If you do your own taxes, did you free-file?

[smjsl]

I don't use software (with e-file) and in the past sent federal taxes on paper. Since my state and local taxes have practiced filing online for a few years now, federal return is the only one I had to send in on paper. This year I noticed "freefile" option which seems to be free without income limitations... Has anyone here used it? Any opinions?

 

[ERD50]

TaxAct online will let you do a free federal tax form and free e-filing. They will 'encourage' you to sign up for added features for ~ $17, then you can save the data and import carryovers from previous years, saving some typing. Works well.

I have been using the free filing for the kids returns, and I pay for mine (which includes the State form and e-file).

-ERD50

 

[Tesaje]

Taxact also has a free download program that figures the tax and let's you file electronically for free if you don't care for entering all your data onto their sever over the internet. I've used this for several years and it works well.

The for pay versions have more help features but the free has all the forms.

 

[Goonie]

I've used free file in the past, but I send in the papers by snail mail these days. One reason for this is that I have to attach page 1 of my Fed 1040 to my IL state return, so that the IL Dept. of Revenue will treat my gov't pension as exempt from state income tax. And since I have to snail mail the IL return, I just go ahead and snail mail the Fed return as well.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Totally free, just needed a sharp pencil to prove I don't need to file at all for the first time since I was 17.

 

[shotgunner]

I have used Taxact fre version for my last 3 filings. It's really easy to use and quite effective.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I used TurboTax again this year but was a disappointed in that they had not caught up with law changes late in 2009. This had to do with repaying distributions into my IRA even though I'm over 70 1/2 years of age. Those distributions I took in 2009 were not taxable if you repayed them by 11-30-09. TurboTax did not include anything about that in their software and I had to print out the return and make the changes manually and add a letter of explanation.

 

[Lakedog]

Use the fillable forms from the IRS and state websites but print and mail both federal and state returns. I actually prefer to do the returns manually -- helps me keep up with the tax codes (and I feel more comfortable that the returns were done correctly).

 

[travelover]

Did MIL's taxes for her and filed free using TurboTax. For myself, I used TaxAct and paid 17 bucks so that it took care of some paperwork for capital losses that I am carrying forward.

 

[smjsl]

Thank you for responses.

I had tried TaxAct in the past but my returns are non-trivial, and it incorrectly filled out my case, so I have not used it since. (This year, I noticed taxcut software has a bug on my state forms.) I am not looking for software to do my taxes, but only to let me pick exact forms, and in one case, exact pages of a form I want to file. I'll check out TaxAct to see if it allows me to do that. I am just trying to find a way to electronically file precisely what I would have sent on paper... for free.

Has anyone used "freefile" at
https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/FFA/Gateway.htm
which is linked from IRS site at
Free File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing

Goonie, I think you mentioned you did. Lakedog, any reason why you don't use it? (sounds like we are in similar situation).

Thanks!

 

[Lakedog]

Thank you for responses.

Has anyone used "freefile" at
https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/FFA/Gateway.htm
which is linked from IRS site at
Free File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing

Goonie, I think you mentioned you did. Lakedog, any reason why you don't use it? (sounds like we are in similar situation).

Thanks!

No reason other than I just prefer my method (and not entering my private info online anymore than I have too). I usually keep electronic copies of my completed forms/returns and that is easily done using the fillable forms from the IRS website.

 

[DeborahB]

I've used taxcut for years (this year it's called H&R Block at home). I've been happy with it - it imports stuff from the previous return and I usually buy it when it has a deal to get Norton Anti-Virus cheap/free along with it. It looks for updates on both state and federal forms when you start (and later, if you want it to). I've been happy, it does the calculation for me and you can print out the actual form to see what it's doing if you want. I e-filed Federal last year and it worked. I haven't tried the free online stuff - I try not to enter private info online if I can avoid it.

I keep thinking I have a LT loss carryforward and need to check to make sure it was accounted for - I'm not saying it wasn't, just I do try to check on that sort of thing if it's not obvious.

 

[Sue J]

I've been using FreeTaxUSA™ FREE Tax Filing, Online Return Preparation, E-File Income Taxes for 4 or 5 years. This year it's free for everyone. Our taxes aren't very complicated and this has always fit the need. I don't use it for the State filing, I use our state's free online filing.

I work for H&R Block and employees can file for free at the office. I still would rather do it at home with freetax usa

 

[smjsl]

Well, this is very strange. I went to IRS site, from their main page, I went to their

Free File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing

page which has the button to get to the free fillable forms site. It got me to freefilefillableforms.org site (after a "leaving irs" warning page). I noticed that the site was a bit different than what I tried earlier (freefilefillableforms.com), and proceeded to fill out the returns. As it turned out however, the org site had some bugs which I gave up fighting (e.g. it would fill in automatically some values incorrectly in at least 2 forms!) In the end, I spent way more time on this than I wanted, just gave up and will send out the printed out forms via snail mail...

But here is the weird thing... When I go back to the IRS link above, I noticed that I sometimes get to freefilefillableforms.org and other times to freefilefillableforms.com. In fact, if I just do a total page refresh with Shift+Reload button, I would get to different sites.

Not only that, the two sites accept different usernames / passwords and do not seem to share anything.
So, depending on your luck, unless you know to press Shift+Reload, you would get to one site or another! The .com site does NOT have those problems that I found on the .org site but I am too lazy not to reenter all my information now. (plus, I am confused why it works in this random way.)

 

[M Paquette]

Well, this is very strange. I went to IRS site, from their main page, I went to their

Free File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing

page which has the button to get to the free fillable forms site. It got me to freefilefillableforms.org site (after a "leaving irs" warning page). I noticed that the site was a bit different than what I tried earlier (freefilefillableforms.com), and proceeded to fill out the returns. As it turned out however, the org site had some bugs which I gave up fighting (e.g. it would fill in automatically some values incorrectly in at least 2 forms!) In the end, I spent way more time on this than I wanted, just gave up and will send out the printed out forms via snail mail...

But here is the weird thing... When I go back to the IRS link above, I noticed that I sometimes get to freefilefillableforms.org and other times to freefilefillableforms.com. In fact, if I just do a total page refresh with Shift+Reload button, I would get to different sites.

Not only that, the two sites accept different usernames / passwords and do not seem to share anything.
So, depending on your luck, unless you know to press Shift+Reload, you would get to one site or another! The .com site does NOT have those problems that I found on the .org site but I am too lazy not to reenter all my information now. (plus, I am confused why it works in this random way.)

Um. "Danger, Will Robinson!"

A little poking about shows some interesting differences. (And no, I am not a trusting sort when it comes to embedded internet addresses. Someone building a web page can easily make mistakes with .com vs .org, and someone else can exploit that.)

% whois freefilefillableforms.com
Domain Name: FREEFILEFILLABLEFORMS.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: Browser Update Page
Name Server: DNS1.QUICKEN.COM
Name Server: DNS2.QUICKEN.COM
Name Server: DNS3.INTUIT.COM
Name Server: DNS4.INTUIT.COM

% whois freefilefillableforms.org
Domain Name:FREEFILEFILLABLEFORMS.ORG
Name Server:NS1.LSYS.COM
Name Server:NS2.LSYS.COM
Created On:11-Dec-2008 19:53:28 UTC
Last Updated On:18-Dec-2009 07:39:13 UTC
Expiration Date:11-Dec-2010 19:53:28 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR37619443
Registrant Name:Registration Private
Registrant Organizationomains by Proxy, Inc.

freefilefillableforms.com looks to be an Intuit operation.

freefilefillableforms.org looks like mystery meat. 'Traceroute' resolves that address to be something behind daa.g901.disb.datareturn.com. datareturn.com is run by:

Terremark North America, Inc.
One Biscayne Tower
2 S. Biscayne Blvd., Suite 2900
Miami, FL 33131

Terremark NA is a 'cloud computing' company that rents space and processor capacity to others.

 

[Gumby]

I do my taxes with TaxCut software, but unless and until efiling is required, I will continue to send in the paper.

 

[Dreamer]

I do the paper forms and mail them using snail mail.