5 of the Cheapest & Best Ways to E-File your Taxes
Efiling? Try These 5 Free Options
I’ve always used paid Turbotax products to do my own taxes, however, there are some great free and much cheaper options available for those who have relatively simple returns. After researching the marketplace, here are the five options that topped my list if your goal is to have the cheapest e-file tax return.
FreeFile: This is the free service available through the IRS website. So long as your adjusted gross income was under $56,000 in 2008, you can e-file for free. If not, the IRS lists a thorough list of 28 approved e-file vendors to choose from, many of whom offer free e-filing.
The one problem with FreeFile through the IRS is that you cannot also do a state return at the same time. This can be a bit of a pain if you have to go elsewhere to do your state return (and all the data that you’ve already entered does not transfer with you).
Turbotax: Offers a free e-file edition that doesn’t appear to have any income limits as the IRS version’s does. If you choose to file a state e-file, it’ll cost you $25.95. If you choose to upgrade to another version, your data is transferred.
H&R Block: Offers a free e-file edition. The only difference that jumped out between H&R’s and Turbotax’s free e-file editions was that H&R’s was slightly more expensive at $29.95, if you would like to add the state e-file.
TaxAct: Charges $9.95 for the federal e-file, but just $16.95 for the two combined – cheaper than H&R Block and Turbotax.
Express1040: Offers $8.95 for federal and state e-file combined. The cheapest selection, but not as well renowned of a name as the other options, so tread lightly with this one is.
E-Filing Discussion:
- What’s the cheapest way that you’ve been able to file your taxes, while getting the best return?
- Have you done your taxes yet?
- How are you filing your taxes this year? (take the poll)
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Don’t forget that you can often file your state return for free through your state’s Dept. of Revenue (or equivalent) website.
I just finished up my tax returns using H&R Block’s TaxCut (the free-file version), and I was able to avoid the $29.95 state fee by doing it myself online through the state’s website.
It’s not that hard usually. You’ll already have the information you need to complete your state return. Just make sure you save a PDF copy of your Federal return and you’ll be set. If you can’t print to a PDF, look up CutePDF and install it.
It’s worth doing it yourself. It really doesn’t take long at all!
Has anyone used TaxAct before? How is it?
@ Paul – some good tips. Just to emphasize Paul’s point, Turbotax, H&R Block, and some of the other software won’t allow you to transfer data automatically from your free federal e-file. Instead, it would have to be a manual entry based on the information you input for your federal return. I haven’t tried this method, so not sure how easy it is. How long would you say it takes, Paul?
If you’ve used TurboTax free version before, they will automatically transfer last year’s data and charge you for it at the end. From what I could tell, there’s no way to avoid this data transfer, so you have to pay $15 to file if you’ve used TurboTax before.
Question:
I use the purchased version of TurboTax (due to it being easier to deal with some investments I have); Can i still use any of these services to file them free? I make under the limit. Do i just print the forms to PDF and email it to them, &c?
Sorry, taxes can be a worrying time. Thanks for any guidance up front!
-=allen
@ P. R. – Good heads up.
@ Allen – If you used a purchased version, I believe you get 5 free e-files with it, so there’s no need to go directly through the IRS site – not sure if it transfers over to a state site for free. You may want to check out your individual state’s site. My state had a listing of products that you could use.
@G.E. Miller: Ooooo… i must be thinking of the stupid fee you pay if you want direct deposit from the IRS.
I’m hiring someone this year, though next year I’ll probably file for myself. ::bookmarked::
Just a note, TaxACT Standard allows you to prepare, print and e-file your federal return for free with no restrictions on income or age. TaxACT Deluxe (which has additional support features) is $9.95 and the TaxACT Ultimate Bundle (which combines Federal & State preparation) is $16.95. If you use TaxACT Standard and need to file a state return, the cost is $13.95.
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