E-file your Taxes for Free Using Taxact.com.

Have you filed your taxes yet?  I’ve had an on-again off-again relationship with TaxACT, a free tax preparation program by 2nd Story Software.  We are going steady again and thought I would share the reasons why I came back to this web-based app for doing taxes.

Sure, there are other options out there to use for preparing your taxes, but I find TaxACT to be the creme of the crop.  (And this is coming from someone who used to work at Intuit, the makers of TurboTax–and someone who has tried having their taxes prepared by an accountant.)

So Easy, Grandma Can Use It

As the above video shows, even your great-grandma can use TaxACT!  TaxACT is 12-yrs-old and has been nationally recognized by PC Magazine, PC World, USA Today and many others as the value-leader in tax software.  TaxACT is backed by a 100% accuracy guarantee, and there’s no risk or obligation to use it.

9 reasons to use TaxACT.

1.  Free.  If all you want to file is your federal return, all TaxACT costs is your time.  Why pay someone a fee to prepare your taxes when the person is probably just going to use TaxACT (or other similar tax software) to prepare your taxes.  Do it yourself for free!

2.  Quick & Easy.  Just answer the very user-friendly interview questions that appear on the screen (e.g., Did you buy a house this year, do you own a business, did you have a baby, etc).   It only took me about an hour to complete my tax return.

3.  W-2 eXpress.   If your employer provided you with access to an electronic W-2 from TALX W-2 eXpress, you can save time by automatically importing your W-2 tax information. Less data entry!  Many employers offer this now. Ask & find out!

4.  Direct-Deposit.  I get my refund deposited directly into my checking account, about one week after I file.  I even get a text message whenever there is an update on the tax return (e.g., when it’s “received,” when it’s “accepted,” and when the refund is on its way).  But you can request a check in the mail if you want.

5.  Web-Based or Desktop.  I personally adore the web-based version of TaxACT (I’m very pro cloud computing). From any computer with internet access, I can securely login and continue right where I left off.   But for persons who prefer a desktop based software that installs to their personal computer, that is an option also.

6.  E-File or Print Return.  If you feel leary about e-filing (many people still prefer mailing their tax returns the “old school postal mail way”), you can printout your tax return to mail.  I prefer e-file!  It’s so convenient and faster than postal mail.   To boot, e-filed tax-returns receive top priority and the fastest processing by the IRS.

7.  Storage.  You can opt to pay extra to have your tax return permanently stored on TaxACT’s servers for years to come.  I personally never use this service, as I simply print my tax return to PDF and “store” the PDF myself in my Google Docs account (I just import it in).  You can also just e-mail a copy to yourself for safe keeping.

8.  Deluxe Version.   Optionally, you can try out the “deluxe” version of TaxACT, which only costs $9.95.  I’ve only tried it once… the year my husband and I bought our house.   Since then I have not used the Deluxe version.  However, other persons may enjoy the “benefits” of the Deluxe version which include:

• TaxACT 2010 Import
• Donation Assistant
• TaxTutor Guidance & Tax Tips
• Informative Life Events Guidance
• Stock Import
• Tax Calculator
• TaxWatch 2012
• National Averages Comparison
• Depreciation Summary Reports
• Capital Gain Summary Report
• Amended Return Filing
• Retirement and Higher Education Tax Guides

 

9.  Alerts & Suggestions.  Last but not least, TaxACTS requires you to run “alerts” before you e-file, so that their software can catch any errors in your return that would be flagged (and rejected) by the IRS.  So this is a great feature.  But even better, based on the information you input, TaxACT will alert you to additional ways you can save money!  This feature alone saved me an additional $800 that I otherwise would have missed.

Happy tax filing to everyone who hasn’t started yet!  CLICK HERE if you want to try TaxACT.

Not Ready to File? File an Extension for FREE Using TaxAct!

You can easily file an “extension” using TaxACT too, for FREE, if you don’t think you’ll have your taxes done on time.  You can use their software just to file the extension and nothing else if you want.

Earn Income Filing Other People’s Taxes

Also, if you are good at preparing taxes, why not prepare them for friends and family members and make some extra money.  TaxACT offers a Preparers Edition of their software!   It’s a good thing their parent company was not acquired by H&R Block; read this (the nerve of H&R block to try that).

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Do Your Federal Taxes Free – Prepare, print and e-file FREE – TaxACT®

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Question:   What do you think about TaxACT?  Have you tried it?  Will you try it?  You can leave a comment by clicking here.  Please don’t forget to “like” this page also to help spread the word!