This post is part of the TaxAct #DIYtaxes blog tour which empowers you to take ownership of your finances by doing your own taxes. TaxAct provides the tools and guidance to help you confidently file your taxes easy and fast. Do your own taxes today at TaxAct.com. You got this.
Hey, frugal friends!! We’re nearing the deadline for personal tax filing, so I thought I would share with you our own DIY tax filing experience and why I think doing your taxes yourself with a trusted company like Tax Act can be a smart idea.
Let me start by saying that I’m the primary handler of the money in our household. Rick has absolutely zero interest in the management of our money. Personal finance just isn’t his thing.
Since this task is mostly left to me, I’m the one who had to face the question of: Do we or do we not file our own tax returns?
I love the guy that does our taxes. He’s knowledgeable, friendly, gets our taxes done quickly and is relatively inexpensive. We’ve been going to him for nearly twenty years, so he knows our returns inside and out and does a great job.
The Benefits of DIY Tax Filing
So, why would I consider doing our taxes myself? Two reasons:
- Money
- Knowledge
Cost Savings
Although our guy does charge reasonable prices for our area, we still have to pay him $130 a year to get our taxes done. If we use a do-it-yourself tax system like Tax Act, we’ll only pay a maximum of $50 to file state and federal taxes.
Those needing to file a basic EZ or A form pay far less than that.
Knowledge Gained
The other reason I decided to try DIY tax filing was because I really wanted to gain the knowledge that comes from learning to file your own taxes.
After all, I figured, if I could master filing my own taxes, it’s a skill I would have for a lifetime. And the more in tune we are with our personal finances, the easier it is to manage them in a way that helps improve our financial situation.
DIY Tax Filing Today vs. Yesteryear
In full disclosure, we did partake in DIY tax filing one other time, about twenty years ago. We did it for the purpose of comparing the results we received with our preparer with the results we received by doing our taxes on our own.
The experience wasn’t good. The company we used at that time had a less-than-user-friendly system in place, and if we would’ve ended up filing with them, we would’ve received far less back on our refund than we did with our tax guy.
Being so many years had passed, I was eager to see how things have changed. I found that DIY tax filing is MUCH easier in today’s world than it was twenty years ago.
We tried the Tax Act system and found that it is SO easy to use! It tells you exactly what to put in, and exactly where to put it.
The other thing I found highly beneficial with Tax Act is that they have a thorough support system available if filers should have any questions at all. Answers to questions are easy to find and readily available with Tax Act’s online support system.
If you haven’t tried DIY tax filing before, I encourage you to make this the year you test it out for yourself. Tax Act allows you to start your return for free – you pay nothing until you file your return.
So take a chance on saving some money and gaining some knowledge and try DIY tax filing today!
Beating the tax deadline doesn’t have to be stressful. With TaxAct, everything you need to confidently prepare and e-file your taxes is right at your fingertips. You got this. File your simple federal and state return FREE today with TaxAct.
Image Credit: Flickr 401(k)2012
I agreed with the knowledge gained. Using a software based tax program will give you a good understanding and even if you do have someone prepare your taxes for you it’s a great way to double check the numbers.
Thanks, Brian! It never hurts to increase knowledge here and there.
I do file my own taxes using a tax program. Honestly, there is a part of me that would love to dump my taxes on a CPA because I really don’t like doing them. However, like you said, it is important for people to understand how taxes work – they best they can at least. I also thought TaxAct was only for those filing with EZ forms, which I cannot as a freelancers. Good to you because that is much cheaper than I what I paid. Hope all is well, my friend!
Good to hear you’ve found success with DIY filing, Tanya!! A little knowledge is usually a good thing. 🙂
Doing your own taxes is a good way to save money when your taxes aren’t that complicated. For most w-2 workers, it really isn’t that complicated and that is no need to spend a lot to get them done. Also, I do think everyone should have some understanding about taxes so that they can maximize their tax savings.
I agree, Andrew! It really helped us to learn some key money management tips.
I’ve always filed our taxes using tax programs. I guess we are still lucky because our tax situation is simple and doesn’t need any assistance from the professional.
I do believe that what you stated above DIYing your taxes are all true. I particularly like when you stated that doing your taxes provides or gives you knowledge. I totally agree with this idea. For almost 11 years that I have done our family’s taxes, I have really learned a lot from it. I might not say I’m great with preparing tax return but I can say that I know how to do our family’s taxes inside out and upside down.
That’s great, PS! Glad you are finding continued success by filing your own taxes.
I also prefer doing DIY tax filing because it feels so good when you know how to do this and get to know this side of financial aspect, which other people take care for us.
Agreed, James! Always good to learn something new.