agrilifetoday / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
This year’s tax deadline, April 17, is looming. Have you done your taxes, yet? If you’re opting to hire a tax professional to complete your taxes, I share 8 tips for finding a reliable tax preparer.
- Check the preparer’s history. You can check with the Better Business Bureau to see the ratings and complaint record on the preparer.
Sweet, sweet rebate check! Credit: Rick/Flickr
Longtime reader Glenn shared his discovery of a money-saving website.
Hey, Julia. Do you know about this site?
I spent about 2hrs rifling through all their free sample offers, printable mail-in rebate forms and coupons. Just click on the link and see for yourself.
http://mail-in-rebate-forms.blogspot.com/
Score,
Glenn
This site, MommySavesBig.com, has a neat and tidy listing of dozens of rebate offers. So if you recently bought something and want to check if there is a rebate for it, or misplaced your rebate paperwork, this site will really come in handy!
It also has plenty of printable and online coupons, freebies, and stuff that you can find many places online.
Got a hot tip or big score? Email me.
Phillip/Flickr
This post is brought to you by Mint.com, a destination for budgeting software.
I’m slogging through my taxes and found these tax tips from CPA Steven Meyerson of JustAnswer.com to be super useful. Steven apparently gets a lot of the same questions year in year out because folks like you and me forget the most basic rules of tax preparation and filing. His tips:
Dealing with kids and marriages: If you’re married or divorced be sure that you and your spouse’s last names match all social security records, because your return will be rejected if they don’t. Also, if you’re divorced with children, be sure you know who’s claiming the kids. The rule is that whoever files first will initially get the credit and if it’s not the right person, correspondence with the IRS will be required by both parties to resolve the matter. To avoid that mess, it’s something you NEED to work out beforehand.
E-filing is the way to go: If you’re doing your taxes yourself, you should save yourself some time and money by e-filing using the IRS’s Free File program. The online form populates the numbers for you so you don’t have to worry about calculating the math. The other upside is that once you submit your return, you will receive your check earlier than if you had submitted it manually.
Use the correct forms: Make sure you use your W2 forms and not a recent pay stub – there is a huge difference.
Need an extension? Make sure you file it by April 15, unless you are living out of the country in which case you have until June 15 to file your return or file for an extension. Remember, extensions should include an approximation of the amount you owe, whether remitted or not. Failure to properly estimate your liability could lead to a rejection of your extension request and could result in late filing penalties.
Please Don’t Procrastinate: If you want your money earlier, you need to file your return earlier. The closer you file your return to the due date, the longer it will take for you to get it back.
And Don’t Pay Extra: Paying to get your return earlier is never worth it. Avoid anticipation loans or quick refunds because the cost isn’t worth having the funds a few day’s early.
Additionally, I found this IRS tax calculator to help you out over the next month. The post office has free hard copies of basic tax forms or you can get them online through the IRS.
There are plenty of ways to do your taxes yourself and not pay a dime, especially if you make less than $49,000 (see three ways to do this below). But if you are going to hire someone, here are nine tips from author and CPA Stacy Johnson to help you choose a tax pro.
For the last four of Stacy’s tips for choosing a tax pro, visit his site, MoneyTalksNews, and scroll down to below the video.
Resources to file taxes for free
If you make less than $49,000 you can get free tax preparation and e-filing through the IRS’ VITA program.
File your taxes for FREE through AARP, even if you’re not a senior.
No matter what your income, file your taxes for free online through the IRS’ Free File Fillable Forms.
And there are lots of coupon codes for tax software, like this tax software coupon for 25% off at H&R Block At Home.
Get 15 percent off H&R Block At Home tax software plus a 12 percent cash rebate when you purchase the software through eBates.com. The deal includes their deluxe and premium software. With the two discounts here’s how the pricing breaks down:
Premium tax software sells for $49.95
Minus instant 15 percent = $42.45
Minus cash rebate of 12 percent = $37.36
That adds up to 25 percent off the starting price!
Deluxe tax software sells for $29.95
Minus instant 15 percent = $25.45
Minus cash rebate of 12 percent = $22.40
That adds up to 25 percent off the starting price!
Basic tax software is free!
If you don’t use these H&R Block coupons, you can file your taxes for free. There are also a lot of coupons for state and federal tax filing. And if you are 50-plus, you can get free tax preparation and filing through AARP.
If you are new to eBates, see No. 3 on my earlier post about online shopping coupons and discounts.
