Do your taxes online. For free.

[desh]

Okay, January's almost over. That means that you probably have all of your tax forms by now: your W-2s, your 1099's, and so on. And you're starting to see ads all over the place for That Green Square Company That Has People, and for That Fast Software Company. Yep, it's tax season.

But I'd like to offer you an alternative to those places. You see, my company has long produced internet-based tax software and government benefit application software to help lower and mid-income people do their taxes and apply for benefits for free. It's a wonderful program that I'm proud to work for, and we've helped connect many people in need to money and other services. But one drawback to our program was that it's always been counselor-assisted. You had to go to a clinic and sit down with a counselor to use the program. Great if you live near a clinic, and great if you aren't computer-literate, but less useful for those of you reading this.

Well, that's not a problem anymore. This season, we've completed a pre-release of the self-serve version of our software, currently called Sidney. (Sidney's a cute robot.) With this program, almost anyone who made under $52,000 this year can file their federal taxes online for free, among the first 75,000 to sign up. Additionally, we offer state taxes in 5 states (PA, MD, MS, DC, and OH), and many other states don't have state tax returns. So probably half of you reading this can use our program to do ALL of your taxes. It's quite easy to use; we aim for high usability and easier reading levels. It's obviously a lot cheaper than many other places. And I'd love for you to try it out. And tell your friends, especially if you make too much money to qualify, since you probably know lots of people under the limit.

So go check it out! I'd love to hear your feedback.

Comments

[desh]

Or here's an alternate scenario. (Please note that I have NO IDEA if this is true. It just seems plausible to me. My job in no way relates to the politics or marketing aspects of what potential customers we support and why.)

The IRS doesn't set its own policy. To a large extent, the government sets it. What if the government can make a lot more money from bribes lobbyists for the paid tax preparer industry than they can save from the (relatively few) remaining paper filers e-filing instead? And what if the paid tax preparer industry has a vested interest in making it as hard as possible for people to file on their own? And what if the only way this arrangement could pass muster in congress is if an exception were carved out for people who make under a certain threshhold?

[nuqotw.livejournal.com]

That's much more convincing, in a weird only-a-super-wonked-up-bureaucracy-like-the-government-could-find-this-"logical" sort of way.

Incidentally, I think the AMT is hitting a few people under 52K, since it was never indexed to inflation.

Here's the weird thing. My NY State tax return has a box for me to check if I don't need a tax booklet next year, so that I can help save the state money. If I'm going help them save money, they should help me save money!

[t3chnomag3.livejournal.com]

I don't know about you, but even as I use a tax preparing program (ostensibly getting me dependent on their assistance), it helps me to understand how to file my taxes should I need to do so without the assistance of a program. Granted, my taxes aren't that complicated.

I have no doubt though that many tax preparing agencies provide a "free" version of their software or service (even without the IRS's incentive to do so) with the hope that many people upgrade. I know the program I use constantly teases me with services I could get if only I paid for the upgrade. I just ignore it, but I'm sure not everyone does.

Actually, I even saw somewhere on the IRS's website that you can mail to the IRS your W2s and 1099s and they will calculate your taxes for you, as long as you don't need anything complicated (I don't remember just how complicated is "too" complicated).

[desh]

The IRS will do your taxes for you? Wow. I hadn't heard about that at all.

I've never paid anyone to do my taxes. (My Cousin The Accountant used to do them for me, and then I did my own "by hand" for a couple of years, and this year of course I'll use my company's program.)

And from what I hear, a standard with free programs (Free File Alliance or otherwise) is that federal taxes might be free, but state taxes almost never are. I'm not sure if that matches up with your experience or not.

[t3chnomag3.livejournal.com]

That is my experience, but I find doing PA state taxes to be fairly easy once I've done my federal. And while I tend to get a refund from federal, I tend to have to pay out for the state, so it's not such a big deal that I mail the state in myself because I'd have to mail my payment anyway.