View Full Version : Do you do your taxes online?
I have always borrowed the program from a relative and then mailed in our return. That option is no longer there and the free online version is beckoning me though I wonder about putting all that sensitive data "out there." What do you use for yours? We don't have state taxes - just federal.
I do it all the time. I've used Intuit TurboTax for years.
TVRodriguez
2-1-16, 11:57am
Yes, I do. I use TaxAct online and e-file from their website. I do it for DH's business return, my business return, and our personal 1040 as well.
No. I tried it once, and found the process entirely too linear. It takes me about a half hour with pencil and paper.
Yes. I've used turbotax for years.
ditto and zero problems but this year I am doing them online but not filing and then taking them to a free tax preparer provided by the United Way because I have several new to me things occurring and I want someone to double check me
I have always borrowed the program from a relative and then mailed in our return. That option is no longer there and the free online version is beckoning me though I wonder about putting all that sensitive data "out there." What do you use for yours? We don't have state taxes - just federal.
we only do a 1040a which is simple. Would use 1040ez if not for our pensions. It only takes me about 30 min and we are in no hurry to get our return. I will go online when it is easier than what I use now.
I'm VERY protective of my personal and bank information, including social security number.
I've been using FreeTaxAct.com for many years.
I input 111-11-1111 for my SS# then fill out the forms.
Then I print, put a white label on the SS# fields and write in my real SS# with a pen.
Never any problems with the IRS.
I use Turbotax, the on-my-own-computer program, then print out paper returns to mail in.
I wonder if printing a paper return with your SSN on it and sending it through the mail is actually safer than submitting it electronically. While the hackers can certainly get more people's info all at once if they successfully breach Intuit or one of the other tax prep online databases the ease of getting SSNs off paper returns might be enticing for a rogue post office employee.
I wonder if printing a paper return with your SSN on it and sending it through the mail is actually safer than submitting it electronically. While the hackers can certainly get more people's info all at once if they successfully breach Intuit or one of the other tax prep online databases the ease of getting SSNs off paper returns might be enticing for a rogue post office employee.
I'm not too concerned about my SSN - most of the people I do business with of any substantial nature don't use my SSN as any sort of identifier. Worse yet, many more details are revealed in the mandatory reporting I have to do every year with the State as an elected official - it's public information and can be trawled through by people looking for conflict-of-interest and self-dealing sort of things. YMMV.
I'm not too concerned about my SSN - most of the people I do business with of any substantial nature don't use my SSN as any sort of identifier. Worse yet, many more details are revealed in the mandatory reporting I have to do every year with the State as an elected official - it's public information and can be trawled through by people looking for conflict-of-interest and self-dealing sort of things. YMMV.
Yes, but with a SSN it's easy to start opening credit accounts. (I'm assuming that you have good credit...) I don't worry about my credit card numbers being stolen, but I'd really rather not have to deal with an identity thief opening up accounts in my name and SSN.
ToomuchStuff
2-2-16, 4:34pm
Paper here. Any questions, between a relative in that organization, and the number of people I now that work for them, I find it easy to get answers, and not worth the software risks (programs won't run on my OS and won't do the online ones), verses the postal mail tampering risk.
Hello, I have persisted in doing my tax returns on paper. I am downloading the forms from the internet and mailing a paper return to the state and IRS. Admittedly my returns are simpler than many. I take a standard deduction and a personal exemption and have held my taxable investments in the same accounts for many years and add to them but rarely sell stocks. The rest of my investments are municipal bonds where the interest has to be reported but is not taxable. I can calculate my taxes very quickly. Dave
freshstart
2-12-16, 5:36pm
I still haven't gotten a W2 from disability and I really want to get started because I know I owe because I kept remembering then forgetting to fill out the tax withholding form. Remembered again in Dec, a little too late. I hate owing money and I just want a ball park figure so I won't be in shock when I go to the free tax preparer in March. So I call the company once again, get a supervisor in the tax dept, "you're not getting one because your benefits are not taxable." Woohoo! But I know she is wrong so I call my case manager, who confirms they are taxable and he will work on getting me the form. Ugh! But it was nice for a minute or two.
I thinking I am deluding myself about doing Turbo Tax before the United Way preparer. Math is shot, I can add and subtract small numbers with a calculator, but cannot remember how to multiply and divide. Even adding, I inverse numbers, copy the wrong number from the calculator to the paper, etc. The lady at the bank knows me and takes care of the math for me, lol and does so without making me feel like an utter moron.
I've used TAxact.com for several years. The last couple I've bitten the bullet and paid the $20. It's worth it because it auto-fills a lot of stuff from the prior year and you can avoid the constant ads for their product at every step. Never had any issues.
I ended up buying TurboTax only to find out it was not compatible with our OS. Can't return it but got intuit to get me online code to use. Only to find out that the $200 gas royalty payment I received requires a form that's not on the version I bought so I would have to upgrade to the $54 version. Enough frustration...I am going to print out IRS forms and fill in myself using info from software.
I still haven't gotten a W2 from disability and I really want to get started because I know I owe because I kept remembering then forgetting to fill out the tax withholding form. Remembered again in Dec, a little too late. I hate owing money and I just want a ball park figure so I won't be in shock when I go to the free tax preparer in March. So I call the company once again, get a supervisor in the tax dept, "you're not getting one because your benefits are not taxable." Woohoo! But I know she is wrong so I call my case manager, who confirms they are taxable and he will work on getting me the form. Ugh! But it was nice for a minute or two.
I thinking I am deluding myself about doing Turbo Tax before the United Way preparer. Math is shot, I can add and subtract small numbers with a calculator, but cannot remember how to multiply and divide. Even adding, I inverse numbers, copy the wrong number from the calculator to the paper, etc. The lady at the bank knows me and takes care of the math for me, lol and does so without making me feel like an utter moron.
Were the premiums for your long term disability paid with pre-tax earnings or taxed earnings? If you already paid tax on the money before it was spent on the LTD premium then the person who said they weren't taxable is probably correct.
freshstart
2-12-16, 7:48pm
Were the premiums for your long term disability paid with pre-tax earnings or taxed earnings? If you already paid tax on the money before it was spent on the LTD premium then the person who said they weren't taxable is probably correct.
pre-tax
TurboTax. Print it out and mail it in.
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