What is the Earliest Date I Can File My Taxes for 2011?

Eager to get those tax forms filled out? Ready to get your tax refund now? With new online tools, you may be able to get started early on your tax returns and get your tax refund sooner than you think. Traditionally, in order to file taxes, you must have all your tax forms from your employer in hand — that is any W2s or 1099s from all jobs you worked in the past year. Generally, you can start filing your taxes as early as January 1. It’s unlikely that you will have received these forms by January 1, as they are not required to be mailed out to employees until the end of...

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The IRS Website is down; How can I efile my taxes?

So, you’re getting ready to file your taxes, you have all your forms and you log onto the IRS website to get started. But, you get the dreaded “Problem loading page” error in your browser. There have been numerous reports recently of the IRS website, irs.gov, being down. During this busy tax season, a broken and inaccessible irs.gov website is the last thing we (and they!) need. First of all, be sure you’re accessing the site at the correct URL, which is http://www.irs.gov/  — Note that the WWW is important. Apparently the IRS likes those Ws. (W-2, W-4, WWW,...

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Tax Season Begins, but Some Must Wait to File Taxes

At the start of 2011, the IRS has announced that needs additional time to update tax processing systems, due to Congress’ late approval of an updated tax code. This means that an estimated 50 million taxpayers may have to wait until mid- to late-February in order to file taxes and receive a refund. Many taxpayers expecting a tax refund this year, will want to file their taxes early. Unfortunately, taxpayers who itemize their deductions on Form 1040 Schedule A – both electronic and papers versions — will need to wait. Taxpayers may have to wait if they itemize deductions including...

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Wild and Crazy Tax Deductions

With tax time here again, everyone is looking for tax deductions — and some people go out of their way to come up with some wild and crazy tax deductions. Whether it’s deducting the costs involved with donating beer, deducting costs incurred while commiting crimes, or deducting the cost of Super Bowl tickets, you’d be amazed at which deductions the IRS accepted and which were declined. You should always make use of any tax deduction that you are entitled to — but always remember that there is a limit on how far you should go! Going overboard with wild and crazy...

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How to eFile Taxes

When you eFile your taxes, it saves you time and money. Free online tools will save you bundles over hiring a traditional tax accountant. The great part is, these online tools have only gotten better, and more efficient. But choosing the right software for your needs can be daunting. So let’s explore a few different options when it comes to filing your taxes online: H&R Block At Home – Formerly known as H&R Block TaxCut, the new At Home release is bound to be a crowd pleaser.  As a long time leader in tax preparation, the H&R Block online tools are well worth the...

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Export Tax Data from TurboTax and Import into H&R Block at Home

The new H&R Block At Home eFile now offers free importing tools for you to import previous year’s tax data from TurboTax as well as previous versions of TaxCut.  We assumed the TaxCut import would be in place with this new release, but the TurboTax import is exciting. If you’ve been doing your taxes with TurboTax for years, and you now want to switch to H&R Block, this will save you quite a bit of hassle.

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