Taxes

Free Federal Tax E-filing

January 24, 2012 By Gina 2 Comments

Have you started your taxes yet? I have! I like to get online right away in January and start plugging in numbers so I know if we’re getting a refund or not. Last year, we worked out how to avoid a big tax refund, by adjusting our withholding numbers on my husband’s W-2. It worked! It looks like we’ll be close to zero, which is the best position to be in. I love doing my taxes online because of that little ticker in the corner where you see the numbers changing as you plug in your information.

Two deals for you if you’re getting started: H&R Block online lets you e-file your Federal Tax Return for FREE. The TurboTax Federal FREE Edition also gives you FREE e-filing. I use TurboTax’s Home & Business (not free) because it helps me organize all my side jobs.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting MoneywiseMoms at no cost to you!

Filed Under: Family Finance, Taxes

Sales Tax Holiday for Clothing & School Supplies

August 3, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

This weekend, August 5-7th, is Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday for School Supplies and Clothing. Even if you do not have children attending school, it’s a good time to stock up on office supplies or preschool art supplies at back-to-school sale prices with no sales tax. Qualifying school supplies selling for $20 or less per item and clothing/footwear selling for $100 or less per item are exempt from sales tax. Here’s the state’s list of qualifiying items.

Does your state offer a tax-free weekend? Other states across the country are also offering a similar tax holiday this weekend. Click the links for specifics for your area:

Alabama (includes computers)
Arkansas (Saturday and Sunday only)
Iowa (clothing only, Saturday and Sunday only)
Louisiana (all tangible personal property subject to sales tax, Saturday and Sunday only)
Missouri (includes computers)
New Mexico (includes computers)
North Carolina (includes computers, sports equipment and instructional materials)
Oklahoma (clothing only)
South Carolina (includes computers)
Tennessee (includes computers)

And mark your calendars for these upcoming sales tax holidays:

Connecticut (only clothing/footwear, August 21-27)
Florida (August 12-14)
Maryland (only clothing/footwear, August 14-20)
Texas (August 19-21)

Filed Under: Taxes

Still Haven’t Done Your Taxes?

April 13, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

It’s okay, you have until Monday, April 18th to file. Get your paperwork together and set a date with your spouse to get it done this week. We’ve used TurboTax for years, and it’s quick and easy. The questions and prompts take you through the process, and then you can e-file right from your computer. Our return was accepted by the IRS the very next day, and we got our direct-deposited refund about a week later. Start your TurboTax return now.

Once you’ve completed your federal return, print it out and use the info to file your state income tax for FREE. See my list of 20 states that offer FREE e-filing.

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

Filed Under: Taxes

Filing Federal Taxes for FREE

February 26, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

Are you finally working on your taxes this weekend? You may be able to file your Federal Income Tax Return for FREE, depending on the complexity of your tax situation. Here are three options:

H&R Block At Home Free Edition: There is no maximum income limit to file with H&R Block At Home. Meant for simple income tax returns, it includes error checking and an accurate calculations guarantee, but it does not import last year’s data, 1099 or W-2 forms (it will offer you a paid upgrade to do so). You also get H&R Block Worry-free Audit Support, and they offer a Get it Right Community with responses from a tax pro. H&R Block At Home Free Edition includes one FREE federal e-file, and you can add a state tax return e-file for $27.95.

Turbo Tax Federal Free Edition: Available exclusively online, the Turbo Tax Federal Free Edition is also intended for simple tax returns and has no income limits. Again, you have to type your info in manually and will not import last year’s data. Turbo Tax Federal FREE Edition includes one FREE federal e-file, and adding the state tax return e-file costs $27.95.

IRS FreeFile: If your adjusted gross income is $58,000 or less, you can use Traditional Free File through the IRS. This version offers free tax software, and the IRS has a wizard that helps you find a FreeFile company. There is also a version of Free File with no income limit, though it doesn’t offer any software or step-by-step help. Learn more about FreeFile and readers’ experiences with it at GetRichSlowly. Neither option offers free state tax return filing.

See my list of States with FREE E-filing, and you may not have to pay to file your state return either.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting MoneywiseMoms!

Filed Under: Family Finance, Taxes

Where to File State Income Tax for FREE

February 3, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

After you’ve completed your federal tax return, you can save a few dollars by using your state’s FREE e-file program. For years, Virginia offered free e-filing (but it’s been removed this year–boo!), so I would just print out my federal return and use those numbers to complete my state tax return.

Here are the 20 states that currently offer FREE e-file for state income tax returns:

The list above reflects states that offer FREE e-filing for ALL state residents. I’ve checked all these links, but if I missed your state, please let me know! Other states, including Virginia, do allow FREE e-filing of state taxes as long as you meet the income requirements. Each state’s requirements vary, so head to your state’s tax website (most web addresses are name-of-state.gov) to see if you qualify. Last, the states that do not require individual income tax filing (like Tennessee) do offer free e-filing of interest income and other taxable income.

Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or CPA and am not offering advice as such. My tax posts are informational and contain links for reference and verification.

Filed Under: Taxes

Free Tax Filing for Military Families

February 1, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

The Department of Defense provides FREE tax services for active-duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families. Through the Military One Source Tax Service, you have FREE access to a customized version of the basic H&R Block at Home product. This allows FREE federal filing and FREE state filing (for up to three states). You’re also able to receive FREE tax consultations by telephone.
If you’re a military family, this resource may be helpful to you. At the site, you’ll also find articles like Filing Taxes when a Service Member is Deployed and others once you become a member (it’s free).

Filed Under: Military, Taxes

H&R Block Online Deal + Giveaway

February 12, 2010 By Gina Leave a Comment

Starting Friday and running through Sunday, February 14th, you can register to use any H&R Block At Home online product for just $14. This is a 50% discount off Home Deluxe and 70% off Home Premium, making them a lot less expensive than other do-it-yourself tax software.

When you register this weekend, you’ll receive all the advanced features that H&R Block At Home Basic, Deluxe and Premium offer, such as audit support from a live tax professional, an easy-to-use tax calculator, and the ability to import last year’s tax data from TurboTax® or TaxCut®. By registering for the online version this weekend, you’ll lock in the $14 rate and won’t pay until you file, even if you wait until April! Register here: H&R Block At Home Online

In addition to this great online deal, H&R Block has provided me with two sets of H&R Block At Home Deluxe Software to give away to MoneywiseMoms readers! I’m making this a quick giveaway because I want you to get started on your taxes–we’re doing ours while we’re snowed in this week. Hopefully you’ll start yours, too. You have three chances to win:

Leave a comment below telling me why you’d like to win H&R Block software. Please be sure and leave your email if it’s not available in your profile. To avoid spam, space it out like: ginava3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Are you an Email/RSS subscriber or Google Friends follower? I reward my blog subscribers with an extra entry. Just leave another comment saying you’re a subscriber/follower.
Tweet about the giveaway by sending this out (just cut and paste) on Twitter: Enter the @HRBlock At Home Software #Giveaway at @MoneywiseMoms http://tinyurl.com/HRBlockSoft then leave another comment with your twitter name so I can see it.

*Update: This giveaway is closed. Thanks for entering! Sheila and moushka are the winners.

This giveaway ends on Sunday, February 14th at 12:00pm EST. US addresses only, please. I will choose a winner using Random.org and email the winners, who have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize. If the winners do not respond, I will choose again. Good luck!

*Disclosure: H&R Block provided the prizes for this giveaway. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post are my own and that I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway.

Filed Under: Family Finance, Giveaways, Taxes

Who’s Doing Your 2009 Taxes?

January 28, 2010 By Gina Leave a Comment

I’ve started working on ours, so I’m just curious–Who does the taxes at your house? Please take a second and click to answer the poll below. If you’re reading in a reader or in email, you may need to click over to this post to see the poll. For years now, I usually do our taxes (with an online software), and then hubby checks through everything as a second set of eyes.

Filed Under: Family Finance, Taxes