How do you file your taxes?

With pens, a calculator and about 20 copies of the same fucking tax form ... I always manage to screw up my numbers a few times.

 

I've used tax act for a few years. It's like 30 bucks for state and federal, and I do itemize. Got my refunds in about 10 days.

 

I don't think I'd have the patience to do my taxes manually. It's not the math that intimidates me, it's the short attention span that does it.

 

I tried two different websites, then did the federal paperwork a third time by hand on Saturday afternoon. I owed less the last time, because I found a different formula to calculate my tax in the instruction booklet -- one neither site suggested.

I had to do my state forms by hand, because the official website asked me questions I didn't know how to answer. :-\

I owe both the feds and the state, so I'll be holding onto all those papers for quite a while. I might even bring the envelopes to the post office so everything will be properly stamped and ready to go -- why wait in line? -- but it'll likely get postmarked sometime in April.

 

I make so little and am still single, I efile for free. No state income tax.

 

Thankfully I haven't filed yet. Just received another 1099 in the mail. Saves the trouble of having to refile with an ammended return.

 

If your adjusted gross income was $54,000 or less in 2007, you can file for free online. Get started choosing a company here:
http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html

You have to enter a Free File site via irs.gov to get the break. Some, like HRBlock, will still make you go through "checkout" process but won't charge you.

Most state governments have their own tax-filing websites. Google "[State] Taxation and Revenue" to start. Many have similar guidelines as federal: If you make less than $X, you can file for free.

The biggest trap you can fall into is using an IRS Free File site and then sticking around to pay $14.95 to have the state taxes done by the same system. Do your federal for free, print out a copy and then find your state's website and do it for free.

 

Another day another corrected 1099. Why the fuck does the government allow mutual funds, REITs and other investments to wait until March to change the nature of their income/distributions from the previous year. Makes it a pain in the ass to get your taxes done.

 

Turbo Tax online, even from Morocco. And thanks to the revelation last year that it was available for free to State Farm customers, I didn't pay a dime for fed and state (Thanks again). Previously, I had filed with TTO for half off as a Fidelity customer.

This year it took forever because I had to have my father e-mail me jpegs of paperwork and I entered it all from here.

I'm probably on my 10th year using TT, maybe half that online, and feel it's as easy and as painless as forking over hard-earned money can be.

 

La Panaderia Banko Americas

A bakery, bank, tax attorney all in an old post office.

Legal?

Not quite.

But the sumbitch can weild a mighty sharp pen.






























I kid.