this is the third year I'll be e-filing my taxes. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread...until today, when I was getting ready to finish my return and noticed two things:
1. The software (FreeTaxUSA) made an error (I think) on my 2017 return; and
2. The same software is saying I owe the state nearly $500.
So I went to a different, IRA listed site and ran through the whole return thing. I don't owe the state anything.
However, one thing I'm noticing with ALL of these sites is that they want money. I didn't pay any fees for completion for the past couple of years. What's more, the fees vary widely (wildly?) and different sites have different protocols (i.e. "if you are under 66" vs. "if you are 60 or under."
What's even weirder is that the IRS site says these sites are supposed to be free for me.
Can anyone explain to me what's going on? And if anyone here is an accountant, can you please tell me if these software sites can be trusted? I don't even know what to think about last year--was it a real mistake or wasn't it? How can one site tell me I owe $500 and the other, nothing?