Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-19-2018, 06:00 PM   #41
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
gayl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Diablo Valley (SF Bay Area)
Posts: 2,705
The premier version? I can't do deluxe.
gayl is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-19-2018, 06:02 PM   #42
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,468
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montecfo View Post
It is safer in my opinion to file on paper. That way you are not needlessly providing a copy of your return to an intermediary, which could be hacked.
My guess would be that the IRS outsources scanning of paper returns. Your risk then is not only that it does get on line, but a 3rd party is handling your return.
TrvlBug is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 06:02 PM   #43
Moderator
braumeister's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,198
Quote:
Originally Posted by gayl View Post
The premier version? I can't do deluxe.
Yes.
braumeister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 06:02 PM   #44
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
gayl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Diablo Valley (SF Bay Area)
Posts: 2,705
Oh my! Still cheaper than my old CPA. Phone app was only $85 for both IRS & FTB (CA tax)
gayl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 07:29 PM   #45
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Rustward's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,684
This page has a link to a short video showing a very broad overview of what happens to paper returns:

https://www.irsvideos.gov/Profession...essingPipeline

All this processing (much of it manual) is bypassed when you e-file.

Love those 3270 terminal emulators. Mainframes forever!
Rustward is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 08:02 PM   #46
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,468
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rustward View Post
This page has a link to a short video showing a very broad overview of what happens to paper returns:

https://www.irsvideos.gov/Profession...essingPipeline

All this processing (much of it manual) is bypassed when you e-file.

Love those 3270 terminal emulators. Mainframes forever!
Thanks! Great video. I recall years (many of them!) ago I worked a second job during one tax season for a 3rd party vendor who worked with the returns. Too long ago to remember the details, but it looks like the IRS has brought everything in house.
TrvlBug is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 08:28 PM   #47
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 7,544
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrvlBug View Post
My guess would be that the IRS outsources scanning of paper returns. Your risk then is not only that it does get on line, but a 3rd party is handling your return.
Could be I suppose, but I have never heard of identity theft in that manner. But there have been quite a few reports of tax intermediaries getting hacked.

Also, e-filed returns have higher audit risk according the the WSJ.

Keeping your info-rich tax returns out of the cloud and away from intermediaries is well worth a trip to the post office, in.my view.
Montecfo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 08:52 PM   #48
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,050
Why would you have to take the paper return to the post office? It is roughly 5 sheets of paper for one stamp by weight.
badatmath is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 09:00 PM   #49
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 7,544
Quote:
Originally Posted by badatmath View Post
Why would you have to take the paper return to the post office? It is roughly 5 sheets of paper for one stamp by weight.
You don't have to. Mine is a few more pages than that. But I am not going to leave it in a mailbox in any event.
Montecfo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 09:28 PM   #50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 8,968
You want to take it to the post office and send it by certified mail.

You don't need proof of delivery, but you do need proof of filing on time.

That means you get to pay more and stand in line and fill out forms.
RobbieB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 10:02 PM   #51
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 512
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rustward View Post
This page has a link to a short video showing a very broad overview of what happens to paper returns:

https://www.irsvideos.gov/Profession...essingPipeline

All this processing (much of it manual) is bypassed when you e-file.

Love those 3270 terminal emulators. Mainframes forever!
The job in that video that amazes me is the lady that just stamps every piece of paper, in rapid succession.
gindie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 10:26 PM   #52
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,006
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobbieB View Post
You want to take it to the post office and send it by certified mail.

You don't need proof of delivery, but you do need proof of filing on time.

That means you get to pay more and stand in line and fill out forms.
Yep. Thank god for eFile and EFTPS!

I hated that quarterly trip to the post office.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 10:53 PM   #53
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1 View Post
Yep. Thank god for eFile and EFTPS!

I hated that quarterly trip to the post office.
FYI I understand that a number of private mail box places will allow you to mail certified mail, for the appropriate fee. This includes the UPS store, So you might not need to go to the post office to send the forms of if the post office in question is busy.
meierlde is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2018, 10:57 PM   #54
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,006
Quote:
Originally Posted by meierlde View Post
FYI I understand that a number of private mail box places will allow you to mail certified mail, for the appropriate fee. This includes the UPS store, So you might not need to go to the post office to send the forms of if the post office in question is busy.
I don’t have to go anywhere or mess with any certified mail anymore thank goodness! Been all electronic since 2004/5
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 06:34 AM   #55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
misanman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,246
We're currently dealing with an issue related to the USPS (apparently) losing a piece of mail with a check in it. It showed up in "informed delivery" but not in our mail box. They have no idea what happened except to say that they don't have it. Their recommendation was to send important documents certified mail, although they did admit that certified mail just adds a tracking component and that otherwise the process is the same as first class.

This coincides with a local town hall meeting sponsored by a congressman to address local concerns about poor mail delivery.

Bottom line is I don't know that USPS can be counted on to handle important documents reliably.
misanman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 07:26 AM   #56
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
GTFan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ormond Beach
Posts: 1,407
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom56 View Post
I have been e-filing for over 18 years without any issues. I use TurboTax or Taxcut (whichever is cheaper).
This.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom56 View Post
Tax preparers are going to be joining travel agents on the endangered jobs list.
Um, no. When you can actually file taxes on a postcard, maybe.
GTFan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 07:49 AM   #57
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,006
Agreed. There are a huge number of people who can’t and won’t prepare their own taxes. It’s too hard.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 08:03 AM   #58
Moderator
braumeister's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,198
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1 View Post
Agreed. There are a huge number of people who can’t and won’t prepare their own taxes. It’s too hard.
I think a number of us here are or have been volunteer tax preparers, and it has certainly been my experience that a great many people just throw up their hands and say "It's so complicated I'll never figure it out -- look at all those forms!"

Frankly, I think a big part of that is simply that many people are functionally innumerate. I see that every time I watch a young cashier try to make change. If the register didn't tell them exactly what to give back to the customer they would be there all day trying to work it out.
braumeister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 08:03 AM   #59
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,681
It was only a few years ago that I began using the fillable pdf forms instead of writing all the stuff in by hand. At least on the state (NY) return, the calculations are done automatically which is a nice feature. I print everything out and mail it.


I do tax returns for 3 people including myself - my best friend (the snake-bit male one) and my ladyfriend. Hers is very easy the last 4 years or so, 1040EZ, while my snake-bit one's is a little tougher than mine because he has multiple 1099s and a W-2. Both will become easier starting with the 2018 filing because we will use the SD; I might be able to use 1040A some years.


I dipped my toes into the e-filing pool by e-filing my (annual) estimated tax payments (state and federal) a few years ago. If some fraudster wants to make my estimated tax payment for me, he is welcome to it!
__________________
Retired in late 2008 at age 45. Cashed in company stock, bought a lot of shares in a big bond fund and am living nicely off its dividends. IRA, SS, and a pension await me at age 60 and later. No kids, no debts.

"I want my money working for me instead of me working for my money!"
scrabbler1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2018, 10:21 AM   #60
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: North
Posts: 4,029
I thought I bought with a free e-file from AMZN but apparently this year it did not come with that.

I like to plan before the forms deadlines, as I often itemize, often shift new money from investments to real estate depending on the year. My tax decisions this year will have huge implications next year so I like to plan diligently and early.

This year will be real estate...I think.

I had to pay like $60 for me and $60 for DW and I think I paid $90 for the program, but that cost is split two ways. $165 to do our taxes, and direct deposit into an account within 7-21 days. I don't worry about ID theft mines been thieved many times before.
__________________
Time > $$$ ~ 100% equities ~ FIRE @2031
kgtest is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Any good reasons to file - or not file - FAFSA? Curmudgeon FIRE and Money 26 11-03-2017 04:49 AM
Why not paper-file taxes? mystang52 FIRE and Money 88 01-24-2017 06:45 PM
File and Suspend versus File and Restrict Chuckanut FIRE and Money 12 10-18-2014 07:19 AM
Did you ever have (big file alert... 256k) dory36 Other topics 2 07-29-2005 01:15 PM
I'm getting File Not Found about 30% of the time... Cb Forum Admin 1 06-14-2005 06:36 AM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:35 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.