and they have an audit service in case your taxes filed with them ever get audited.
2I've used H&R Block and liked that I can have a real time chat with a tax rep. if I needed help. I also used Tax Slayer which worked just as well; cheaper than H&R because you're on your own when you file. I haven't used Turbo Tax.
3My sister is the one that does my taxes but she always uses Turbo Tax, one year she did use Tax Act which is also free and we had no complaints
4I used the H&R Block one, and just cashed my refund checks this morning!
5I did them by hand first (well, the pdf forms on irs.gov) then when I read that I could file for free, went to Turbo Tax. Not free. Bait and switch. Maybe free for those that have nothing to put in there but W2s, but when I got to the end, the refund was the same as I'd calculated and they were charging me $29.95 (I think - might have been $19.95). They did nothing that I hadn't already done myself. Scam.
6This is my second year with Turbo Tax. This year they threw in a bunch of extra options in pop ups for extra costs. It takes a little longer but its still free for federal and completely reliable. I had mine direct deposited in 3 days.
7Tip: If your adjusted gross income was $54,000 or less in 2007, you can use Free File to prepare and e-file your taxes online. (A gift from the IRS). You can choose which tax service you want to use, including HR Block and Turbo Tax (I use HR Block but I think they are both good). Its the same software as you would normally pay for if you made more money.
http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html
Also, if you file your 2007 taxes, you will receive $600 from the government for "economic stimulus" if you make less than $75000.
8A follow-up to AnneMarie's comment:
If you live in California and make less than $155,000, you can do CalFile for free. This is great because the online tax services charge for state filing, even if the federal filing is free. Go here: http://www.ftb.ca.gov/online/calfile/qualifications.shtml for more info!
9I've had pretty good luck with TaxAct Online. It's free to file your federal return with them. They charge a small fee to e-file your state paperwork, but you can always print it out and mail it in if you don't want to pay.
10I've used TaxAct for the past 4 years, and have had no complaints. I filed both my federal and state with them, so it cost about $17, which isn't bad at all. Though, I do wish I had known about that FreeFile and CalFile earlier! Oh well, there's always next year.
11AnneMarie - I meet that standard and they still tried to charge me at the end. I'm not sure why and the "help" was not helpful.
12If you have a State Farm online account (home or auto insurance), you can use TurboTax Online for Free AND **FILE BOTH** state and federal for free.
13I've used Turbo Tax for a few years now. Filing my taxes on line is so much easier. I have become more aware of the paperwork I will need when it's tax season and I have saved money by filing on line. I also have benefited from the free file option.
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