Do you use E file or do taxes by hand?
 

I have been using e file for the past several years. We got my DH W-2 form 1/31. I sat down right then and there and filed our taxes. I got my state refund back 2/5 and my federal 2/12! Next year I will have to itemize deductions. I will still e- file but I'm not sure if it will qualify for free federal return. I have to pay for the state return but it's only $10. It's worth it because of how easy it is. I use the same company so all of our info is always kept and aotomatically put in the lines they need to go in.

Paper only. I refuse to pay to file electronically. It's so much easier for the government but I gotta pay more. Let them sweat with the paper returns.

Paying to do anything electronically is stupid.

Disclaimer: I'm not to the point where I'm gonna fly a plane into the local IRS building...

Tom

I efile exeryones taxes. it's easy. even when i have to itemize, actually when i do it electronically it brings up a lot of things that I otherwise would have missed. such as medical transportation and parking expenses. Plus I can save a copy to my computer and it is all right there when i need it. I am horrible with losing papers.

Things are much different in my country to your's but I always used the e-file option while I was working. Filing this way is free to us, as is the paper way. The only cost would be if we used an accountant to file for us, then we'd have his/her fees.

I always did mine, and my husband's income taxes. Only once did I ever pay an accountant to do them for me, and that's the only time ever that I had to pay the tax man.

When e-files became an option I gave up the paperwork and used the Internet. Once I started, I never looked back.

I liked the way that my recurring claims were mostly prefilled, and all I had to do was go through them and check if I needed to add to or subtract from the totals.

Seeing the completed form online, working out instantly what tax was due and what my refund was going to be, and having a copy on file were always added incentives for me to continue using this avenue.

If I was still working, I would still be doing my taxes this way.

E-file! Doesn't cost much more than sending it by mail (I sent it certified, return receipt) so it's worth it. Plus I get my refund way faster. I have my federal already, just waiting on my state.

My husband still fills out his form by hand and mails it with a postage stamp. You remind me of him when you say that, lol. :D

And I agree completely, you're saving them time, why should we have to pay to efile? It's the same with quarterly 941s. I still mail those because I'm not going to pay to efile either.

I have the accountant do my taxes since they're more complex, then they e-file for me after I give them the ok.

Hard copy. Too cheap to pay. Just did mine today. Get $1010 back!

Making DD20 and DD10 do their own this yr. Tried to take ours all to the library to get 'em done free, but I got there 1/2 ahead of time and there were already 15 ppl ahead of me. Not worth the wait.

~ Faith

We have used Turbo Tax for years. It is very complete, and helpful. Now it has E-file included, and it is very quick.
We make a CD disc copy of it each year, and save that, and it is like "paper" so it can be retrieved if necessary. (avoiding loss from computer failures). TurboTax has a free Federal option on the net, and my son uses that. (our tax situation is a bit more complex so we buy the program's software each year .) The IRS receives your income W-2 and 1099's electronically. And now the 5500 retirements are now required to be electronically filed--hubby says.

I believe that the govt prefers this. The govt is starting to go totally electronic and is cutting out paper trails, for its employees. (we know this because of my husband's job) So the e-file is just a part of that too.

There is also a big movement in medical record keeping, going electronic also. We are all just sort of in the middle of it all I think, and have to adjust some and learn to trust it.
So I manage my anxiety about the whole efile thing by keeping a disc with the information separately for future use.

I have used E-file the last few years, easy and it is FREE for most people now. Just link from the IRS page. I believe you can do it Free from TurboTax too.

I use Free Tax USA. Very easy and it also saves your information from year to year. It was free for federal return and $9.00 for state return.

We use the accountant...with all the investments, etc., it's way too complicated to do it ourselves anymore...

hey Barb, thanks for the site. I will keep them in mind for next year. I used tax act for the last 5 years..their supposed "free" filing. I am not happy with them this year. The software is easy to use, but their fees are getting ridiculous. It's supposed to be free to file fed and i think $14.95 for state, year one it was 9.95 for state. Now they charge you an additional $15.95 if you want to have direct deposit and have the fees taken out of your refund instead of paying them with a credit card. If you pay by credit card it takes additional time to get your refund because they have to make sure your cc payment clears before they submit your filing! Each year, I do my taxes, my mom's taxes, and my best friend's taxes. DH2B gets his done free from the Army. So that is $90 we spent today to file taxes!

What I don't get... My friend was unemployed for the majority of the year, worked two other jobs, does have a child but no mortgage, interest, property taxes, charitable donations, daycare or anything to claim and he is getting back over $5000! My mom worked hard all year, paid her ridiculous taxes, interest on her mortgage, medical expenses, charity donations, you name it... and I had to itemize each and everything to get her a whole $300. It's frustrating.

TurboTax all the way.

I use Free Tax USA

Leggs, your friend has a child, that takes $3600.00 right off the top. No percentages are taken out of that deduction. Then they can take a standard deduction away, if they don't itemize.

Your Mom itemizes yet only a small portion can be claimed in relation to her gross income. And she does not claim a child as a deduction.

The more kids the move right off the top. It doesn't sound fair, I agree, but as each child left the nest I lost another deduction and now we end up paying each year.

I have to have them that more out of our monthly fixed income so we don't have to pay each each.

BTW, I do mine on the paper form and mail it in when I'm good and ready. No sense giving them money early. I do it early so I can save up to pass it back to them.

I thought we would get some tax breaks this year, what happened???? Did they lie to us? Grrrr

what annoys me about it, is that it is not a refund for people with children. It is a yearly check to congratulate them for reproducing! The reason that this one annoyed me is because of the over 5 grand that was "refunded", he only paid a little over one thousand dollars in taxes. Yes, I get that havong kids is expensive, believe me I know! And yes I have a kid. So I too amd getting money back, but mine is nowhere near Five thousand dollars. I just think it is ridiculous how the system works.

What fies me are those commercials for people who owe 10K - so they get to only pay a fraction of that? HUH?

:mad:

Go ahead and slack off paying your share, and let us little people foot the bill for you and your business. Thanks a heap!

Anyhoo, I used to do the paper thing, then did the Turbo Tax thing. Now, I have a tax prep service. It's too complicated for my brain anymore. So we Efile. I never really considered if it was easier for *them* or not - all I know is it's easier, faster and safer for me. And by safer I mean, ever have your tax stuff come back because it got destroyed in the mail? I have, lol.

What they save is a bunch of the penalties and interest, they still pay the tax.