I’d like to make a confession…I get kind of really, overwhelmingly excited about doing our taxes every year.  The first W2 or 1099 that comes lights a very short excitement fuse and I simply can’t wait to get everything we need and dive into preparing our tax return.  I should probably be on some type of medication, getting some professional help, or, at the very least, picked “Tax Preparation Man” as a career, but, I digress.  One of the big reasons that I get so excited about getting our taxes done (aside from finding out how much we’re getting back!) is that it’s something on my lengthy to-do list that is super easy to get checked off.  My secret about loving tax time?  FreeTaxUSA.

Back in 2007, I heard about FreeTaxUSA and gave them a try.  I was completely satisfied and have been loyally preparing and filing my federal and state taxes with FreeTaxUSA for the past 10 years.  And, it’s worth noting that my taxes haven’t always been cut and dry, 1040EZ situations.  In 2007, I used FreeTaxUSA when I needed to account for a death benefit payment I received, a residential energy credit for replacing the HVAC system in my house and education credits for going to college.  In 2008, I used FreeTaxUSA when I needed to account for closing a 401K and winning a sizable prize from a local radio station.  In 2009, FreeTaxUSA helped me appropriately report a $5,000 trip I won.  2012’s taxes threatened to challenge with the sale of one home and purchase of another, but, FreeTaxUSA guided me through accurately reporting both.  And in 2013, FreeTaxUSA supported me as I filed for the first time as “married, filing jointly.”  No matter the year’s complexities, FreeTaxUSA gave me the confidence to prepare and file my taxes myself and avoid shelling out money to someone for something I can do myself.

I’ve dabbled with a few other tax preparation sites online, but I’ve always gone back to FreeTaxUSA to finalize and submit my / our taxes for a few reasons.

• There’s no software to download.  Everything is done on the FreeTaxUSA website and stored in the cloud.  Not only does this make it easy to work on your taxes from any device, it also means that your tax returns are stored off site so no worries about not being able to access tax returns from previous years.
• It’s flexible.  FreeTaxUSA allows you to save your progress and return to any part of your tax return prior to finalizing the return.  I LOVE this feature because it makes it super simple to input things as they arrive, making it way less of a pain in the ass to get our taxes done.  We have a checklist of documents that we need to complete our taxes.  When each document arrives, I take a minute to log in to Free Tax USA, put in the information, save it and mark it off our list.  By the time the checklist is complete, everything’s entered into Free Tax USA and I’m ready to review and finalize.  I don’t have to spend hours at the computer, entering information or being overwhelmed by the process.  Spending a few minutes when each document arrives makes it so much easier to get our taxes done.
• It’s a step by step process.  Read the question, select your answer and get a prompt for what’s next.  There’s no confusing “see Line 42A” stuff and each question is supplemented by additional information to help you make the right choice, and make sure you’re not forgetting anything.
• It’s affordable.  Having your taxes prepared can be downright expensive!  Free Tax USA allows you to file your Federal taxes completely FREE, no matter your income, filing status or which kind of 1040 you’re using.  No fees for itemizing.  And, complicated tax returns are welcome.  State tax returns aren’t free through Free Tax USA, but they are cheap, cheap, cheap!  The fee to file your state return with Free Tax USA is $12.95, which is pretty much a steal compared to fees other companies charge.  And, there’s usually coupon codes available that make it even cheaper to file your state return.

Ready to take a stab at doing your own taxes, at your own pace, and saving yourself some bucks in the process?  Click the graphic below to give FreeTaxUSA a try this year!  BONUS: Use coupon code FREETAXUSA10 for 10% off your order!