Income Tax Category: Tax Refunds

Turbo Tax Free is now available to tax payers filing their 1040EZ IRS federal income tax refund. That’s Free as in $0.00 free Turbo Tax software that you can use online to efile your 1040EZ tax refund fast. Turbo Tax currently states that if you efile online and select the direct deposit option, you can receive your income tax refund in as little as 8 days.

Turbo Tax Free is fully functional income tax preparation software online. Turbo Tax Free asks you simplified questions then puts your answers on the right forms including forms 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040 long form. The Turbo Tax Free edition does have income restrictions and does not cover tax schedules C, D, E and F, however you can upgrade to Turbo Tax Deluxe or other Turbo Tax editions if you need more forms or prefer any advanced features.

If you like Turbo Tax Free, try also Quicken Free which is personal finance software made by the some company.

TaxAct Free is now available to those who want to efile their federal 1040EZ tax refund online, and, TaxAct Free is also available to everyone else who files federal taxes including 1040A and 1040 long forms!

TaxAct has been providing free IRS tax filing for the past 10 years.  No matter your income tax situation, married, single, easy, or complex, TaxAct Free IRS federal tax return preparation software has you covered. Free TaxAct means that you can:

• Prepare your IRS tax return FREE
• Print your IRS tax return FREE
• Efile your IRS tax return FREE
• No income restrictions

Upgrade if you like to TaxAct Deluxe or TaxAct Ultimate editions, however, TaxAct Free edition is fully functional, includes the Deduction Examiner and walk-through videos. It costs nothing to try out TaxAct Free online, and this tax software is also available for download and CD by mail. Visit our TaxAct Free web page to learn more or to get started.

IRS today confirmed the opening of their e-file program for 2008 federal income tax returns. The official IRS e-file open date is January 16, 2009.

IRS e-file program began as a pilot project in just 3 cities back in 1986 with just 25,000 tax returns filed electronically that year. Each year the number of tax payers choosing e-file continues to grow, with almost 90 million IRS tax returns e-filed last year according to published IRS statistics.

Among a dozen other things, the IRS also said the following today:

“…the error rate is so low for e-filed returns. In fact, the error rate is significantly reduced from 20 percent with paper returns to about 1 percent with e-filed returns.”

“Taxpayers who use e-file and who choose direct deposit can receive their refund in as few as 10 days. That’s because with e-file, there’s no paper return going to the IRS. And with direct deposit, there’s no paper refund going to the taxpayer.”

So not only does e-file deliver your income tax refund money faster than mail in tax forms,  those who e-file usually don’t make any errors. No doubt that income tax preparation software is partly responsible for the reduction in tax form errors. And we must note also that Turbo Tax and Tax Cut are quoting “in as few as 8 days” as the number of days for which you can receive your IRS income tax refund.

TaxCut added TaxCut Free to their tax software line for 2009.  If you need to file IRS income tax form 1040EZ and don’t need much help, you can prepare and efile for free using TaxCut Free edition online.

TaxCut Free makes it quick and easy to prepare your form 1040EZ income tax refund, automatically checks for errors, and carries an accurate calculations guarantee just like the rest of the H&R Block income tax preparation services.

If you have a more complex income tax filing for 2008 and need tax form help and advice, try H&R Block Signature from $79.95. H&R Block Signature allows you to prepare your income tax return online with the help and support of an H&R Block tax professional. Complete the income tax return yourself online, then, an H&R Block income tax professional will review, comment, edit, sign, and efile your 2008 income tax return for you.

Didn’t file your 1040EZ tax refund or payment due in 2007 or even 2006? H&R Block Signature tax professionals can consult and help you file past year income tax returns as well. Visit our TaxCut and H&R Block tax service review web pages for more information.

You e-filed your IRS tax refund and are wondering if the e-file was received, and more important, when you will get your IRS income tax refund money. The IRS has an online refund look up tool they call “Where’s my refund?” To look up your IRS tax refund using the IRS tool, you will need to have a copy of your income tax return handy or at least know the following information from your income tax return:

• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• Filing status (Single, Married Filing Joint Return, etc.)
• Exact whole dollar amount of your IRS tax refund

In general you can access information about your IRS tax refund 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-file tax return. If you e-file online using Turbo Tax Free, Tax Cut Free, Tax Act, H&R Block or any other income tax e-file service, first log into your account from the service provider’s web site to ensure that your e-file was in fact processed. While rare, there are instances where an e-file is rejected. Your IRS e-file service provider will generally alert you by email or post a message in your account to inform you of the status of your e-file.

If you mail in your income tax return, you can generally access your IRS tax refund information in three to four weeks after the mailing date.

After the wait period, visit www.irs.gov and click on the “Where’s My Refund?” image on the left side menu to get started. Enter the required information into the IRS web form and view your results.

Income tax refund 1040EZ filing can begin now if you already have your W2 or other required forms. By this I mean that you can now use the online free e-file options available on our web site like  Turbo Tax Free. However, Turbo Tax and all other income tax companies can not e-file your income tax refund 1040EZ or other income tax forms until the IRS e-file acceptance period begins. You can sign up for or download the Turbo Tax Free service and prepare all of your income tax forms now. You just have to wait for the e-file to happen and the subsequent income tax refund countdown to begin.

IRS E-file opens on January 16, 2009. IRS E-file as we often discuss on our website is the process of filing your federal income tax refund or federal income tax due forms electronically versus sending income tax forms through the mail.

The IRS is expecting to process income tax refunds faster this year. E-file your federal income tax refund online and choose the direct deposit option and get your income tax refund money in as few as 10 days says the IRS. We’ve seen the IRS tax refund money estimate quoted as 8 to 15 days elsewhere, so the general expectation seems to be within that range. Turbo Tax states on their web site that you can get your IRS tax refund in as little as 8 days.

Still waiting for your W-2 forms? Without your W-2 forms it’s impossible to file your income tax refund or income tax due forms. W-2 forms are the standardized statements of income that each employer must provide to their employees before January 31, 2009 for the 2008 income tax year. Depending upon the size and policies of your company’s payroll department, you may get your W-2 form early or late in January. Lucky employees get their W-2 forms the second week of January just about when the IRS begins to accept e-file of tax forms. The IRS begins to accept e-files on January 16, 2009.

- Income Tax Pro

IRS begins the 2008 income tax return filing season this month and has announced that IRS E-file opens on January 16, 2009. IRS E-file as we often discuss on our website is the process of filing your federal income tax refund or federal income tax due forms electronically versus sending income tax forms through the mail.

The IRS is expecting to process income tax refunds faster this year. E-file your federal income tax refund online and choose the direct deposit option and get your income tax refund money in as few as 10 days says the IRS. We’ve seen the IRS tax refund money estimate quoted as 8 to 15 days elsewhere, so the general expectation seems to be within that range.

Turbo Tax Free with free e-file states on their website that you can get your IRS tax refund in as little as 8 days.

- Income Tax Pro

Free File, Free Efile, or Free E-file what is the correct terminology for sending your federal 1040EZ, 1040A, or 1040 income tax forms to the IRS online? The official IRS.gov website uses the term “Free File” in links and wording as, let’s say, their very own product used to file your federal income tax returns for free online. Within the same sentence on the IRS.gov website you will notice the use of the word “e-file” in all lower case letters. The word e-file is used not just by the IRS but also by income tax preparation service providers to mean the electronic transmission of your prepared income tax return, free or otherwise.

Free E-File, not to be confused with IRS Free File, technically means that the electronic transmission of your income tax return is free. This tax year many of the income tax preparation service providers have increase their free service offerings to include free tax preparation along with their free e-filing service. What this all means is that if you like Turbo Tax or Tax Cut, they too offer free e-file and tax form preparation services in a software product that you may prefer over the IRS Free File product. It costs nothing to try Turbo Tax Free, Tax Cut Free, and new for this year Quicken Free which bundles well with Turbo Tax.

-Income Tax Pro

Quicken Online is now Free, that’s 100% free Quicken software that helps you to manage your spending throughout the year not just at tax time. Quicken is made by Intuit, the makers of Turbo Tax which means the two are easy to bundle together. While we don’t have a Quicken Turbo Tax bundle coupon available at writing of this entry, you can check for updates through out the income tax season on our Quicken TurboTax bundle web page. Free Quicken is a great way to try out this personal finance management software. Quicken Free, Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Premier, and other Quicken software editions work with your online banking, credit card, and related personal finance accounts. See all your personal finance accounts in one place, know what’s due, avoid late fees, and check your balances anytime, from anywhere. Best of all Quicken pairs well with Turbo Tax!

- Income Tax Pro