The Internet has opened up a plethora of opportunities for us to be able to efficiently conduct transactions, and this includes the annual dreaded event of filing income taxes.
Taxes have always ranged from being complicated to simply being a pain. In the past, there were two ways to file, you could wade through the lengthy paper process yourself or pay top dollar for someone else to do it for you.
If you’re like me, every spring you spent hours and days wading through all the complicated tax laws and the myriad of forms and instructions. Like Santa, you made your list and checked it twice, collected the documentation, literally spending a hefty amount of time ensuring you properly filled out each line. After this tedious event was over, you filed your tax return, then anxiously prayed you did it correctly and won’t get audited.
Fortunately today that’s all changed. Computer technology has given us the gift of simplified and expedited tax returns.
Tax software has been an incredible lifesaver. Filing taxes today has never been easier thanks to the development of tax software, such as Turbo Tax. Using tax software walks you through each step and allows you to optimize your tax return for the maximum amount due back or lower tax bill. The software detects all possibilities step by step, even pointing out potential errors, making it very easy and user friendly, even for the computer novice. I would almost go as far to say the process is pleasant. Now it takes a few hours at most instead of days.
To simplify filing your taxes even more, you now have the ability to file tax returns over the Internet. If you use tax software and decide to utilize the online option to file, you’ll be charged a nominal fee to do this. There are drawbacks and benefits to choosing to do this; obvious drawback is the cost, but the last three years I’ve decided to pay the extra money and typically received my refund rather quickly, a week, two at most. Another benefit is receiving an email when the IRS accepts your return. No more wondering if it’s been lost in the mail or sitting in a pile on someone’s desk waiting to be opened.
After the return is processed, the money is deposited straight into the bank account of my choosing and is immediately available. Can’t get any easier than that.
The best way to file taxes is definitely using tax software and sending your return off to the IRS with a simple click of the mouse. No more stapling forms in the correct order and worrying about forgetting to include any papers. Tax software does all the work and is most definitively the way to go!