Tax Time... No Telefile?!?!

[Whammo]

Ive used telefile for several years… its so easy… but today I got a notice telling me that Telefile is no longer in existance and that I have to use Efile…

Well thats OK im thinking… im always on the internet… I went there tonight www.irs.gove/efile and I cant just file from there… evidently it MUST be done through some third party software…

FUCK that… how is that easy? I have to PAY for software to file my taxes with efile???

Am I missing something or is this just more government bullshit??

[Fear_Itself]

@Whammo

I have to PAY for software to file my taxes with efile???

Yes.

[Fear_Itself]

And then you have to pay an additional $15 to the IRS to submit your efile.

[Sunspace]

Is there a service similar to the Canadian Ufile.ca in which you do all the calculations through a website, receive a small file containing the calculated tax information, then go to the tax authorities’ website and upload it? No need to buy or install software, and it costs around CAD 15 to calculate, and free to upload. Direct deposit of refunds as well!

I’ve been doing this for about three years. The first year using the service, I had to print everything out and mail it, but in subsequent years, none of my address/bank account details changed, so I can do it completely electronically. I get PDFs of my returns as well.

I already got my 'tax paxkage" from the feds: a small envelope containing an access code for this year’s file upload, plus labels for if I need to send something on paper, and a sheet to send in with a cheque if I have to pay. (I can get the tax forms at any post office.)

[friedo]

Here at Friedo’s Super-Awesome Happy Tax Preperation Service we have a patented method for preparing and filing your taxes with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of ease. Because the SDMB has been so good to me, I will share our top-secret recipe with you.

1. Gather all tax documents for the year in a shoe box, cookie tin, tupperware or other suitable container.
2. Go to Kinko’s. Remember to bring the container!
3. Make a copy of each piece of paper.
4. Stuff all the copies in an envelope. Make sure to keep the originals so you can store them in your basement, never to be looked at again.
5. Mail the envelope to your accountant.
6. Wait.
7. Receive a prepared return in the mail from your accountant.
8. Sign where the pretty little stickers are.
9. Mail in the return.

I’m telling you, after I perfected this rigorous process, I don’t have to worry about taxes anymore.

Now, if I can only figure out what happened to my retirement account and why my accountant has left the country…

[Duckster]

Whoever said there is no such thing as a free lunch may have been right. But for millions of eligible taxpayers, with an Adjusted Gross Income of $50,000 or less, there is Free File. Free File is online tax preparation and electronic filing through a partnership agreement between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, LLC. In other words, you can e-file… free.

Source: http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html

Well, if you meet the criteria, efiling is free. Otherwise, IIRC your software and filing fees for this tax year are deductible for next year.

Decline in use for most forms, coupled with increasing costs to maintain the system and the growth of other electronic filing options, led to the decision to end the program [Telefile].

Source: http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=141294,00.html That’s government-speak for budget cuts.

[dbuzman]

For e-file, I think you can also take your stuff to the Local IRS office (if you have one near you) and they will do it right there for free.

[peri]

Is this for individual taxes or business/payroll taxes? If individual, wait a week or so and the irs approved free filing sites will be online. I used TaxAct last year for free, TaxSlayer the previous year. Very few of the sites required downloaded software. I found it interesting that one company had free filing only for returns with an AGI of >$35,000. I guess they felt they should try to level the playing field, or something.

For the payroll returns (940, 941) we reverted to paper returns when TeleFile ended. We used QuickBooks with payroll service and had it do the calculations. I couldn’t get enough feedback on any of the online providers to decide on one last year. Paper returns are still free. (If this is for payroll, how did you file for the third quarter last year?)

[Balthisar]

For personal taxes check out the IRS website. There are many, many, many free tax preparation services. Some have weird restrictions like income cutoffs or residency in certain states. Others allow anyone at all. Some will do your state taxes, and others won’t.

Plus, you don’t have to e-file. You can still send in paper returns. And if you were doing tele-file, I imagine that’s only for 1040EZ, in which case, filling out one side of a single sheet of paper and afixing a stamp ought not to be too difficult.

[gigi]

@Balthisar

Plus, you don’t have to e-file. You can still send in paper returns. And if you were doing tele-file, I imagine that’s only for 1040EZ, in which case, filling out one side of a single sheet of paper and afixing a stamp ought not to be too difficult.

Yep, I’ll be going back to paper for my 1040EZ. It was certainly nice getting the direct deposit by the end of January through Telefile though.