Refund Checks

[Chas]

I filed electronically. Received a refund for over payment electronically. $300 rebate was in the form of a paper check.

[taropatch]

Thanks to this thread I now understand why I received a $300 paper check in the mail  a couple of days ago.

Now, most of you file electronically.  When I tried to do that, TurboTax tried to charge me $140 for Fed and State, so I file manually.  My friend, a retired Navy lifer uses TaxAct so he gets a discounted veteran's rate.  What tax software do you guys use?  I sure ain't paying $140 for the privilege of filing electronically.

Clarification:  I used to file with TurboTax when I qualified for the free version.  Now with stuff like Cap Gains I have to use the premium version.

[Chas]

I've been using olt.com for years. It's like $15 total for HI and Federal. I don't think it matters how complex it is.

[randomq]

I use H&R Block, usually can find it heavily discounted online around Black Friday, or close to the deadline. Use a site like Slickdeals.net

[TomK]

I used TurboTax online and it cost $102 to file both fed and state taxes. You can file Fed taxes free using that site, but if you have extra things you want to be included then I think you have to pay extra. I suspect the state tax filing is not free no matter what, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I could have saved a little money by filing earlier than I did, but was out of the state due to health reasons for that period and didn't get around to it. TurboTax also offers different prices for what you need to file, so if you have investments, etc., then you probably have to use the most expensive option.

randomq - I assume you mean buying the software rather than filing, as W2s are not generally available until late January. Can you clarify?

[Obie]

I have used TurboTax since it 1st came out on a 5 1/4 inch floppy disc.

I use the online version and I'm happy to pay for the convenience of cloud storage.
I have a lot of carry over stuff.

[TomK]

I agree. It usually takes me about an hour to do both fed and state taxes each year using it since it saves and uploads nearly everything it needs, including the W2 form. $100+ sounds a lot, but when you consider how much time it saves it's not a bad deal. If you only need to file a basic fed return and nothing else, it's free.

[taropatch]

Chas and randomq, thanks for the possible suggestions.

I love TurboTax as its so easy to use (when I qualified for the free version), but that $140 charge for Fed and State is a bit steep for me now, especially one who is on a fixed income.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

TurboTax

Watch the sales, I've bought the Home & Business version for around $70 from both Amazon and Target over the years.  The steep discount only lasts a few days or at best a week, and it's usually only one time a year - - so grab it if you see it.  Federal return digital filing is free, state software download for one state is free (to calculate taxes) but state return filing digitally is about $20 extra??

[randomq]

@TomK yes, referring to the software package

@taropatch whichever software you prefer, slickdeals.net is good for searching for deals. Good luck!