Could paying taxes be more painful? Yes!
This is a little stream-of-consciousness, I’m too irritated for a coherent narrative.
The Feds
I used HR Block the last two years, I’ll use them again.
Much data entry happens
Wow, the price for state filings seems to have gone up, guess we’ll do that by mail this year.
Hmm, that’s odd, I’m being charged for e-filing.
Let’s look around. Oh, it turns that you have to use the link from the IRS website to access the free version of the HR Block tax service. Crap, maybe I can get my account fixed.
Use their Live Chat service to get help
So, it turns out they can’t fix my account. I have to create a new account. Which will not have the last two years of tax information already filled-in. See, this is what I get for being a good customer. I get screwed.
Hm, it turns out TurboTax has a neat looking service called SnapTax. It doesn’t do much besides let you fill out the forms online and e-file for $6. Well, I already have my 1040A filled out thanks to HR Block, so I’ll try SnapTax. Drat, I can’t report scholarship income, otherwise a really cool service. Maybe next year.
Looks like we’ll have to create a new HR Block account if we want to e-file this year.
I don’t remember having to jump through so many hoops last year in order to get free e-file.
Lessons for today:
- If you want to e-file for free, you must use the links from the IRS website
- e-file isn’t worth the hassle
- I’ll be using anything other than HR Block next year
For Google: Free HR Block online tax preparation service
Oh yeah, and their help links don’t work in Firefox.
The State
Turns out you have to pay taxes on out-of-state purchases that were purchased for use in NC. Hmm… Like Amazon maybe?
Hey, the PDF just crashed Acrobat for Linux!
i spose owning a house and all makes things a little more complicated, but the 1040ez fill-in pdf is a thing of beauty. it’d only be easier if it did the calculations for me.
the nc state form is a living nightmare. i hate it. luckily it’s based off the 1040ez and others, but it’s so terribly convoluted, i just try not to expend much mental energy plugging this number in here and that in there.
and if i make a mistake they’ll correct it for me when i get my refund. makes one wonder why we have to do this ourselves in the first place.
I really like the fill-in PDF files, but this was our first year filing jointly, so I wanted a little hand holding. I also wanted to e-file, but after this year I may give that up and just do the forms by hand.
It seems to me this should not be this hard. The fact that HR Block is charging for a service that is technically free drives me crazy.
The IRS needs a free e-file site. Skip the hand-holding, just let me fill the forms out online.
Acrobat for Linux blows a number of ass different chunks. And there is absolutely no reasonable excuse for why the IRS does not have a web-site for filling ones taxes. Ohh, except of course that it would depreive an industry of valuable income… How’s that for some completely unconstructive comments?
Now try filling your taxes when you’ve made money overseas…
different ass chunks that is…
I’ve used TurboTax online for the last two years and really like it. Granted it’s not cheap – about $45 total for fed and state return (which includes efiling) but they make it really simple. They take you through step by step and ask you all the questions. For me, it tends to trigger a lot of deductions that I might not have thought of by doing it myself.
Yeah, TurboTax would be nice, but $45 is a little steep. Now that we’ve gotten through everything and had most of our questions answered, I think we’ll stick to the forms next year. No fees. If we ever have question again, I’ll certainly be considering TurboTax over HR Block.
The biggest issue (or annoyance) for me was that I was penalized for being a good drone. Companies work tirelessly to build up brand loyalty, so why would HR Block basically go out of their way to alienate their returning customers? I don’t remember having to click on any special links to get the free service in the past. Heck, I’ve even paid them to file my state taxes online because I really like their site.
I think what makes linux acrobat crash is the fill-in.
Dude, just use Turbotax. With all the rebates, you basically pay $20. Easy to use and has an e-file option within it.
Taxes are pretty straightforward for average joes like you and me. It took me 15 mins. to do mine.
Our taxes aren’t that complicated now that we know how to report scholarships, school loans, etc. So I hate the idea of paying anything to submit my taxes.
I admit that given all the time we wasted with HR Block this year it would have been cheaper and easier to use TurboTax.
I will never use anthing that has HR Blocks name on it again. They are a lying cheating company that does not stand behind their guarentee. I took my taxes to them and it cost me $242 to efile my taxes. No that’s not rapid refund of any of that stuff just standard efiling. I bought their software at it had a guarentee that if I couldn’t figure it out they would buy it back from me if I took my taxes to them. I never got any discount. I’ve called and complained to the Regional offices and they will tell you anything on the phone to make you happy and never follow through. HR Block has lost me as a customer forever.
Total bullcrap. IRS says these sites are free, they say that state filing is free . . . but when you follow the links, it ain’t free. I hope to GOD that HR Block is not getting paid by tax dollars to be a “free” tax provider or whatever.
IRS, stop advertising for these companies if they’re not going to provide the service they’re supposed to be providing.
I’m writing emails to NPR, Marketplace, WSJ, IRS, anybody who gives a crap about this nothing newspiece. Props to zeppox.