Debt and Taxes

Filed my taxes this week! I used the federal free e-file program through TurboTax, and it worked pretty well. To make sure you actually get the free file, you have to go through www.irs.gov, and click on the obvious links to pull up a list of places that you can file for free. I picked Turbo Tax without doing any real research, but I did use their standalone program to file last year, and the online version worked pretty much the same.

It was surprisingly helpful for a free program. You have to create an account with them, but it pretty much holds your hand the entire way and explains everything very well. I ended up getting almost everything back from the federal taxes, and the return was approved the next day. The state taxes were another matter. Turbo Tax's system wanted $19.95 to file my state taxes online, but the system let's you print out copies when you're finished, so I just printed them and mailed them. Seemed like the obvious solution to me, although I was later told that Illinois actually has their own free e-file system in place. But what I really can't believe is how little I got back from the state. Don't they care that I'm poor? Makes that little bit of nagging guilt from shopping online instead of locally just vanish.

In fact, the online system worked so well, I can't really imagine what the program they charge for is like. It must make up deductions for you!

-Tim