How To Your Taxes for Free. Yes, FREE

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

— Benjamin Franklin, 1789

No one likes to do their taxes.

In an ideal world, we’ll all have a CPA to do our taxes for us, but money is tight and we don’t have an extra few hundred dollars laying around for a CPA. But good news everybody — you can file your taxes for free if:

1. You make less than ~$60,000 per year
2. Or you are in active military service, and you make less than $64,000 per year
3. Or you are qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit
4. Or you are 60 years old or older

If you meet any of the above requirements, there actually quite a few companies and non-profit organizations that will file your taxes for free.

Yes, free.

File Your Taxes Online For Free

You can file your taxes online for free if you have simple taxes, i.e. your income comes from full-time or part-time employment, and you plan to file a 1040 or 1040EZ.

However, there is a caveat. If you have complex tax needs, such as itemizing your deductions because you run your own business, you will need to pay up for more expensive versions of the following tax filing software.

Nevertheless, if you didn’t do any crazy day trading, having rental income, or multiple houses, the following companies will do your taxes free:

H&R Block — You are eligible if:

• Your income is $64,000 or less, and your are between 17 and 50 years old
• Or you are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit

Turbo Tax Freedom Edition — You are eligible if:

• Your Adjusted Gross Income is $33,000 or less
• Or you are in actively military service, and you make $64,000 or less
• Or you are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit
• All ages are eligible

TaxAct Online Free Edition — You are eligible if:

• Your Adjusted Gross Income is $52,000 or less and your age is 56 or younger
• Or you are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit

FreeTaxUSA Free File Edition — You are eligible if:

• Your Adjusted Gross Income is $51,000 or less, and your age is between 17 and 60
• Or Your are in active military service and your Adjusted Gross Income is $64,000 or less
• Or you are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit

Credit Karma — You are eligible if:

• Anyone from any income bracket is eligible, even if you make more than $60,000 per year
• So what’s the catch? Credit Karma will use your information and to match you up with eligible financial or credit services, like loans or credit cards. You are under no obligations to sign up for any of the their suggested financial or credit services, but Credit Karma makes a small commission if you do sign up for services through them

For simple taxes, all of the above services are equally similar in terms of ease of use, getting the maximum tax refund, and the time needed to get your tax refund returned to you. Therefore, you can’t go wrong with any of the above choices.

However, if you want specific recommendations, I would recommend H&R Block, Intuit Turbo Tax, and TaxAct since these 3 companies are the most well know ones out of the list. Try them out first especially if you have filed taxes with them in the past.

However, if you don’t like the services provided by H&R Block, Turbo Tax, or TaxAct, IRS has a compiled a list of 12 companies that you can use to file your taxes online for free instead.

File Your Taxes with Help from Volunteer Tax Professionals

It is ok if you don’t feel comfortable filling taxes online with a computer. Maybe you don’t have easy access to a computer or internet access or maybe you don’t feel comfortable using computers to file your taxes.

Don’t worry. We got your covered.

There are non-profit organizations, such as VITA and TCE, that will help you go through the tax filing process in person and answer any questions that you may have about the process. Specifically, VITA and TCE have volunteers that will meet with you in person, help you fill out your tax forms, and file your taxes for you. All for free.

A quick note. All VITA and TCE locations will help you file simple tax returns, such filing a 1040 or 1040EZ. However, not all locations can help you with complex itemized deductions, such as income from rental properties, investment/pension plans, expenses from running your small business, and etc. Therefore It is best to call ahead to confirm if you need to file complex taxes.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

I want to give a shout-out to VITA. It stands for “Volunteer Income Tax Assistance” and is a program put on by the IRS that uses trained volunteers (often college accounting students) to do people’s taxes. The returns are always double checked, and VITA will help you file state and federal taxes for free.

— A VITA Volunteer

VITA is a non-profit program that partners with local colleges and IRS tax law certified volunteers to help people file their taxes for free. Just to drill home the free part — you can’t even tip them a piece of candy.

VITA’s services typically include:

• Free federal and state tax filing
• Spanish speaking interpreter
• Eligibility varies from location to location, but you should be qualified if you make less than $54,000 per year
• Services (such as itemized tax returns) also vary from location to location. It would be best to call ahead and double-check
• Getting tax services from your local VITA is easy. Simply look up your closest VITA location and make an appointment. You can find your nearby VITA locations through this IRS website link.

Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)

TCE is another IRS sponsored tax preparation program similar to VITA.

It partners with other non-profit organizations, such as AARP Tax-Aide, to provide tax help to people with low and moderate income. What makes TCE different is its volunteers specializes in supporting seniors over 60 years of age.

Therefore, in addition to filing helping you do your taxes, TCE volunteers can also answer questions that you may have about retirement-related tax issues, such as questions related to your 401K, IRA, or other retirement/pension plans.

To find your closest TCE location, you can use the this link or call the toll free number 888–227–7669.

Again, both VITA and TCE services are completely free if you make $54,000 or less or if you are 60 years or older.

Therefore, please don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment VITA or TCE if find their services to be helpful. They can ensure that you receive all applicable tax credits and deductions, so you can have more discretionary income for everyday essentials like food and housing.

Prepare These Documents Before You Do Your Taxes

Filing taxes can be a a scary experience if you don’t understand the process or if you don’t know what tax information you’ll need to give to the IRS.

This is why we’ve prepared this list of documents that you need to bring or have ready with you. If you have the following documents ready, I guarantee you’ll have a breezy and (hopefully) painful free tax filing experience:

• Your, your spouse, and your dependent’s social security number. Or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if you don’t have a social security number
• Wages and earning statements, such as W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, 1099-Misc, and any IRS forms that document your income from your employers, investments, and retirement/pension plans
• Form 1099, which list your interest and dividend statements from banks if applicable
• All Forms 1095 that document your health coverage for the previous year. Or your Health Insurance Exemption Certificate, if received and applicable
• Form 1098-T that documents your tuition and educational expenses if you are a student enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college
• A copy of last year’s tax return, if available
• Your bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit

Also, here are some additional notes that are applicable if you plan to file your taxes in-person with the help VITA or TCE volunteers:

• Both spouses must be present if you plant to file jointly
• Proof of identification for your and your spouse, such as driver’s license, and passport

Doing Your Taxes Can Be Free and Easy

Doing your taxes doesn’t have to be a daunting task. It can be as easy as entering your tax information online at a website like H&R Block or making an appointment to have a VITA or TCE tax volunteer help you file your taxes.

Plus filing taxes and filing taxes early guarantee good things for you. You can get your tax refunds more quickly, you’ll prevent identify thieves from stealing your tax refunds, or prevent your passport from getting revoked over any unpaid taxes. Yes, you can get your passport revoked over unpaid taxes. What a time to be alive.

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Originally published at www.hiaida.com.