File Taxes Online

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The IRS expects more than 100 million taxpayers to file their taxes online for the 2009 tax year. Here are some tips to make e-filing as easy as possible.

Latest Online Filing Stories

    House committee passes bill to legalize -- and tax -- online casinos

    Tom Barlow Filed Under: , ,

    With casinos sprouting like kudzu across the U.S., many states are looking to gaming taxes to help fill the hole poked in their budgets by the recession. Now, the federal government has raised the stakes by taking the first step toward legalizing online gambling.

    According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the House Financial Services Committee has approved a bill that would allow Internet gaming to be offered by companies licensed by the Treasury Department. The companies will be required to operate from U.S. soil.

    Another measure, yet to be passed by the House Ways & Means Committee, would tax online gambling, which could bring in as much as $42 billion in revenue over the next decade. The money would be split between the federal (25%) and state governments (75%).

    Last-minute IRS income tax filers lined up as the band played on

    Ron Dicker Filed Under: ,

    Band plays for last-minute tax filersTo the tune of "Shaft" played by the Columbia University marching band, dozens of income-tax filers raced up the steps of New York City's main post office Thursday near midnight. The deadline that so many Americans dread had arrived.

    Inside, hundreds fidgeted in line and scribbled on forms and checks wherever they could find a flat surface. It was a moment played out in post offices across the country. About 20% of taxpayers submit their returns within the last two weeks, the IRS estimates. Anthony Diaz was proud to occupy the extremely late end of that bunch.

    MyTaxRefund: Free iPhone app to track your tax refund

    Josh Smith Filed Under: , ,

    Track tax refunds with MyTaxRefund appMost Americans will be expecting to get a nice check from the IRS in the near future as the mad rush to file taxes ends in less than a week. After you file, there are several ways to check the status of your tax refund by visiting the IRS Web site or calling its hotline; but if you'd prefer to check it from your iPhone or iPad you can do that, too. The new MyTaxRefund app from TurboTax is a free app that will allow you to track the status of your return much like you'd track a package.

    The new tool only works for individuals who e-file their taxes. It only takes a few seconds to use. All you need to do to track the status of your tax refund from the iPhone is install the MyTaxRefund app, answer two questions and you'll have the current status of your tax refund. You don't need to file using TurboTax to track your refund status with this app.

    TurboTax Home and Business Review: Easy last minute tax prep solution

    Josh Smith Filed Under: , ,

    There's only about two weeks left to file your taxes and get your payments in the mail which means that local accountants and tax preparation firms are going to be busy, busy, busy with people like you and me who have waited to file. If you want to file your taxes yourself you can use a tool like TurboTax to file your Federal and State income taxes for a reasonable rate. I just finished using the TurboTax Home and Business online service ($99.99) to file my federal and state taxes and will be sharing the experience in this review.

    First off, the thing I like about the TurboTax online tool is that you can use it all the way up to actually filing without paying anything and even log back in if you get interrupted and need to walk away. If you've been leery about trying out a tax preparation tool I recommend checking out the online version as it is risk free. If you feel overwhelmed you can always walk away without losing any money.

    Tax coupons for discounts are yours to claim

    Josh Smith Filed Under: , , ,

    In a world where the only things that are certain are death and taxes, it's good to know that there a plenty of online coupons to help you save with the latter. Regardless of whether you do your own taxes or hire a professional, there are lots and lots of tax time savings that will help you keep more cash in your bank.

    CouponShack.com shares several coupons that make doing your own taxes cheaper -- whether you're filing online or purchasing software to prepare taxes on your computer.

    Check on the status of your tax refund in seconds

    Kelly Phillips Erb Filed Under: ,

    IRS tax refundChecking on the status of your tax refund is easier than ever. You have two options: calling the IRS or checking online.

    If you want to check the status of your refund online, you can do so directly on the IRS Web site. Visit the IRS' online refund tool or the Spanish version of the tool. The Web sites are available 24/7.
    To check on the status of your refund, you'll need the following information:
    • Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number.
    • The filing status you used when filing your return.
    • Your expected refund amount (in whole dollars).

    File your taxes free with the help of Walmart, United Way and others

    Josh Smith Filed Under: , ,

    Great news for anyone who makes under $58,000. You'll be able to file your taxes for free, including free tax prep, thanks to a $4 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to United Way Worldwide, One Economy and the National Disability Institute. This is the second year for the free tax prep program, which allows Americans who meet the criteria to get free assistance at community locations and online at Myfreetaxes.com.

    According to the Walmart Foundation, last year's program provided more than 650,000 people with tax prep, and helped them save over $950 Million in tax preparation fees, refunds and tax credits.

    SnapTax: File your taxes with your iPhone

    Josh Smith Filed Under: , ,

    In science fiction books and movies, the phone of the future was often portrayed as being able to help users buy stuff, find a date, and even do taxes.

    So far, they've gotten the dating and buying stuff right and now, if you live in California, you can file your taxes on your phone.

    Intuit, the makers of TurboTax, will be releasing a new iPhone application for residents of California which will let them file their state and local taxes on their iPhone. The app isn't available yet but should be released by the end of the month.

    The SnapTax app allows you to take a picture of your W-2, which the app can read and pull out the important information in order to auto-populate the correct fields in SnapTax.

    After a few questions, you'll see how big of a refund you are getting and can preview the 1040EZ for any errors. If you are satisfied with it you can press file and you're done with taxes for the year.

    Filing a return online expected by 100 million taxpayers

    Kelly Phillips Erb Filed Under: , , ,

    On Jan. 15, 2010, IRS e-file officially opened for business for the tax season. The IRS expects more than 100 million individual taxpayers to file their returns online in 2010 after banner years in 2008 and 2009.

    The hundreds of millions of tax returns filed over the past three years mark a dramatic increase from the 25,000 tax returns filed online in 1986, the first year the IRS accepted online tax returns (download IRS e-file history here).

    More than one-third of those 100 million taxpayers will file their returns online by personal computer; the rest will use a professional tax preparer or free file at an IRS site. No matter how you choose to e-file this year, here are some tips to make it as easy as possible:


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