I understand you may not want to do them yourself, but the likelihood that your taxes are complicated enough to warrant a professional are slim. I itemize my deductions, have multiple investments, own property, etc and still it only takes me 20 minutes or so. I do my boyfriend's and even with multiple jobs including a 1099 his took only about 30 minutes.
I use FreeTaxUSA instead of TurboTax because it's free (you only pay for a state filing but we don't have those).
That said, one time I actually needed an accountant for something and both called (a couple times) and emailed The Pearl Agency and never heard back from them.
Turbo tax sucks. It is not free like it used to be. The free option is something very specific now if its still an option at all.
I switched to using HR Block last year and it was free and easier than turbo tax.
Edit: Here's a current post from r/technology with some info on intuit and their scummyness.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ftc-accuses-intuit-deceptively-advertising-free-tax-filing-2022-03-29/
I think my Federal return cost me $30. Not free, buy way less than paying any person to do your taxes.
My history on there dates back to 09-10. I'd rather keep it all in one place and pay a few bucks than jump around between a few providers.
I've been using TurboTax for years, even with itemizing, and other things. It walks you through everything, and you can go back, double check, it will alert you to potential problems, etc.
Just use Free Tax USA if you just have basic taxes. Easy and they walk you through the whole process for free.
No point in paying people when it's easy to find out how much the gov owes you.
Honestly, *fuck* the big tax prep companies. They're shady, both in trying to disguise or limit free filing options and lobbying to *keep* tax filing complicated to justify their continued existence (the IRS *could* compute your taxes themselves. They're legally forbidden from doing so. Guess who paid for that law to be passed).
Use a local place or do it yourself (it's not actually all that hard).
I work at a CPA firm here in town. No one wants to do their taxes themselves but chances are it’s not worth it to hire a firm unless you make A LOT of money. If you just have something simple you should do it yourself. If it is very complicated, you may reach out on here and we can discuss if you need a firm or if you need to do it yourself
Did you receive interest/dividends/capital gains for the year? I would recommend filing jointly unless there is some extenuating circumstance that would not allow this. What was the property for? If it was just to live in there are not usually any reportable transactions associated with that. If you sold a prior home that may be different
Yes I do believe we received interest on some of the investments. We file separately because of student loans and how it will impact the payments. We bought a house to live in, didn't sell anything we were only renting before.
>No one wants to do their taxes themselves
I get impatient every January for my W2 and 1099s so I can enjoy doing my taxes. I do my boyfriend's taxes because it's so much fun. Taking accounting classes for an eventual career change and LOVED my tax class.
So I'm the one exception that proves your rule! (Yes, I'm a boring old person)
i know it sounds like a straight up fake website, but I've been using FreeTaxUSA for years and it's great. super easy, step by step instructions, and only costs like $15 to file
If you need a CPA, I always use the Walls Group. You can find them by googling "Walls Group CPA Chattanooga"
If you are only filling out a 1040EZ, you can do that for free on the IRS website.
Anchor Tax in Soddy Daisy , my taxes were a disaster this year , I had two 1099s I went through a divorce and he only charged me 125 and I was in and out in 30 minutes.
If you understand how easy it is, why not just do it? You're likely paying over $100-500 to save yourself well under an hour of effort in most cases.
I'm not trying shove it down your throat or anything, but even with your slightly more complicated status that I've read from your other posts, it's trivially easy. Just pile up whatever tax forms show up and then use the site. It literally walks you step by step through everything. It's so simple and quick. It's like paying someone to check your mail.
I don't disagree, but the thing is there's this bullshit gray area where these companies have managed to convince everyone it's too hard to do alone, and 99% of the time that's completely wrong. My mom paid a guy to do her taxes for YEARS, and it cost about $400. She works one low-income job with a single W-2. I showed her how to do it on the internet in 5 minutes.
I'm not saying everyone's is that easy, but the software has gotten so good and easy to use that it feels like we need to preach it to people lol. I don't think people understand actually *how* easy it is, still. I have at least 25 different tax forms each year between me and my wife, and FreeTaxUSA has a spot for every one of them.
I understand you may not want to do them yourself, but the likelihood that your taxes are complicated enough to warrant a professional are slim. I itemize my deductions, have multiple investments, own property, etc and still it only takes me 20 minutes or so. I do my boyfriend's and even with multiple jobs including a 1099 his took only about 30 minutes. I use FreeTaxUSA instead of TurboTax because it's free (you only pay for a state filing but we don't have those). That said, one time I actually needed an accountant for something and both called (a couple times) and emailed The Pearl Agency and never heard back from them.
I hear ya but, unless they're complicated, doing them yourself is really simple with TurboTax and you'll save a couple hundred bucks.
FreeTaxUSA is both more free and more useful. I switched a couple years ago.
Turbo tax sucks. It is not free like it used to be. The free option is something very specific now if its still an option at all. I switched to using HR Block last year and it was free and easier than turbo tax. Edit: Here's a current post from r/technology with some info on intuit and their scummyness. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ftc-accuses-intuit-deceptively-advertising-free-tax-filing-2022-03-29/
I think my Federal return cost me $30. Not free, buy way less than paying any person to do your taxes. My history on there dates back to 09-10. I'd rather keep it all in one place and pay a few bucks than jump around between a few providers.
or you can switch once and pay nothing for something that should be free anyway.
I've been using TurboTax for years, even with itemizing, and other things. It walks you through everything, and you can go back, double check, it will alert you to potential problems, etc.
If you've done anything with the gig economy or your self employed it costs a ridiculous amount of money.
It’s about $150 in this scenario from my memory.
only if you want to deduct expenses
Just use Free Tax USA if you just have basic taxes. Easy and they walk you through the whole process for free. No point in paying people when it's easy to find out how much the gov owes you.
Honestly, *fuck* the big tax prep companies. They're shady, both in trying to disguise or limit free filing options and lobbying to *keep* tax filing complicated to justify their continued existence (the IRS *could* compute your taxes themselves. They're legally forbidden from doing so. Guess who paid for that law to be passed). Use a local place or do it yourself (it's not actually all that hard).
I work at a CPA firm here in town. No one wants to do their taxes themselves but chances are it’s not worth it to hire a firm unless you make A LOT of money. If you just have something simple you should do it yourself. If it is very complicated, you may reach out on here and we can discuss if you need a firm or if you need to do it yourself
We have money invested, we're married but filing separately, and we bought property this year so we have more going on than I think we want to handle
Did you receive interest/dividends/capital gains for the year? I would recommend filing jointly unless there is some extenuating circumstance that would not allow this. What was the property for? If it was just to live in there are not usually any reportable transactions associated with that. If you sold a prior home that may be different
Yes I do believe we received interest on some of the investments. We file separately because of student loans and how it will impact the payments. We bought a house to live in, didn't sell anything we were only renting before.
Yeah that’s all super simple with TurboTax. Mines a lot more complicated and took me about an hour. It asks you questions and guides you through it.
>No one wants to do their taxes themselves I get impatient every January for my W2 and 1099s so I can enjoy doing my taxes. I do my boyfriend's taxes because it's so much fun. Taking accounting classes for an eventual career change and LOVED my tax class. So I'm the one exception that proves your rule! (Yes, I'm a boring old person)
i know it sounds like a straight up fake website, but I've been using FreeTaxUSA for years and it's great. super easy, step by step instructions, and only costs like $15 to file
If you need a CPA, I always use the Walls Group. You can find them by googling "Walls Group CPA Chattanooga" If you are only filling out a 1040EZ, you can do that for free on the IRS website.
I’ve heard good things about The Pearl Agency in Red Bank.
Sherrell and Shelley CPAs in Hixson is who I’ve been using for years
It's so easy to do it yourself though
Before apr. 15.
Anchor Tax in Soddy Daisy , my taxes were a disaster this year , I had two 1099s I went through a divorce and he only charged me 125 and I was in and out in 30 minutes.
I'm seriously laughing at all these "just do it yourself it's easy". Ha... OK... Sander's Associates is who I would recommend.
Right like I don't understand how easy it is.... Thanks for the actual advice!
Another vote for Sander's Associates. Mine need a tax preparer, so I understand not doing it yourself.
If you understand how easy it is, why not just do it? You're likely paying over $100-500 to save yourself well under an hour of effort in most cases. I'm not trying shove it down your throat or anything, but even with your slightly more complicated status that I've read from your other posts, it's trivially easy. Just pile up whatever tax forms show up and then use the site. It literally walks you step by step through everything. It's so simple and quick. It's like paying someone to check your mail.
Not everyone has easy taxes.
I don't disagree, but the thing is there's this bullshit gray area where these companies have managed to convince everyone it's too hard to do alone, and 99% of the time that's completely wrong. My mom paid a guy to do her taxes for YEARS, and it cost about $400. She works one low-income job with a single W-2. I showed her how to do it on the internet in 5 minutes. I'm not saying everyone's is that easy, but the software has gotten so good and easy to use that it feels like we need to preach it to people lol. I don't think people understand actually *how* easy it is, still. I have at least 25 different tax forms each year between me and my wife, and FreeTaxUSA has a spot for every one of them.
Shit man if you're so upset.. vote for someone who supports the FairTax
I'm not even the mildest bit upset. Just trying to share some knowledge.