H&R Block
It’s that time of year! If you do not have all your tax documents from 2010 then you will be getting the last of them soon. The vast majority of people get a tax rebate (the average is over $2000) so the sooner you file the sooner you will be getting that money!
Remember if your tax rebate is too high then you will want to adjust your withholding this year so it is lower in 2011. That way you will get the money you earned throughout the year instead of as a lump sum at the end. You will save money on interest this way (either because you will have it to invest earlier or because you can apply it to your debts sooner).
I always file online. I use taxslayer, which costs $9.95 or $19.95 depending on which version you use. I have used them for the past 7 years and I love them!
Both Turbo Tax and H&R Block are offering a way to create an account and file your taxes for free. Just click on the link and give it a shot. If it turns out you do not like using them then you are out nothing – just don’t send it to the irs.
Another bonus to filing online is that there is usually a way to keep track of deductions all year long. That will be important for us this year since we are planning on moving – lots of deductions. I gave away a ton of items, including quite a few maternity clothes (my maternity scrubs were so hard to find I was almost worried in getting rid of them – but I know I will never use them again!). Filing online is easier and you will get your rebate faster.
While we are on the topic of finance I have two quick tips for 2011.
- Give a program such as mint a shot. I have been using them for years as well and now you can even track goals using their program. It makes it easy to keep track of everything (they will even chart your credit card and checking account savings if you want). It is completely free.
- Second, make it a goal to learn a little more about finance this year. It can be as easy as signing up for the Daily Worth newsletter (if you are a woman – that newsletter is on finance for women). Learn a little bit everyday and next January you will be happy you did!
Related articles
- 2 Myths about Earned Income Tax Credit (littlepeoplewealth.com)
- Why You Should E-File Your Taxes (money.usnews.com)
- How To File Free Tax Returns (hellobeautiful.com)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I really should invest in some tax software – the authorities are making it ever more difficult for you to file your taxes by hand.
Brett recently posted..Offshore Accounting Services for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
I used to do it by hand, but there is no way I would do it that way anymore! If you use software/online version you are also less likely to have to go through an audit because fewer mistakes are made.
There are a lot of smaller tax software out there where people can still get great service at a much lower price. It is worth it to shop around and give to smaller companies instead of feeding the big fish. Thanks for your post, especially the end that said to give other software a shot!
Greg Holbert recently posted..IRS Employee Charged with Laundering Drug Money
Quicken from Intuit is a nice program also that loads data right into TurboTax making tax preparation easy.
Steve recently posted..What Does Obamacare Mean For Your Tax Future?
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