Income Tax Tag: refund

IRS begins the 2009 income tax return season this month and has announced that IRS efile opens on January 15, 2010. IRS efile as we discuss on our web site is the process of filing out your federal income tax return and sending it to the IRS electronically versus sending your income tax return to the IRS through the mail.

According to the IRS web site, the efile service rolled out nationally in 1990 and delivered 4.2 million income tax returns. Last year the IRS efile service delivered over 95 million income tax returns or about 66% of all filed tax returns.

The free tax software found on our web site can be used to efile your IRS tax forms online or through the purchase of premium software. To get your income tax refund as fast as possible, choose the direct deposit option. The leading income tax software providers H&R Block, Turbo Tax, and Tax Act are quoting 8 days as the number of days to receive your IRS tax refund using the direct deposit option. The IRS states “in as few as 10 days” on their web site.

In contrast if you are planning to mail in your IRS tax refund and receive an IRS refund check by mail, that could take up to 6 weeks! For sure it is much faster to efile.

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 right 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.

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

Those who file IRS income tax form 1040EZ and don’t need much help with their taxes can prepare and efile for free in 2008 using H&R Block Free edition online. H&R Block 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 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 income tax return 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 H&R Block tax service review web page for more information.

-Income Tax Pro

Free efile your 2008 income tax refund with Turbo Tax Free. Turbo Tax Free 2008 edition is for simple tax returns and some restrictions do apply. Free efile is included at no extra charge. If you are an IRS form 1040EZ income tax refund filer then we recommend that you give Turbo Tax Free 2008 edition a try. There is no commitment, and if it turns out that you instead need to file form 1040a, long form 1040, or any supporting schedules, Turbo Tax Free will notify you and automatically transfer your tax information to another Turbo Tax edition if desired. Visit our Turbo Tax income tax software web page to learn more.

- Income Tax Pro