Raise your hand if you’ve done your taxes by hand before… You know, using the paper forms, breaking out the calculator and having lots of quiet time to yourself. Now, raise your hand if you still do your taxes this way. The follow up question here is, “Why?” Don’t you value your time?
Perhaps you’re one of those people who really enjoy crunching numbers the old fashioned way, or you’ve become an expert and you can breeze right through it. But, if you’re anything like me, the paper method takes many hours, I’m never sure if I’m right, and I would rather spend my spare time doing something else.
Quite a few years ago I took the plunge into the world of tax preparation software on the computer, and the experience was so good that I completely gave up the paper method. Part of the problem I had with the old method, aside from the time involved, is that I’m not a tax expert. I spent lots of time researching various things and at the end of the day… I still doubted my answers.
Tax preparation software has solved much of that for me, since it’s created with input from tax experts. Inputting numbers is easy, and answers are never more than a click away. All and all, it has greatly simplified my tax filing process.
In the past I’ve purchased the hard copy of the software and installed it on my computer, but I’ve decided there’s a real benefit to using an online tax preparation service and that’s what I’ll be using this year.
Let me use TurboTax as an example (It’s the one I install on my computer every year). If you want to install it on your computer, you are using a ‘Buy before You Try’ solution – meaning you have to pay for the software before you can take it home and use it. But, if you use their online offering, then it’s a ‘Try before You Buy’ solution. You’re allowed to complete your taxes, and then only pay when you’re ready to file. This could be a nice way to try out the service to see if you can benefit from it.
No matter if you choose to install software or use an online solution, it sure beats filling out the paper forms. Now, I can’t tell you which product will suit you best because everyone’s tax situation can differ, but if you’re still filling out your tax forms by hand, this may be the year to make the switch and make the process much less stressful.
About the Author: Chad Scribner has a background in Web development and is the manager of eServices at Truliant.
