Its That Time of Year

[bluvember]

Are you dreading tax season or have you already made plans for your refund? I find that some people can be very creative come tax time. :lol: Or are you one of the procastinators that cause traffic jams late in the day on April 15? :doh

[brnize4u]

Hey bluvember,

H&R Block usually does my taxes. I usually wait until April 12th or 13th or sometimes April 15th. I only do that because I never get money back from federal, I always have to pay. I need to have some darn kids. I get taxed left and right so I end up owing. Last year I owed $300.00 to the IRS. I get back about $90.00 from the state. :Angry_boese008:


I HATE TAX TIME!!!!

[tdhayes]

I usually do my own...and I wait to...if I have to pay them. Last year, I got $20 from the Feds but owed the state $60...I was NOT happy.

This year, I get to itemize and deduct my mortgage interest. We'll see how it goes...

[tran68]

I use turbo tax online, very efficient and it saves your info from year to year....refund is going right into ING.

[chocolate1]

My mother does taxes for a living so I have been doing taxes since I was 13. I do my own and then I electronically file with my mother so I can get my $$$ back in two weeks. This is the time of the year that I love my three kids. I have to start making plans for when my youngest leaves daycare though.

[CarolinaAfro]

I do my own taxes. I file at the end of Jan or early Feb because I usually get money back.

[Lagina]

Don't forget to take your Earned Income credit! Publication 596 from the IRS for details . And please do not get a RAL loan for wanting your money sooner.

[bluvember]

I find Turbo Tax is the easiest way for me. I don't know why every time I have had someone else file my taxes, I feel uneasy about it afterwards. I guess I just don't trust anybody else with my $$. I always worry that they'll forget to ask something and i'ma miss out on the little bit of change I do get back. :2cents:

ITA about those RAL's, that's another way to get money out of ya pocket. If I have been without this money for a year, another couple of weeks is not gonna kill me. I do not need it that bad. GET YO HAND OUT MY POCKET!! :lol:

[roxygirl]

My dad has been doing mine ever since I started working. He still does them, even though I'm 2,000 miles away. I'm starting to feel bad about it, but he says he doesn't mind, so... :dunno:

[KRE8TIV]

My friend has been doing my taxes for the past 2yrs. I'll probably go to a professional this year...I don't know, haven't quite made my mind up yet.

[AJoyrnee]

I'm not trying to procrastinate as I did in previous years. I normally do mine but I have a friend who told me about itemizing so I think Imma take mine to a professional and ask them exactly, as a single young adult, what are some things I can and how I can get back more (legally of course!).

And when I get them back, I paying off some bills b/c debt is not a burden I gladly carry year round!!!

:wub:

[divajag]

I do them myself with the TaxAct software.

[treneece]

Normally I get a professional to do it. I usually drop around $70 to $100 bucks (she goes up every year). But, after I heard about filing for free through the IRS's website, I decided to file using Turbo Tax. Still had to pay a little something, but it was much cheaper. I'm going to learn how to do taxes soon so I can help others, then I'll probably do my own from then on.

[intelsis]

ive been doing my own for YEARS. that tax cut software from H&R block is off the chain

20 for federal. 20 for state, plus a rebate on the state and one free e-file=$20 bucks to do your taxes. plus you can do as many returns as u want on the software. so of course i got the whole fam rolling through. you cant beat it for 20 bucks

i even talked my folks into doing.pops was skeptical cause he has some properties and wasnt sure the software could handle that. no problem. now he calls me erry year talking bout you buy the software yet..

plus i heard some folks pay up to $200 dollars for someone to do their taxes...???

all you need is a computer. tax cut even helps u itemize and points out where you can do extra deductions. like my sister is a teacher. when she puts in her occupation, the software automatically prompts her for tax deductions she can get for being a teacher. same for me and the fam

ya'll crazy to keep paying somebody to do your taxes. i did mine in about an hour.

$20!!!!!!

if you can post from home on this site than you should be able to do your taxes. the software is reallly easy to understand.

theres also taxact, turbo tax. and the irs.gov website has places you can go online to do your taxes. the only drawback is you have to pay for EACH return, unlike the software where once you load it, you can do as many returns as you like

[footsiee]

I use turbotax. I've been using it for the past four years. $39.90 for state and federal. I love tax time. I look forward to it every year. My returns use to be really wimpy, but since I got the house, they've been better.

[frizzyme]

We use turbotax. It's worked great. As a student I always did my taxes myself (1040EZ) because it was so easy.

[AJoyrnee]

Speaking of taxes, what are some things a single person who have no dependents should look for on getting more back? Like perks, benefits, etc.?

Thnx!
:wub:

[bluvember]

The most I could suggest would be to itemize. For example my bf claimed his car as a business expense, and had made major repairs to it. Somehow it was able to be used that way. :dunno:

Any donations to a reputable charity should also count for something. Just make sure you have your receipts.

[elleebeme5]

You don't want to get more back. You really should want to keep your money for yourself. Someone mentioned owing $60. That's perfect. That means that the government has not used your money. Thousand dollar refunds could mean that you're have too much withheld. It's best to keep it within a hundred dollars: either owing or getting back.

But to itemize,

charity including church, goodwill AND driving to do volunteer work for an established charity like Habitat for Humanity or United Way

anything you buy for your job and are not reimbursed for - I had to make copies cause our machine was down. You better believe I kept that $3.00 reciept. this also includes mileage - if you have to go to pick up copies or drive to a meeting, it's a deduction

it used to be that parking and transportation to school counted if you were taking classes to maintain your position (i.e. teachers having to get masters degree to keep job)

medical and dental expenses but they have to come to an amount I never reach

I'm sure there are more but those are the main ones that I use

[tjolims]

I do them myself online via Tax Freedom (http://www.taxfreedom.org), usually HR Block. This year I had to pay to file my state return...not happy about that at all!