Taxes

Joseph Meyer
Written by
Last update:

There are a lot of free tax software options, and if you can’t use one of the free options, you pay to file your taxes. However, if you own your own business or you partner with someone who does, you need to keep your business and personal expenses separate.

While you can fill out a single form and do separate deductions for business and personal, in most cases it pays to use a specific business tax software product. Tax laws change, and the software has been developed to handle those changes, which means that by using tax software, you can save hours preparing paperwork that will need to be done every year.

Here’s what most small business owners say is the most popular business tax software:

QuickBooks (Recommended by 25% of our readers): QuickBooks Self Employed is designed for work in a sole proprietorship or partnership. It’s easy to use, and you can file one return for both your business and personal taxes. It’s also compatible with the desktop version of QuickBooks, which means that as your business grows, the software will grow with you.

TurboTax Review | The Best Tax Preparation Option On The Market

If you have a business, you probably know that tax time is the worst time of the year. Taxes are time consuming, complicated, and can be confusing. Filing your taxes incorrectly can also be downright devastating. The IRS doesn’t mess around when it comes to penalties, interest, and sending your money to a collection agency.

However, don’t let that scare you. With the help of the TurboTax software, you can simplify tax preparation and save yourself time and money.

What is TurboTax?

TurboTax is the most popular tax preparation software in the country. Their product is an online program that can be accessed on computers, laptops, and mobile devices. The software can be used to fill in and submit your tax forms or to prepare your taxes and then connect to a TurboTax tax professional.

TurboTax has been around in one form or another for years. Originally, they only offered software. When they began this year, the service was already very popular. Their user-friendly, tax-preparation software was revolutionary for its time. Now, there are other more modern competitors.

Is TurboTax the Right Choice for You?

H&R Block Review: Is H&R Block Your Best Bet For Taxes?

H&R Block, the official tax preparation company of the NCAA Tournament, is one of the biggest tax prep companies around. According to their website, over 26 million people used their tax-preparation services in 2015.

Their goal? To help you qualify for every tax deduction and credit possible, so you can save as much money as possible on your taxes!

Unlike competitors TaxSlayer and TaxAct, H&R Block doesn’t offer free online tax prep and electronic filing. Instead, their product is more similar to do-it-yourself tax software like TurboTax, offering a variety of different options to choose from.

So is H&R Block your best bet for taxes? We’ll try to give you the low-down on their tax prep service, as well as help you make the best choice for your tax preparation.

The 8 Best Tax Relief Companies When You Need Help

The cost of tax relief does not have to be high. In fact, there are affordable tax relief companies available in Virginia that can help with outstanding tax debt. If you are dealing with an overwhelming IRS tax debt, there are more affordable options when it comes to tax relief companies than you may think.

Best Tax Software Programs

Taxes are an inevitable necessity. Whether you are completely tax-exempt (think students and homemakers) or you are one of the many Americans who have to work for the IRS, you are likely to have to pay taxes each and every year.

In many scenarios, taxes apply even to those who are not living in the United States. If you have ever had to fill out a 1040 or pay tax of any type, we highly recommend taking a look at Credit Karma Tax. With Credit Karma Tax, you can save yourself some stress and frustration by managing your taxes on the go!

Most Recent

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently made a number of updates to the tax code with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in December 2017. And while most of the changes to the tax code were beneficial, some are causing tax headaches for individuals and businesses alike.

So let’s focus on the ones that are causing a major headache. I’ll tell you what the changes are and then explain the reasoning behind it. Read on.

What You Need to Know About the Payroll Tax Pause

With the fiscal year coming to an end, it’s time to consider all the planning you’ll need to avoid an unpleasant surprise or two come tax season. Some of the tax changes you’ll need to consider in 2015 are fortunately benign, while others, like the payroll tax cut that just ended, are decidedly not. Here’s what you need to know before the new year begins and what you should be thinking about now.

If you’re currently working, you’ve probably noticed a significant drop in your net pay during the past few months. And it’s not just your imagination. Over the past year, you’ve been paying 2 percent extra into Social Security each month, thanks to a federal payroll tax cut that ended on December 31, 2014.

The payroll tax cut is a confusing beast even by Washington standards. It was originally initiated during the recession to stimulate the economy back in 2011, and it temporarily reduced payroll taxes from 6.2 (the amount of money withheld from a worker’s paycheck each month) to 4.2 percent. That’s right: The salary you earn this year is actually less than you earned last year.

FreeTaxUSA Review

As the year comes to an end, chances are you are striving to save some money on filing your income tax returns. On top of that, you need to find a quicker way to get the job done.

We are not financial advisors nor we are connected to the IRS establishment but we know a good deal on a tax filing service when we see one. So let’s take a closer look at how to file your income tax with FreeTaxUSA.

Headquartered in Lindon, Utah, FreeTaxUSA offers its users a unique experience. They take taxes seriously, and that comes across when you start using their services.

How to File Income Tax Return with FreeTaxUSA

The interface of FreeTaxUSA is simple and responsive. We took just a couple of minutes to log in and fill in our personal details and federal tax information. You get the chance to review your details before submitting them to the IRS.

From the moment you register until the time you print out your documents, FreeTaxUSA guides you through all the necessary steps. Even the help videos are pretty informative and useful.

Visit FreeTaxUSA’s YouTube channel to learn the basics of tax preparation. It has a couple of videos that explain the basic concepts of tax filing in plain and simple English.

EZTaxReturn Review

If you are filing your tax return on your own and would like to understand the basic tax law, there is an affordable tax class available that teaches the following:

  • Parts of your tax return
  • How to read your tax return
  • How to fill in your tax return
  • Income tax basics
  • Self-employment taxes
  • Forms and schedules

The 8 Best Tax Relief Companies When You Need Help

The cost of tax relief does not have to be high. In fact, there are affordable tax relief companies available in Virginia that can help with outstanding tax debt. If you are dealing with an overwhelming IRS tax debt, there are more affordable options when it comes to tax relief companies than you may think.

eSmart Tax Review | Tax Preparation Backed by Liberty Tax

If you need to fulfill your taxes, but lack the knowledge of it, you better find someone to help you out. You can either find a friend who knows how to prepare tax forms or you can hire a professional to help you out. The latter is more useful as you can just hand everything over to him and relax, since it’s difficult to remain organized while preparing your return. And that’s where eSmart Tax comes in.

The service is available in all US states and contains forms and calculations for most of the important types, such as:

  • Income tax, including both state and federal returns
  • Self-employment tax
  • Child and dependent care credit
  • Standard deduction
  • Itemized deductions
  • Tax credits
  • 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, and many more

ESmart Tax offers preparation of a federal and state return in addition to some other useful tools, like direct deposit, printing of tax documents, refunds status and extended support options. As defined on the service’s homepage, eSmart Tax offers both professional and affordable income tax preparation services. In other words, it will cost you less than most other similar services, but the work is still done by specialists. You need to pay only a fraction of the cost of hiring someone to prepare your taxes personally.

TaxSlayer Review 2020 – Fast Tax Prep For Less Than The Major Players

Tax season is upon us. Spending hours preparing your tax return by yourself can be a huge waste of time and energy.

The solution, at least for some, could be TaxSlayer, one of the online tax prep software programs.

TaxSlayer is an online tax filing service aimed at individuals who want a fast, online system that helps them file their taxes with the IRS quickly and for less money.

Competitors of TaxSlayer include TurboTax and TaxAct. The TurboTax and TaxAct companies have a significant number of accounting firms that offer their services.

PART 3:

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF NOTIONS

Alternatives to TaxAct

TaxAct is one of the most popular tax software programs in the world, but it’s not the only platform out there. There are other options to consider for your tax filing, especially if you don’t necessarily work out of your home and you need something a bit more robust than a simple program on your smartphone.

For the most part, TaxAct functions the same way that its competitors do. That is, you enter in your information, answer questions, and send it off to be reviewed and processed. If you need a free trial of TaxAct, one suggestion is to try their free tax calculator online to see if you like it. If you do, it’s probably worth investing in the desktop version of the program.

If you’re interested in other programs, several alternatives to TaxAct are offered. Here are a few:

TurboTax

TurboTax is still one of the most popular alternatives to TaxAct. They have several different packages, with the most expensive offering claiming a 100% guarantee that you won’t owe taxes after you’ve filed. This is a huge deal since you can end up only attracting penalties and interest if you claim you’re exempt from paying taxes on the wrong category of income.

What You Should Do With Your Tax Refund

Did you get a huge tax refund this year? Or maybe a bit smaller, but still nice? Good for you! It’s nice to have that extra money burning a hole in your pocket. You could use it to pay down debt, save it for later, or spend it on something you’ve been hoping to buy.

But whatever you do with it, I urge you not to automatically spend it.

Instead, you should put it into some sort of Tax Refund Economic Stimulus QE (aka, grow your own money).

As much as I welcome and applaud your new found wealth, I think it’s a mistake to spend your one-time tax refund check.

Let’s face it, you received this financial windfall, not because you did anything awesome, but largely because of government actions. You were just the lucky recipient of their largesse. But that doesn’t mean you should blow the money on a bunch of expensive stuff.

It’s the height of arrogance to think that an extra big chunk of money should be all that different from your regular paycheck … or even your paycheck’s pay raise. It’s not. It’s a one-time thing.

Top 3 TurboTax Alternatives

Filing taxes can be stressful and time consuming. It’s hard enough to have to do it, so no one wants to waste time minimizing your taxes and doing it in a way that’s convenient for you.

If you’re looking for an easier way to file taxes, you might consider going with a TurboTax alternative in 2015. TurboTax is regarded as one of the leading tax filing services that millions of people use. They have a reputation for being innovative, prompt, and thorough. They also offer ease of use for tax filers.

Since most taxpayers use TurboTax, it can be difficult to find a similar service that can replicate its services and features.

3 Simple Ways to Do Your Own Taxes

Whether you’re a new independent freelancer or just getting your tax affairs in order for the first time, filing your own taxes can be very confusing. Luckily, there are some simple ways to do your own taxes to save yourself from the stress of a hefty tax bill and the frustration of self-inflicted errors.

So to make your return-filing a little easier next year, here are some steps to get started on your own and keep a handle on your taxes.

H&R Block Alternatives

H&R Block is one of the oldest and most popular tax preparation services around. They have thousands of locations available to their customers and many different ways to file your taxes.

But before you file with H&R Block, you should know that you have other options available to you. I have a guide to the most affordable ways to file your taxes that can lead you to the most affordable option available to you.

E-file Review

You might be dreading taxes and you might not know where to start, but the truth is, it’s not even something to stress about. It’s easy to file your taxes and trust me, it’s not that hard. I’ve never filed my tax form at home and yet I was able to get my taxes done!

First things first, get yourself ready-.

You will need to gather all supporting documents that you want to attach with your tax return. The list of documents you will need are:

  1. Proof of Income. This is the most common and basic document when filing a tax return. It includes your most recent paystubs or your Form W-2 tax forms (the one with the green cover).
  2. Documents on Tax Deductions. This includes your medical and dental expenses. You can also add your student credit payments, mortgage interest payments, gifts to charity, educator expenses, educator classroom supply expenses, tuition, donations to qualified charities, rare diseases expenses, energy efficient home improvements, and more.
  3. Dependents. You need to have the necessary proof of your dependents’ birth certificates and maybe some of their medical records if they need them for their claim.