Tax season is upon us. Here are free income tax preparation & filing options:
- IRS – Free File is the IRS’ free tax preparation service for almost everyone. Free File does the hard work for you, either through brand-name software or online fillable forms. Give it a try!
- The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $53,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.VITA.
- Turbo Tax – Get your very simple tax return done right for $0. Easily prep, print and efile your simple tax returns (1040EZ/1040A). Automatically import W-2. Get guidance from our customer support agents via online chat
- SnapTax App –You can file both your federal and state tax returns for free provided you have a fairly basic situation. Take a picture of your Form W-2 using your smartphone. The app then does the work of extracting all of your information and fills in the form.Then, you answer a few questions and guess what? Now, you can e-file your returns.
- So what constitutes a basic situation?
- You may only have one Form W-2;
- You do not itemize
- You can only file a Form 1040-EZ or a Form 1040A.
- TurboTax App for iPad – This is a full version of TurboTax on your iPad. This provides you the convenience of doing your taxes wherever you are. The app will ask you questions to guide you through entering your tax information. It will double-check, so you don’t miss any deductions. This app is also free.
- ESmartTax Mobile for Tablets & Smartphones – Liberty Tax also offers free federal e-file through its mobile eSmartTax site. This app guides you through the process of entering your tax information. When you finish, it will e-file your taxes to the IRS. You can also use your computer with this app. While this app is free to use, it will only e-file your tax return for free with the basic edition. It has a Deluxe and premium edition. It costs $19.95 to e-file the state return.
- TaxACT Free Federal Edition For IPad And Android Tablets – This app will handle simple or complicated returns. However, this app offers free e-filing only for the basic edition. If you have a more complex return, you’ll have to pay $9.95 to upgrade. State returns are available at $19.95. You can use it whenever or wherever you want,via computer or tablet, as all your data is synced to TaxAct’s website.
