Anyone else fill out tax forms by hand & mail them?

[Randi]

I will probably be the last person in the country to do it the old way, but my return is so simple. I called HR Block to see how much they would charge so I could get it done & file electronicly, $140 plus!!! Good grief!

Can't see buying tax programs since they cost a pretty penny. So I picked up the forms at the post office and tomorrow will proceed to fill them out. I think the IRS should always leave that option open for those people who just don't have computer access or savy.

 

[dmslush]

I do mine through turbotax I do the 1040 and it is $19.95. If you can do the 1040ez, it is $9.95. My return was direct deposited in two weeks time. It was super easy, and I know that I will drag my feet when it comes to putting something in the mail. I don't know why, but I will carry something around in my purse for two weeks before I ever end up sticking it in the mail. I try to pay all of my bills online.

 

[bicker]

Our TurboTax wanted $29.95, not $19.95, so you must have gotten a good deal somehow.

We just did it by mail, not really because I didn't want to waste $30, but rather I have a feeling that they're going to hold up our refund this year anyway, so why pay for the privilege of waiting longer?

 

[Kteacher]

Our accountant prepares ours, and we sign it and mail it in. DH owns his own business, so his taxes are too involved for either of us to attempt!

 

[Charade]

I haven't done federal income taxes by hand since the first release of TurboTax when it was 5 or 6 floppy disks!!! The state is just simple math so those were always done by hand. Now the state (PA) has it available online for free so the only taxes done by hand are the local. Those are simple math too.

I like using the program because it saves time looking up tables and I know the calculations are correct. You also get to see what your effective tax rate is. Many people don't know this. Even though you may be in the "X" percent bracket when your employer takes taxes out, by the time you get through any standard or itemized deductions, your effective tax rate is much lower. Last year with just a mortgage interest and charitable contribution deductions, my tax effective tax rate was about 11 percent but my tax bracket was 25 or 28 (can't remember).

The other nice thing is the ability to file online (you can do your federal over the phone) and get your refund quicker and directly deposited into your account.

 

[Pembo]

There are places on the web where you can file for free. Check out irs.gov.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I tried to look for a place to e-File for free - what a nightmare!! You have to have extremely low income to qualify for the free filing, it routes you to these God-knows-who websites where they want ALL of your sensitive info, no thanks!

I get the booklet in the mail each year with our little pre-printed label. I do the math with a calculator, put a stamp on the envelope, and mail it in! I sent ours in on Feb. 1 this year and our refund was direct deposited Friday (March 3). Works for me.

The year I did the taxes myself I found a place that would submit the return electronically for $40, but then the way my employer had done the W2 they weren't able to submit it after all. Better to just mail it in. Our computer is VERY old and it crashes all the time, so I wouldn't trust it to submit my tax forms. Besides, the CD Rom drive doesn't work, so that makes Turbo Tax kind of a non-issue.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow, I didn't realize how few of us "dinosaurs" there are left! I do my taxes by hand-pencil and paper, calculator, and mail them. But I'm a math teacher so I actually enjoy figuring out the percentages, decimals, doing the addition and subtraction, etc. And this year, the non-profit literacy center I work at started doing taxes for free for low income local residents. We use a tax program on the computer, but then I go home and drag out my #2 pencil and my Casio for my own (1040, with itemized deductions). Boy, do I feel old now!

 

[lbgraves]

I also figure out our taxes & mail them in. We have investments & use to have my mystery shopping stuff then we itemize. I fill out the info in turbotax online to see if I get the same amount then mail it in.

 

[Snowysmom]

I still do our taxes the old fashioned way. I actually don't mind doing it and like working with the numbers. I get to do the taxes for my kids too.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

When there's TurboTax or HRBlock to do it for you, why on earth would you do it by hand?

J/K I suppose for some it might be easier to do by hand, but ours are so darn complicated there is NO way we could do it that way.

TOV

 

[ncbyrne]

Count me among the dinosaurs!

When there's TurboTax or HRBlock to do it for you, why on earth would you do it by hand?
TOV

WHY do I do it by hand? Two years ago, for the first time, we paid an accountant to do our taxes! Our amount due was no more or less that when I did the taxes myself. I'm not paying him to do something I can do myself. AND I get to keep that $200! I sit at the dining room table with all the paperwork spread out and my handy dandy adding machine. And when I'm done, I put it in an envelope and walk it to the post office.