4 ms·

Can’t you file your taxes for free in the US if you know how?

by janwl 1y ago

willis936 1y ago
That's why GP said "tax prep". Anyone can download and submit a 1040. That isn't the part that takes domain expertise.
- janwl 1y ago
  I don’t know why assume that in every country in the world that is free. In my European country until 15 years ago or so you had to hire someone to do your taxes for you, and currently the free method only works for the most simple tax filing. In fact what you get is called a “draft” of your tax filings because you’re supposed to make sure it’s okay, and it’s your responsibility if you miss something or if the draft is wrong. And obviously the draft usually assumes that you will have to pay more tax, since there’s a perverse incentive given it’s the government who fills it for you.
  - unbrice 1y ago
    Which country if I may ask? I have lived in France Switzerland and Ireland and haven't seen something like this, even though governments provide the tax filing software. I wonder if the explanation actually had to do with these people who used to do the job 15 years ago influencing the process to ensure they remain relevant. Kind of like in the US actually.
bloomca 1y ago
Yes, you can download the form 1040 and fill it by yourself, you'd need a few Schedules attached. They all have instructions available online, your work has to send you a copy of everything they paid you and into the IRS (regular jobs always err on the side of overpaying), and while it is not hard, it definitely looks intimidating and takes time to understand, especially the deductions. You can also just not file your taxes, if you don't owe anything (and as I said, jobs always err on the side of overpaying) they won't bother you, but most people end up eligible for the tax refund, so it is more beneficial to pay for that service.
- reactordev 1y ago
  Sad part is, when I started working, this was normal. My father showed me how to do it. I did it for a few years and then TurboTax came along and I used that for free. Then they rug pulled me into a deluxe one year because I had 1099 income and ever since I’ve been jailed into paying if I want to use them. 1099 or not.
  - jayknight 1y ago
    Switch to freetax USA. I have 1099 income and it's still free.
    - reactordev 1y ago
      Besides the point. The point I was making is that because I had one year of 1099 income in the past, I was paywalled into paying. I no longer use TurboTax as my tax needs have changed. Thanks though but I wasn’t soliciting for alternatives.
  - bluGill 1y ago
    I used to do that every year. It wasn't hard. However one year I forgot to copy line 12b from form 9876 to line 34c of form 5432 and when the IRS caught that I had a big mess to clean up (since state taxes copy federal taxes so I had to refile state with the corrected numbers...). Now I just pay a small fee to FreeTaxUSA (I figure they deserve some money for their efforts in creating software). One thing I can say for sure: doing taxes with a computer takes me longer than filling out the paper forms by hand! There are so many delays while "calculated" (as if a ghz computer can't add numbers fast), and loading question pages that I can obviously skip (I never worked for the rail road, I'm not blind...) but take extra time because of how they setup the UI.
- btreecat 1y ago
  > You can also just not file your taxes, if you don't owe anything (and as I said, jobs always err on the side of overpaying) they won't bother you From the IRS website: >Who must file >Most U.S. citizens or permanent residents who work in the U.S. have to file a tax return. >Generally, you need to file if: > Your income is over the filing requirement > You have over $400 in net earnings from self-employment (side jobs or other independent work) > You had other situations that require you to file Not sure if your intent was to discourage filing, but it read that way to me.

Can’t you file your taxes for free in the US if you know how?

by janwl 1y ago

Can’t you file your taxes for free in the US if you know how?

willis936 1y ago

That's why GP said "tax prep". Anyone can download and submit a 1040. That isn't the part that takes domain expertise.

janwl 1y ago
I don’t know why assume that in every country in the world that is free. In my European country until 15 years ago or so you had to hire someone to do your taxes for you, and currently the free method only works for the most simple tax filing. In fact what you get is called a “draft” of your tax filings because you’re supposed to make sure it’s okay, and it’s your responsibility if you miss something or if the draft is wrong. And obviously the draft usually assumes that you will have to pay more tax, since there’s a perverse incentive given it’s the government who fills it for you.
- unbrice 1y ago
  Which country if I may ask? I have lived in France Switzerland and Ireland and haven't seen something like this, even though governments provide the tax filing software. I wonder if the explanation actually had to do with these people who used to do the job 15 years ago influencing the process to ensure they remain relevant. Kind of like in the US actually.

bloomca 1y ago

Yes, you can download the form 1040 and fill it by yourself, you'd need a few Schedules attached. They all have instructions available online, your work has to send you a copy of everything they paid you and into the IRS (regular jobs always err on the side of overpaying), and while it is not hard, it definitely looks intimidating and takes time to understand, especially the deductions. You can also just not file your taxes, if you don't owe anything (and as I said, jobs always err on the side of overpaying) they won't bother you, but most people end up eligible for the tax refund, so it is more beneficial to pay for that service.

reactordev 1y ago
Sad part is, when I started working, this was normal. My father showed me how to do it. I did it for a few years and then TurboTax came along and I used that for free. Then they rug pulled me into a deluxe one year because I had 1099 income and ever since I’ve been jailed into paying if I want to use them. 1099 or not.
- jayknight 1y ago
  Switch to freetax USA. I have 1099 income and it's still free.
  - reactordev 1y ago
    Besides the point. The point I was making is that because I had one year of 1099 income in the past, I was paywalled into paying. I no longer use TurboTax as my tax needs have changed. Thanks though but I wasn’t soliciting for alternatives.
- bluGill 1y ago
  I used to do that every year. It wasn't hard. However one year I forgot to copy line 12b from form 9876 to line 34c of form 5432 and when the IRS caught that I had a big mess to clean up (since state taxes copy federal taxes so I had to refile state with the corrected numbers...). Now I just pay a small fee to FreeTaxUSA (I figure they deserve some money for their efforts in creating software). One thing I can say for sure: doing taxes with a computer takes me longer than filling out the paper forms by hand! There are so many delays while "calculated" (as if a ghz computer can't add numbers fast), and loading question pages that I can obviously skip (I never worked for the rail road, I'm not blind...) but take extra time because of how they setup the UI.
btreecat 1y ago
> You can also just not file your taxes, if you don't owe anything (and as I said, jobs always err on the side of overpaying) they won't bother you From the IRS website: >Who must file >Most U.S. citizens or permanent residents who work in the U.S. have to file a tax return. >Generally, you need to file if: > Your income is over the filing requirement > You have over $400 in net earnings from self-employment (side jobs or other independent work) > You had other situations that require you to file Not sure if your intent was to discourage filing, but it read that way to me.