A relic of taxes paid past. Credit: kevindooley/Flickr
I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but the clock is ticking on tax returns. I hear it very loudly! To help you get started on your taxes, here are the cheapest and most expensive ways to file. Prices include the cost of filing your federal and state returns.
- How we file: The vast majority of filers – 62% – do their taxes themselves using software, according to a poll of 2,200 people conducted by GetRichSlowly.org and MoneyRates.com showed. Just 23% were going to pay someone else to prepare the tax return, and a whopping 10% will file returns by hand. A lucky 5% will lean on a friend or family member to do their taxes.
- Buying tax software? Get an extra tax discount when you purchase the software through Ebates. Current cash back rebates are 15% back on H&R Block, 10% back on Turbo Tax, and $10-$37.50 on Intuit QuickBooks.
- Most expensive tax online filing: According to Get Rich Slowly, the pricey prize goes to ExpressTaxRefund, which costs approximately $70 .
- Cheapest tax online filing: GRS found the least expensive option is TaxHawk, which costs a big fat $0.
- Most expensive tax software: Turbo Tax (Intuit), which charges approximately $90 to file.
- Cheapest tax software: Tax Act is just $23.
- You need help! Hiring someone to do your taxes may cost hundreds of dollars.
- File for free! I found five ways to file your taxes for free.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I found out the hard way when my ex-husband made a mess of his small business taxes and consequently our personal taxes that the IRS is not anything you want to tangle with. It took a CPA quite some time to untangle the mess and get our taxes right and we paid over $10,000 in penalties and interest on top of the taxes we owed. After the divorce I kept sending my taxes to him because there were still things to figure out having to do with the business and some assets that were liquidated to pay the back taxes. I’m sure I could do them myself now but the peace of mind that paying him $175 to file both state and federal returns for me brings is worth the extra $100 it might cost me. If you are self employed or rent out a house you can’t sell or have any other complicating factor on your taxes, doing them yourself can be penny wise and pound foolish.
Have been doing my taxes, using software, from the 1st year I brought my computer… before that i always paid a preparer…they cost me to have to go see the IRS at least 6 times, and pay back money…but computer software is not for everyone…you can have issues that are not fully explained in programs. and you will need an expert to help…and for those that don’t have a good grasp of english…you need an outside tax preparer