Free e-filing for all this coming tax season on clarkhoward.com

For the longest time, the IRS has engaged in class warfare by forbidding those who make above $50,000/year from doing free e-filing. But that's about to change this coming tax season.

Some tax prepares have already jumped all over the coming change. TaxCut will provide free federal e-filing for all returns, all income levels. Clark hopes this will prompt their main competitor, TurboTax, to do the same. Currently, America has one of the lowest rates of e-filing among developed countries.

This new move should save the IRS a fortune. Previously, they had to have employees enter complicated tax returns for the super-rich by hand!

What others are saying

The TAX-MAN
I remember listening to the song "TAX MAN" by THE BEATLES, about 4 decades ago.
e-filing is free now, but as soon as it becomes a norm. It to will be taxed.
By Mark @ 02/02/10 03:26:52 AMreport abuse
Let's go back the stone age
Hey taxlady (comment from 11/06/08),

IRS has not become more user friendly, I guess I agree.
But if you start complaining about lost jobs because of e-filing, you are biased when not taking the gained jobs because of e-filing into account, thus considering the net benefit or deficit. Job gains such as:
- the Best Buy guy who sold you the computer
- the guy who programs the tax software
- the guy at Office Max selling you the software
- the postal worker delivering you the package with the software
- or the gas station making money off your gas you need to drive to Officemax
- the jobs at the packaging company producing the cardbord boxes for the software
- the computer repair guy that fixes your darn Windows if it craps out, because you need to file the taxes
- and Bill Gates .. wait, retired, .. well, all the Microsoft people programming Windows that you need
- people at Dell & Co., Intel, etc., producing parts for your computer
- toner/ink manufacturing jobs, because you need that to print it for your own files

... let me know when it starts to become ridiculous:

- the garbage man, because he needs to haul away all your intermediary print outs and also your empty cartridges
- oooh, jobs at the utility company are preserved, because your computer needs juice.
Speaking of, I think we should move tax season from April into summer, because then we can have a double benefit: The heat generated from the computer needs to be cooled down again with the A/C, thus needing even more power -> more utility jobs saved.

Who can calculate the net benefits for me?
Face it, we are not running about in bearkskin and communicate with grunting sounds anymore. We are in the information age, and job profiles shift. It has happened for centuries, and will continue to happen.
By alces @ 03/10/09 02:36:48 PMreport abuse
free e-filing
Last year the ceiling for the "free" filing was $60000. How come the ceiling was lowered? WE tried TaxACt and after reading one of the below comments we also tried TurboTax, since you don'y pay anything until you are ready to file. As the other person said, the refund is almost double and worth the charge. However, what they charge on line is higher than what you can buy the software for at stores like Office Depot or Walmart.
By Marcy @ 02/12/09 11:05:36 AMreport abuse
Free Efiling
How many Us jobs have been lost from efiling? There is a need for jobs in the USA and yet we continue to go down the road of electronic commerce that can be outsourced. Think of the clerical jobs, paper & print jobs, postal jobs, that have been lost and yet the IRS has not become more user friendly. When will Americans wake up and realize that we are what is wrong with our economy when we persist in our need for immediate need for gradification.
By taxlady @ 11/06/08 02:22:20 PMreport abuse
Fair Tax
It would be better not having to file at
at all
By Ted @ 10/08/08 11:36:51 PMreport abuse
Free e-filing
How slow is government! For years I have been wondering why they did not allow everyone fo file for free. Just now they are realizing it will save them money? Yikes.
By KurtN @ 10/08/08 10:34:27 AMreport abuse
Free filing
I found it very odd that I could not efile state taxes for free anywhere when I moved to GA a couple of years ago. However, last year I discovered that if you are a State Farm customer, they provided a link on their site that would allow their customers to file for free. The link took you to one of the large tax preperation companies (sorry, can't recall which off the top of my head) and as long as you followed that specific link the price came out to $0.00 on the invoice. I do not know if it will be available again this year, but it's certainly worth checking if you're eligible.
By JBean @ 10/07/08 12:21:55 PMreport abuse
Taxcut software
Just went to their website & e-filing costs an additional $19.95. How is that free?
By LeeH @ 10/07/08 07:18:37 AMreport abuse
Turbo Tax Free E-Filing
It's my understanding that Turbo Tax is offering free e-filing for Federal taxes. I've nothing about free e-filing for state taxes. Plus, Turbo Tax has raised their prices this year which is about the cost of e-filing, so how "free" is it?
By Donna @ 10/06/08 08:01:18 PMreport abuse
estimated taxes
why doesn't the gov. let us pay our estimated taxes on line by credit card ?
By ron foster @ 10/06/08 05:49:30 PMreport abuse
IRS free filing
I don't think it is the IRS alone that is subject to the lobbying. Keep in mind Congress mandates what the IRS can offer. It was Congress who didn't want to put the tax service companies out of business
By Deb @ 10/05/08 11:48:42 PMreport abuse
Free e filing
I don't understand why the IRS doesn't offer an excel/lotus/(add whatever spreadsheet name) that can be filled in and then uploaded to the IRS via a secure website. The tax eform companies must be lobbying the congress hard to keep this from happening. Something really stinks and I will not efile until the IRS fixes this and makes efiling free. What a joke...
By Daryl @ 10/05/08 11:18:43 AMreport abuse
Tax Filing
I prepare my own taxes using the fill-in forms at the IRS website, so unless I can access Turbo Tax or Tax Cut for free I will continue to submit a hardcopy form to the IRS. I refuse to pay money to file my taxes. If I ever have a complicated return I may use a CPA, but that isn't the case, yet. It is beyond belief that the IRS caves to the CPA's and software companies by not creating a way for tax payers to file directly to the IRS for free.
By Lisa @ 10/03/08 01:47:02 PMreport abuse
Turbo Tax
Turbo Tax is offering free e-filing to all as well. Their was a recent announcement about this to the media.
By Turbo Tax Guy @ 10/03/08 01:27:57 PMreport abuse
Tax Cut Error
I just realized it was Tax ACT I have been using the past few years, not Tax Cut. Similar enough name for me to get mixed up, but far different companies. I'll be using Tax Act again this year for $17! I don't know why one would need TurboTax or Tax Cut.
By Eric R @ 10/03/08 12:07:40 PMreport abuse
Tax Cut
I've used Tax Cut the past few years, with great results. Even though I have state taxes to file, I paid only $16 including e-file. Well worth it for the simplicity and rapid refund. I always felt TurboTax was a huge ripoff in comparison. Unfortunately, it looks like Tax Cut has raised their prices significantly. I guess I'll have to do some searching to find the best deal this year.
By Eric R @ 10/03/08 11:31:33 AMreport abuse
Filing by Mail
If you drop your return in the mail with a 41 cent stamp, you are asking for trouble. The IRS misplaced my return one year (they later found it) which caused no end of trouble. I would always use Certified Mail with a Return Receipt to prove that it was sent and received. Still costs less than five bucks.
By Jeff @ 10/03/08 10:15:22 AMreport abuse
free filing
However, the super-rich may not know all of the deductions to which they are entitled. They would probably save more in taxes than they would pay a C.P.A. to prepare their return.
By jeff @ 10/03/08 09:18:35 AMreport abuse
tax filing
It's still cheaper to paper file with a postal stamp for leass than a dollar!
By Andy @ 10/02/08 08:13:29 PMreport abuse

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Oct 02, 2008 -- Free e-filing for all this coming tax season

What others are saying