Tax Services: There's Gotta Be Another Way

Submitted by AbsolutelyDrunk t3_10qn5gu in springfieldMO

I've filed taxes by myself for the last 6 years through TurboTax but I'm absolutely fed up with it. The last two years, TurboTax has demanded that I pay to use their "free" services when nothing has changed in my taxes since 2017. They claim that my taxes are too complex for the "free" service option. Last year they demanded $83 to file my state and federal (which I wasn't happy about, but paid anyway) and this year they asked me for $120. I might as well go to a brick and mortar and have someone do it for me at that point. So I'm wondering if anyone has a good quality but cheap tax filing place they recommend going through.

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Comments

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EcoAffinity t1_j6s1odh wrote

Have you been going through the IRS Free File page? Anyone who makes 73k or less can file a federal tax return for free, no matter how complicated. Some state filings are free as well.

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MotherofaPickle t1_j6scwe1 wrote

TurboTax still charges. We have been using Credit Karma (through the IRS Free File) because they are the only service on there not charging our tax bracket.

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EcoAffinity t1_j6sj912 wrote

TurboTax is no longer part of the IRS free file program, so that's why (a hole scammers anyway). The way the government lets the lobbying tax return companies screw over the American public is such a farce.

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Lionfountain t1_j6su7ac wrote

Freetaxusa.com is one option commonly referred to on r/personalfinance

Some users went as far as to verify that the results are the same as TurboTax by filling out their information in both programs simultaneously.

Cheers!

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jake7996 t1_j6ussui wrote

This! I have used freetaxusa.com for years now. When I had a W2 from a casino a few years back h&r block wanted to charge me like 50 bucks to upgrade the service so I could file that form. When I went to freetaxusa.com I got the exact same number and no cost for federal. They do charge like 15 bucks to file state.

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user10085 t1_j6sz4or wrote

As someone else mentioned, free tax USA works well. The federal is free to file and the state costs $15.

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HoboScabs t1_j6sg4mv wrote

If you don't have a lot of forms, it is pretty straight forward to do then yourself. It's when you are dealing with credits and deductions it gets more complex. But even then, it's worth your time to learn how to do this on your own.

You already have a non-government entity taking from you, no point in paying someone extra to help then do it.

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NotBatman81 t1_j75hg4n wrote

Meh I disagree it's worth your time when it gets complex. I have 20 years of finance experience and I spend about $100 on tax software for a fairly complex state and federal return. Not worth my time to become a broad-based expert in individual tax.

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kernelpanic789 t1_j6s3sk8 wrote

We use Mike Truman at Truman and Associates in Chesterfield Village. Family owned company. Used him for years. Does a great job. Meeting with him next week.

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Aur3l1an0 t1_j6s96j9 wrote

Mariah at Fast Tax in Nixa MO. Excellent and affordable.

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Dakkendoofer t1_j7i25n2 wrote

I use “My CPA Guy” (nathan@mycpaguy.cpa) down in Highlandville. Little bit of a drive, but he’s awesome. Very friendly, too.

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