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I've been using FreeTaxUSA for a while now to do my taxes, and I like it very much. (If you use TurboTax or H&R Block or something, I strongly recommend giving

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for a while now to do my taxes, and I like it very much. (If you use TurboTax or H&R Block or something, I strongly recommend giving FreeTaxUSA a look). I was sort of wondering if the IRS would just buy them wholesale and use that as the free file software, since it's already "finished" and making another one would be duplicated effort. But is there precedent for that, the government just buying a private company for its IP?

hammock 3y ago
>is there precedent for that, the government just buying a private company for its IP? The government's preference would probably be to contract with them and license it.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  US Digital Service and the current White House MO around digital service delivery [1] operates a bit differently. IRS modernization [2] [3] will be owned internally. Their systems are the iceberg under the surface, the website for citizen consumption is the little bit above the surface. They're hiring people who know what they're doing (from page 15 of the modernization pdf): > Our overall success will depend on several special legislative proposals and regulatory authorities that we believe are appropriate for an effort of this scope and importance: > Engaging the Office of Personnel Management to utilize existing direct hire authority for IT modernization positions and/or broadening government-wide critical pay authority > Seeking reauthorization of IRS Streamlined Critical Pay Authority that expired in 2013 > Ensuring funding is available for multiple fiscal years at somewhat predictable intervals. [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/09/22/fact-sheet-building-digital-experiences-for-the-american-people/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/09/22/fact... [2] https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-modernization https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-modernization [3] https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1666 https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1666 | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36976331 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36976331 (please consider a tour of duty: https://www.usds.gov/apply https://www.usds.gov/apply | no affiliation, just an engaged citizen)
Eumenes 3y ago
FreeTaxUSA is great and my situation isn't trivial. Think I paid $39? I hope the IRS does not buy them.
dalyons 3y ago
I gave FTuasa a go after seeing it mentioned here a lot. Unfortunately it seems the investment part is very manual compared to TurboTax. I have a couple of robotrader , brokerage accounts etc. on TurboTax it’s a few clicks and that’s imported, FTusa is tediously transcribing numbers off dozens of forms that I have no idea if I’m doing it right. I reluctantly gave money to TT again.
- dublinben 3y ago
  This is not tax advice: If your brokerage reports all of your trades to the IRS, which they likely are, then you can just enter a summary. You don't need to grant access to your outside accounts and import anything.
  - starik36 3y ago
    Right, I've always just entered the summary. However, that process is manual and requires scouring the forms for correct info. With TurboTax, it lets you integrate into the brokerage and just sucks down the info.
    - mminer237 3y ago
      Your 1099-B should give you all the info right on the first page in a table.
      - starik36 3y ago
        Not really because FreeTaxUSA asks questions about whether there are state specific bonds that have already collected taxes, whether the investment qualifies as a foreign investment, etc... That requires digging in a bit.
        mminer237 3y ago
        Foreign taxes are lines 7 & 8 on the summary. A brokerage account shouldn't have state bonds, and I thought those were in line 12, but I can see how that would be more confusing.
asdff 3y ago
There is no secret sauce with free tax usa or any of the others. It asks you questions and auto fills a pdf that ends up being surprisingly short in the end. Setting aside for a moment the window dressing on the ui and having to support all these concurrent users and their accounts, what it actually does is so simple. It really feels like the sort of site where the would make a good assignment for an intro to html class.

hammock 3y ago

>is there precedent for that, the government just buying a private company for its IP? The government's preference would probably be to contract with them and license it.

toomuchtodo 3y ago
US Digital Service and the current White House MO around digital service delivery [1] operates a bit differently. IRS modernization [2] [3] will be owned internally. Their systems are the iceberg under the surface, the website for citizen consumption is the little bit above the surface. They're hiring people who know what they're doing (from page 15 of the modernization pdf): > Our overall success will depend on several special legislative proposals and regulatory authorities that we believe are appropriate for an effort of this scope and importance: > Engaging the Office of Personnel Management to utilize existing direct hire authority for IT modernization positions and/or broadening government-wide critical pay authority > Seeking reauthorization of IRS Streamlined Critical Pay Authority that expired in 2013 > Ensuring funding is available for multiple fiscal years at somewhat predictable intervals. [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/09/22/fact-sheet-building-digital-experiences-for-the-american-people/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/09/22/fact... [2] https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-modernization https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-modernization [3] https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1666 https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1666 | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36976331 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36976331 (please consider a tour of duty: https://www.usds.gov/apply https://www.usds.gov/apply | no affiliation, just an engaged citizen)

Eumenes 3y ago

FreeTaxUSA is great and my situation isn't trivial. Think I paid $39? I hope the IRS does not buy them.

dalyons 3y ago

I gave FTuasa a go after seeing it mentioned here a lot. Unfortunately it seems the investment part is very manual compared to TurboTax. I have a couple of robotrader , brokerage accounts etc. on TurboTax it’s a few clicks and that’s imported, FTusa is tediously transcribing numbers off dozens of forms that I have no idea if I’m doing it right. I reluctantly gave money to TT again.

dublinben 3y ago
This is not tax advice: If your brokerage reports all of your trades to the IRS, which they likely are, then you can just enter a summary. You don't need to grant access to your outside accounts and import anything.
- starik36 3y ago
  Right, I've always just entered the summary. However, that process is manual and requires scouring the forms for correct info. With TurboTax, it lets you integrate into the brokerage and just sucks down the info.
  - mminer237 3y ago
    Your 1099-B should give you all the info right on the first page in a table.
    - starik36 3y ago
      Not really because FreeTaxUSA asks questions about whether there are state specific bonds that have already collected taxes, whether the investment qualifies as a foreign investment, etc... That requires digging in a bit.
      - mminer237 3y ago
        Foreign taxes are lines 7 & 8 on the summary. A brokerage account shouldn't have state bonds, and I thought those were in line 12, but I can see how that would be more confusing.

asdff 3y ago

There is no secret sauce with free tax usa or any of the others. It asks you questions and auto fills a pdf that ends up being surprisingly short in the end. Setting aside for a moment the window dressing on the ui and having to support all these concurrent users and their accounts, what it actually does is so simple. It really feels like the sort of site where the would make a good assignment for an intro to html class.