It is March 6, 2015 and I received my taxes after filing them last week. I should say that this year I had a CPA do my taxes because they’ve gotten a little complicated because I started to make enough doing side hustles and freelancing that I had to pay taxes on those earnings. But normally I do have my taxes done by the first week of March and it has been a very straightforward process.
For the past 7 years I have been filing my taxes online with H & R Block. You can file and get your Tax refunds in as little as 8 days from H&R Block online. But, I would caution you that whenever you file taxes there is always a possibility for your taxes to be delayed if you are getting a refund. It was my experience that I received my returns within a week but I had a very, very simple return. But, that is because I worked at the same place for 10 years and had very little change each year I filed. It was very easy for me to file online and I had a very positive experience filing online since H&R Block offers free online tax prep for simple tax situations .
How To File Your Taxes Online With H & R Block
- Ask yourself-How simple is my return? If you worked no more than 3 jobs in the past year and have all of your W-9s then I think that you could file your own taxes online.
- Gather your paperwork before sitting down to file your taxes. Most of us have a mix of paper documentation and emailed documents. Make sure you’ve printed out everything before starting.
- If you paid interest on student loans-and have your tax document (usually available to you by the lender online) then your return is still simple enough to file online
- If you have a very simple situation where you’re claiming the Standard Deduction, then I would recommend using this service.
- Set aside about an hour to two hours (at the most) to go through the online filing process.
- You will also need your social security number.
- You will have type in the details of all of your W-9’s and any other supporting documentation. You can also save your profile and complete it later-but I would advise against that. Just get ‘er done!
- Once you’re finished filing your Federal taxes you will then be prompted to file your state taxes. Please note: YOU WILL PAY to file your state taxes. I think I paid around $27 dollars last year to file my Colorado state taxes.
- I would strongly avoid using an online filing service if your situation is complicated. If you have: kids, a house with interest you’re going to claim, earned interest, I would strongly encourage you to go to a certified CPA or Accountant. They may be able to show you what to do if you decide to file online next year.
Because my situation got a little more complicated towards the end of last year I decided to work with a CPA. I believe that was the right thing for me to do this year. But, if my situation had stayed the same I would have continued to file online.
No matter what you decide to do, I would recommend that you file your taxes as soon as possible to avoid being a victim of the following scam that Yes I Am Cheap talked about in an earlier blog.
Have You Filed Your Own Taxes Online Before?
*Please note: there are affiliate links in this post and if you click to
on a link to file your taxes I may receive compensation*
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I have not done mine with HR block, but I have done mine with Taxacct and it was pretty simple.
The online services are usually pretty easy to use. I just make sure to print everything out and make notes.