By Jonnelle Marte
Taxpayers with simple returns have several new ways to file without having to pay for help.
- iStockPhoto
The average cost for having an accountant prepare a Form 1040 with a Schedule A and a state tax return was $233 in 2011, up 1.7% from 2009, according to the National Society of Accountants. But the options for free tax help are growing. The Internal Revenue Service, for instance, offers Free File, a program that offers free tax-preparation software and other tools for taxpayers with low and moderate-income. Through the IRS site, taxpayers who make $57,000 or less can answer a few questions about their income, location and whether they qualify for certain credits
to pull up a list of companies that offers free tax preparation software, including TaxSlayer, H&R Block and 1040.com. The IRS also offers Fillable Forms, electronic versions of IRS tax forms, for people who are comfortable calculating their own taxes.
Some tax prep companies are setting up shop inside stores to give people free tax help as they pick up clothes and laundry detergent. Walmart , for example, is working with Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block to set up 3,000 tax preparation kiosks at its stores across the U.S. Jackson Hewitt will offer free federal form 1040EZ filing at Walmart up until the April 17 tax deadline and H&R Block will offer similar free help until Feb. 29.
In addition to the Free File program, the IRS also offers free tax help on the phone and in-person around the country for seniors, people with disabilities and non-English speakers. Last tax season more than 88,000 volunteers helped prepare more than 3 million tax returns for free, according to the IRS.
But tax experts warn that filers may still find themselves with a bill if their tax returns aren’t as basic as anticipated. For instance, while some of the companies offering services through Free File will also offer free state tax return preparation, other companies will charge$30 or more per form. People with other complications, say a couple who just had a child, bought a home or is filing several deductions and credits, may not qualify for the 1040EZ and might be better off paying for professional help to make sure they don’t miss out on any big tax breaks, says Gene King, a spokesman for H&R Block. “The advantages could mean thousands of dollars for certain taxpayers,” says King.
It seems like taking the time to find a tax specialist would be well worth the effort in the scenarios that were listed.
There are quite a few free tax advice websites available to consumers. Taxbuzz offers a tax advice blog for consumers offering tax planning tips, personal finance tips and breaking tax law news.
Pablo, if you made under $50,000 last year, go to http://www.irs.gov and put VITA in the search block. It will tell you where to have your taxes done free by IRS-certified volunteers. No hidden charges, fees, etc. Totally free. Only drawbacks are the income limit and not all returns qualify. But their scope includes about 98% of individual returns. Even includes Sch C (business income/loss) and sch D (gain/loss from stocks, bonds, etc.)
This would be the first time to have my taxes filled with free help.Im currently unemployed and I would like to know who I talk to at H&R Block to let them know Im having my taxes filed for free.
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Eagan Avenatti LLP Eagan Avenatti LLP Eagan Avenatti LLP Eagan Avenatti LLP
A firm of liars, thieves and cheats. A firm of liars, thieves and cheats.
Litigation Privilege Litigation Privilege Litigation Privilege
Michael Avenatti is a lying thieving scumbag who hides behind litigation privilege to spin his evil malevolent web of lies causing death and destruction of many families.
Michael Avenatti does not care what lies he tells as long as he can make a buck, he is a despicable lying thief. Michael Avenatti preys on the defenseless like the lying sniveling coward he is, he makes Sandusky’s abuse of disadvantaged youth look like charitable acts compared to the lives he destroys with his lies and thievery.
Michael Avenatti you are pure scum, so far we have accumulated 25% of public filings you have made, and without even trying, identified 1,000 outright lies contained in your briefs, I know litigation privilege you f…..ing scumbag. We are just beginning and may have to hire 20 Pilipinos to work around the clock so as we can apprise the public of all your malevolent lies and skullduggery. The lies and perjury already committed by your scumbag clients Fred Sands and Scott Blum total well over 200, you lying fuker, I know litigation privilege.
You way crossed the line (even for a scumbag lawyer) when you threatened someone in federal custody (who had been repeatedly ass raped and tortured by angry blacks) with massive future abuse in prison, tell me Michael Avenatti you f..ing douche bag, what could be worse than being repeatedly ass raped and sodomized by angry blacks while the guards laughingly watch you sik f…..k, tell me since you are one that made a threat of future massive abuse, I know litigation privilege, you scumbag f…..k.
Your client Fred Sands is a lying maggot, I can’t wait to depo him, prove he committed perjury like the lying f..king scumbag he is and then have him say, I was only spinning the web of lies my scumbag lawyer Michael Avenatti told me to say, litigation privilege.
You threatened the wrong mother f…ker A hole, I will make it a mission to publicly expose every f…kin lie you ever told, and it looks like there are many. I know, litigation privilege but hey, just like it is not a crime to lie like a mother f…ker behind the cloak of litigation privilege (an Avenatti specialty), at least as of this day in this country, it is still not a crime to make public the truth. Of course, I would not expect a scumbag like you to understand anything about the truth, F U Avenatti.
Previously Abused and Threatened by Avenatti