Walking into a tax preparer shop like H&R Block will cost you a bare minimum of $99.95 ($129.95 if you pay state taxes). Paying taxes is bad enough so paying a preparer to help you navigate through complex tax law is definitely not groovy! Good news groovyReaders, you might not need to. Depending on your income level, there are several different options for filing both your State and Federal returns for free.
The taxpayer deadline for 2012 is Tuesday, April 17 for filing your 2011 tax returns. Normally it’s April 15 but this year that falls on a Sunday and the following Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia. If you’re not ready by April 17th you can file an extension for Oct. 15th. If you owe cash, that might be a good idea however if you’re getting cash back there’s no point on waiting and letting the Fed. keep your cash. So if you’re ready to start the filing process, here’s the options I’ve compiled for this year. If you see I missed a good option, drop me a note in the comments and I’ll add it to my chart. Free federal and state returns if your adjusted gross income is $57,000 or less and you are age 52 or younger. eSmart Tax Free federal and state returns if your adjusted gross income is $57,000 or less and you are age 52 or younger. TaxSlayer Free federal and state returns if your adjusted gross income is less than $57,000 and you are age 25 years or younger or you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit or you are active duty military. Free federal and state returns if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit or your adjusted gross income is $31,000 or less or you are active duty military with an adjusted gross income of $57,000 or less (including Reservists and National Guard). TaxHawk Free federal and state returns if your adjusted gross income is $20,000 or less. 1040NOW Free federal and state returns if your adjusted gross income is $32,000 or less. What’s your tax strategy? Share the knowledge in the comments below! I’m done paying tax prepares, the software is an interview and asks the exact same questions that the guy in the shop does. Saved me 375 bucks, this is a great tip. My bank gives me free software each year (turbotax) and like you, the taxes came in the same as they did last yeah when I used a tax dude. Life is good! Comment Name * Email *
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