It’s bad enough that tax day is looming in your immediate future. If it really irks you to have to shell out your hard-earned cash to find out whether or not a bigger bill is on the way, you might want to look into free tax preparation.
Hard to believe that anything is free today, especially something this important, but it is possible to find sound advice and assistance – all for free – as you fill out your 2010 tax forms. If your tax situation is fairly simple, and you expect to use the 1040EZ, online could be the way to go for you. In fact, a search for “free tax filing” will return more than 2 million websites.
A number of familiar names in the financial industry offer online programs that provide free tax preparation, expert advice from tax specialists, accuracy guarantees and even maximum refund guarantees. And after helping you prepare your forms, they allow you to file taxes for free online as well.
Why should you consider preparing and filing your taxes online with these free services? Here are a few reasons:
* It’s free, and while it’s generally true you get what you pay for in life, this is one instance where a free service can be just as good as one you pay for. It can at least be better than trusting your tax preparation to your brother-in-law who once took a college accounting course.
* It’s easy. While IRS tax forms and the booklet the agency provides as explanation are notoriously complicated, with directions that can seem like a foreign language, online tax preparation services are usually very simple. The software can walk you through every step of the process, with easy-to-understand explanations for everything you’re prompted to do.
* It’s faster. E-filing is the method of choice for many professional tax preparers because it’s faster – and often more secure – than relying on the mail. Preparing your taxes online with free tax file software means you’ll know very quickly if you owe, or if you’ll be getting a refund. Finding out sooner if you’ll owe Uncle Sam money means you have more time to scrape the funds together that you’ll need. Or, if you’re lucky enough to be getting a refund, e-filing means you’ll get it sooner than someone who’s waiting on the mail.
Preparing your taxes and filing the forms is stressful enough. You don’t need to make it seem even worse by paying for it. Check out free tax preparation resources online, and save yourself some aggravation – and money.