Tax Filing Options & Tips Round-Up
The IRS is NOW Accepting Tax Returns!
It’s that time of year again! 😐 Tax Day (April 18th) will be here before you know it, so here’s a round-up of a few current tax filing and preparation packages that you may want to take advantage of. Also feel free to share your favorite method and any tips that you may have learned throughout the years!
Current Tax Filing Options:
* TurboTax is allowing taxpayers to file Federal (1040A or 1040 EZ) AND State tax returns completely FREE with the TurboTax Federal Free Edition. To get started, head over here where you’ll be able to prepare, print and electronically file your Federal AND State tax returns for FREE! Plus, TurboTax is also offering up a FREE Credit Score and is rated A+ with the Better Business Bureau!
* Head here where you can file Federal AND State tax returns completely FREE with H&R Block (or save 40% off other tax preparation packages). It is FREE to prepare, FREE to print, FREE to e-file, includes FREE live tax advice, FREE in-person audit support, 100% Accuracy Guarantee & Maximum Refund Guarantee and more. And, they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau!
* Consider using FreeTaxUSA.com (Rated A+ with the Better Business Bureau!) to e-file directly to the IRS completely FREE. You can choose to do a FREE Federal e-file OR score the Deluxe Edition for $6.99. This site has also been highly recommended by Hip2Save readers in the past!
* E-file.com is currently offering up FREE Federal Tax Returns for taxpayers who qualify for a 1040ez! Don’t know if you qualify for a 1040ez? Go here for details. Note that refund times may vary.
You can also save $6 off your State Taxes with the code 6OFFSTATE OR 30% Off E-Filing with the code SAVE30 OR a whopping 40% off E-Filing for Facebook Users with the code COUPON40 at checkout! E-File.com offers up to 50% less than other software and you will get your refund as fast as possible with an e-filed return and direct deposit.
* Head over here to sign up for a FREE Federal + FREE State edition of TaxACT (you’ll be able to prepare, print and electronically file your federal tax return for free). Plus, they’re rated A+ with the Better Business Bureau!
* You may also consider using e-Smart Tax by Liberty Tax to e-file completely FREE. E-Smart Tax technology ensures you get your highest possible refund as well as simple step-by-step Q&A preparation, Zero hidden fees, Online or in-person help with more than 4,000 Liberty Tax offices open year round and more!
More Tax-Filing Tips:
* Head over to IRS.gov to file your federal taxes for free (income must be below $64,000).
* Check the daily deal sites… Groupon has offered up significantly reduced vouchers for online tax preparation products in the past and will likely have similar offers over the next few months.
* Check with your local college. One reader reported that the accounting students at her local college will do her tax returns for free and they are then reviewed by the professor to ensure they are correct.
* AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free help for older taxpayers and people with limited incomes. Find an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide site in your community by clicking here.
* If you are in the military, check out Military One Source for more information about different resources that are available.
* Families that earned less than $54,000 in 2016, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers may qualify for assistance through the VITA Program. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. Find a VITA Volunteer site in your community by clicking here.
Liberty tax by me (northern california) will do your taxes for free if you work in education. You dont have to be a teacher…you can be a yard duty, cafeteria worker, classroom aid, etc. As long as it comes from a school district (your w2) you are good to go! Call around!
Usually we get all our needed tax information the first week of January but of course this year we are still waiting! We leave on a 7 week European vacation in a week and I wanted everything filed and done before we left so it was one less thing to do when we returned and we dont have a single paper for taxes yet…go figure! 😫
We are still waiting too. I think we are going to owe this year so I’m really anxious to get them done and find out what our tax bill is going to be. What is the hold up!
7 weeks? Wow! Pack me in your suitcase!!!!
Definitely check local colleges! The students need the experience and it’s one less thing on your plate!
I used Credit Karma to file our federal taxes for free this year. Our state (PA) also lets you file the short form for free through the treasury website.
If you purchase the digital download of Tubotax from Amazon, you can use all your digital credits you may have earned by choosing no rush shipping option over the holidays. I saved an additional $11 with my digital credits on TurboTax deluxe, which was already priced at $39.99.
Call me crazy but we usually pay just over $500 to our cpa. We submit him all the info and numbers, he fills everything out, reviews it and submits. We file long form and my husband makes $150k/yr. Should I be doing my own taxes for free?! Help!
I don’t think that sounds crazy. Usually the free tax filing is intended for people with smaller, less complex incomes or someone with very few exemptions/deductions/credits (like myself, a college student). It really depends how complex your filing is and if there’s certain ways your cpa knows how to file that puts you in the best position.
That being said, you should still probably consider doing them yourself or shopping around for different programs/people that are more competitive than the rate you’re paying right now. HTH!
So nicely put, thank you! I was a little nervous putting it out into the universe but so glad I did, thank you! =)
Wow!!! That us crazy… I Thought our local CPA was expensive at $90… I do mind my self now… All the tax websites are only free for EZ taxes… I use Tax Act and it is very easy and user friendly… The first year I did my own I just compared all the info to what my CPA did the year before…
I, too, use TaxAct. The first year we did TaxAct I got all the way through and got nervous and didn’t file. We went to the tax company and they came out with the same number as TaxAct at the end. That was proof enough for me. You can do itemized deductions with TaxAct, you pay for that, but it is MUCH less than $500.
Okay, I will check it out. Thanks for the confidence boost, here’s to saving $500!
Tax act had a Data breach
That was last year. I’d hope that they would have fixed that by now.
I completely understand your position. Try one of the free ones posted above ( without actually sending it in) then, compare THAT to your CPA. The long form is way more intensive but many of the free options talk you through the whole thing and ask questions. If your version is similar or close to your CPAs this year, you might feel more confident and want to try to do next year. That $500 is just a convenience fee. You have to decide if its worth it.
Oh such a great idea! I’ll do that! Thank you for your insight!
Depends. If you have multiple properties, do alot of contract work, or have lots of investments it may be worth it to do your taxes with a CPA. Otherwise, I’d shop around. I had a bad CPA experience last year. He overlooked a major issue and it cost me $$$.
I think it’s OK to pay to have your taxes done. There is no right or wrong. It’s up to the individuals circumstances. We live on (1) income of $150,000++ and pay $800+ to our tax man annually. Yes, he’s out of Newport Beach, CA. We pay for a higher end accountant. He use to work for the IRS. He knows things about deductions that we would have never known! We pay ever year and it’s very well worth it.
Every year we receive a check back for thousands! It’s $800 bucks VERY well spent!
EVERYONE needs to do what works for them!
Turbo Tax notifies you by text and email if u opt in for notifications to see when your state and local tax returns have been accepted. I filed yesterday through Turbo Tax and was text just an hour or two later both state and local tax returns had already been accepted!
J. My parents own 2 businesses and make around half a million a year and file their taxes long form. Everything is itemized and they pay their accountant $170 . Maybe you should shop around! Hope this helps😊
Anyone know where I can get 1099-MISC and 1096 for Free?
Print them from IRS.gov.
Library and post office usually have them for free
If you had marketplace coverage and have to fill out the Form 8962- you may qualify for free assistance filling out your taxes. Visit IRS.gov/freefile or IRS.gov/VITA
Free Tax USA is the absolute best! I used to use TaxACT until they took away free filing last year for my tax situation. We don’t have a state income tax, so I can file on Free Tax USA without paying a penny, and this includes the fact that I’m an independent contractor for several companies, we own a home, and we have children. Don’t pay money just to file your taxes!
If you just have w-2s, then you can definitely do it yourself. Do you have rental property, a business, college students entitled to education credits, etc or just hate doing your own taxes. You might be paying more taxes than you should and might want to consult a professional who may save you more in taxes than the fee they charge. What they charge will depend on what you give them. Organize and summarize your information. They usually charge by the hour and you want to pay them for their expertise, not going through your shoebox of receipts and notes.
Man, J, it’s way worth it to me for a CPA too. I dump off a big pile of receipts, paperwork, etc and get it all back nice and neat with almost zero effort. We pay around $500 too.
I used a cpa for a couple of years. We had two mortgages and rented one of our houses for a few months while waiting for it to sell. Also had to pay back a first time homeowner tax credit at the time. I didn’t feel confident doing our own taxes anymore. Paid between $200-$300. Now we have one home and one income, so last year I used a copy of our taxes from the accountant to help me figure out what to do. I now do my own for free, using hard copy.
Very disappointed at H&R block this year. They are asking me for $34.99 because I have an HSA and I need an extra form, but I had an HSA last year and I was able to file for free. I’ll be looking at other websites and see if I can find a truly free alternative but if not, it’ll be pen and paper if I have to.
It’s funny you say that. Tax act is doing that too. It was free to file last year with an HSA and I went in and this year it is $25.
I’ve had the worst luck at H&R Block last year. Ive been going to them for over 12 years and normally pay over $300 for them to file our taxes. Last year after I filed I realized we weren’t getting back the normal amount of money we normally get back. I looked at the tax forms from the year before and I realized one of my boys’ was not claimed and that last years tax form had the wrong amount of money I had made. I was livid! I called right away and the manager apologized and fixed the return from last year and the year before, in which I had to mail. I was Never reimbursed for their mistake and the guy who filed our taxes is still employed with them!
I worked at H&R block as a secretary/ clerk while in college. Do not go through them! Their employees are just trained to fill out a turbo tax style computer program. They literally do the same job you can do on any one of these free/cheap programs but charge so much more. Your taxes are either simple enough you can do them yourself without having someone read the questions for you or your taxes are more complicated and you should be paying a real professional to do them. Some H&R block employees are more knowledgeable but their required training is extremely limited. In my opinion they are just trying to rip off people who don’t know how simple turbo tax is. And don’t get me started on their “instant rebate” options, it is as bad or worse then payday loan places.
Lila me too same story and in middle H&H R ask me to upgrade to Deluxe option im out there
I started out with turbotax, then h&rbkock, now am using freetaxusa (last year and using it this year). Have an hsa and they don’t charge me. I like freetaxusa because turbotax charge to keep personal info otherwise I have to retype everything in.
Update: Tried Credit Karma and they did not calculate my dependent care credit correctly. I have an uncommon situation where only one of my kids goes to daycare, but I have two qualifying kids (by age) regardless, and it should calculate the max credit limit based on both. Didn’t think Credit Karma was as “friendly” as the other sites anyway. Then I tried TurboTax and, same as H&R block, they wanted $34.99 because I have an HSA. I was going to try taxACT next, but fortunately I went back and read the comments here. I was finally able to file Federal for free with FreeTAXUSA. They wanted $12.95 to file State, though, so I ignored them and filed my State tax for free at the PA revenue site, same as last year (literally less than 10 minutes to file). Now if I had any energy left to do my local…
How long is that free turbo tax link good for? I usually buy one from Costco for around $50 for federal and state. But we moved this year and we are still waiting for forms to trickle in from forwarding mail.
I do my taxes free every year with the turbo tax app. Super simple and fast. As someone else mentioned it’s good for people who don’t have complicated taxes. Mine are super easy just a W-2 and two kids to claim so I always breeze through.
Is anyone know any discounts for Public service workers? Any information greatly appreciated.
Keep in mind that if you claim an Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit the IRS is holding your return until February 15. I don’t get my tax info until early to mid February anyway so no big deal for me, but might be for people filing earlier.
I know, sucks to wait this year. I filed a week ago and have to wait till feb 15th. Oh well eic is worth the wait!
Do you know why?
The IRS website doesn’t say why but I think it’s to prevent fraud.
This will be my first year doing taxes myself..I and been paying a CPA $120 but he passed 2 yrs ago..last year I was,able to get it done for free cause I made less than $45,000
I’m nervous about doing it myself..I just claim my son and not much really anything else
Wish me luck
Thank you all to your inputs. I have been paying our CPA from 200-300 for 5 years now. Reading all your post makes me want to do it myself to save my family. I have 3 kids and I own a house.
Thank you so much! Instead of paying $80 for my taxes via Turbo Tax I filed them for free! Woo hoo! 🙂
I used to free file H&R block, but then I found out about an extra form that my husband and I needed to file. A couple of years I went through doing it all myself by hand because that form wasn’t available on any of the free sites. Eventually I tried Turbo Tax, I ended up with $500 more than H&R block, they filed my state taxes also, and I was able to submit my extra form electronically, which I haven’t been able to do so far with any of the other sites, which means I get my return 4-6 weeks earlier. All together, I totally recommend. And today when I filed, I got a survey offer for a $5 Amazon gift card, and another $5 in 6 months if I choose to do that one also.
@j my should just Jen would be to enter all of your stuff into an online tax preparer and if your refund or the amount you owe is similar to last year then I would go with them if you haven’t had any major life changes you can enter all the info and not file if you don’t want…I use taxact and the one year that H&R Block was checking returns for free I sister and I took our taxes to them and they got the same amount that taxact did…
What is the difference between the $50 TurboTax software that I usually purchase each year and the free TurboTax online? Is it the same? I’d love to save $50 but not clear on why the price difference.
We have to pay back a first time home buyers credit. Is that something we can submit through turbotax or one of the other sites? We’ve always gone through H&R block but sick of paying $300. My husband and I both work and file jointly and we have 2 children. We own a home and paying student loans. Would this be easy if we did it ourselves?
I pay back a first time home buyers credit and use tax act. They just ask if you have a credit to repay and how much. I previously used turbo tax and they also let you repay it.
Thank you!!!
Also your situation sounds like something that you could easily do online for much cheaper.
That’s what I’m thinking, thank you!
I used to go into an H&R office and pay over $200 for an agent to do my taxes. It occurred to me that all she did for the whole 15 minutes I was there was ask me some basic questions and I handed over my tax documents to her as she input the info into the computer. I thought I could do the same thing myself for free! So I use H&R block online for free. I just follow the questions they ask, enter my info and I’m done. My taxes are simple though, no complicated paperwork or forms.
Surprised more people aren’t mentioning Credit Karma. Historically, I filed wherever I could as long as it supported all the forms I needed, and it was free. The last couple of years I haven’t qualified for anything free because of income limits and/or forms we needed to use. We’re using Credit Karma this year because it supports all the forms we use including Schedule C, and there aren’t any income limits.
Are you an independent contractor too? I am for the first time this year and do not know of any free options. I don’t know if Credit Karma is legit or not and have only heard of the big companies. Reluctant to go with something I haven’t heard of and give them SSN, bank acct, etc. I free filed H & R the last couple years but now with a business need to file 1040 and Schedule C, etc. Thanks for any help, thoughts, etc.
Hi Cassie, I am an independent contractor. I have an LLC but am a sole proprietor so Credit Karma aligns with my needs. I don’t think they’d be a good fit for S-corps, though. They’re a reputable company so I have no issues inputting my personal information especially as my husband and I both already use the site.
Does anyone know of any tax refund deposit offers, which is what I was looking for when I came here. For example, Walmart is giving one a $25 Reward Card when they Direct Deposit their refund of $500 or more to a Walmart Money Card. My refund is under that amount, so I am looking for other offers out there if there are any.