With a host of deductions (the 2004 Prius Clean Fuel deduction, mortgage interest, student loan interest, property taxes, charitable donations and a municipal tax payment), I'd like to e-File my Federal and State taxes soon. Normally, I've been printing out my returns from someone else's tax prep software purchase and mailing. I'd rather not wait that long for my refunds this year. Has anyone already e-filed for this year (or has in the past) with multiple deductions? Is there a favored e-filing option (preferably with state e-filing)?
Yup! Lots of itemized deductions for me. I filed a couple of weeks ago and have already received my refund. I believe within a week. Oh, and I filed for both Fed and State together.
My suggestion is to go out and buy Turbo Tax Deluxe. It's about 40 bucks but includes a free download of one state plus a free electronic filing after a mail-in rebate. Also, no SafeCast or other anti-piracy stuff this year so you can install, and use, the s/w on different computers.
Or you can do it online for even less. My wife runs a small business from home, and for $50 + state fee, including an e-file for fed and state, it's well worth it. It's quite thourough - and they include the "Did you buy a clean fuel vehicle" question this year. I also used it to retro-file my 2001 return to claim my Classic deduction. -Rick
Intuit had added this very stringent copyright protection that made it difficult for people to use. If you installed the software and then your computer crashed, you were unable to reinstall TurboTax again without purchasing a new copy. As tag said, Intuit has relaxed their copyright protection back to a level of fair use. After the rebates from Intuit, I was able to find TurboTax w/ State and e-File for $15 at Costco. It even did my local taxes.
Tough to beat 15 bucks including state and e-file! My copy of TT Deluxe has absolutely no protection. It's limited to 5 electronic filings but otherwise there is no limit on the number of machines on which you can install the software nor the number of returns that can be prepared (provided the returns are prepared for personal use).
A little dealio for you guys e-filing this year: Bank Of America has 30% off TurboTax Web e-voucher codes. Fidelity has 50% off Turbotax products. Get the e-voucher first. Then login to TurboTax via the Fidelity website. Once you start your return, follow these steps: 1. Select the Filing button on the Progress Bar at the top of the screen. 2. In the EasyStep Navigator, select The Bottom Line. 3. In the screen that appears, select Redeem E-voucher. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter your e-voucher number. Don't pay a tax advisor $60-$100 when you can file Federal and State taxes in less then 30 minutes for about $20. The program is extremely easy to use. And using the web version assurs that the software has the most up date info on new tax laws since it's updated on a regular basis
Heres a question to all you efiling experts. My bank sent me an email saying that I could use TT through them and not pay a thing until I printed or sent the taxes electronically. So my question is, do you see the results as you enter data or do you blindly enter numbers and get a total at the end? In other words, could I use this service and then copy to my paper tax forms for mailing? TIA Sharon
You'll typically see interim totals as you finish answering each section of the questionnaire. However, there's really no need, AFAIK, to "copy" any information to paper forms since the s/w generates the forms and allows you to print those forms for mailing (i.e. you aren't locked into e-filing).
Thanks Tag. However, my bank gave me the impression that if I printed, I would have to pay as well! "Preparation is FREE! You pay only when you’re ready to print or e-file your return. " I might check into those vouchers listed in an earlier post to save money. I usually don't get much back - last year, I had to pay - but last year I bought a house, and can take that big deduction! :lol: Sharon
Okay, I understand now. I think you could avoid that by merely opening the actual forms (which TT allows you to do) and simply copying the numbers (by hand) to pre-printed forms. A little extra work but.....FREE!
I used TurboTax online (for the gazilllionth year in a row... love that auto-fill!), and I don't think you can view the forms until you pay... you just blindly answer questions. But you can always try it... I tried to find a way to view the forms prior to paying, but I don't see a way.... Other discounts for those that use these companies: Vanguard: 50% off (I paid $9.95, but no state included) American Century or USAA: 20% Bottom line: if you have any investments, see if they offer a discount. Vanguard has the best I've seen, but I'm a cheapskate, so I'm always looking...
thanks everyone! I will gather all my information and try it this weekend. Hopefully, I can get a sale price somewhere! Sharon
