The agency, which is working on implementing state filing into its pilot, estimates that hundreds of thousands of taxpayers will participate in the limited rollout of the program for the 2024 filing season.
  • @otter@lemmy.zipEnglish
    66•9 months ago

    It’s amazing to see something like this having progress. I thought that with all the lobbying the tax companies do we would never see something like this in the US.

    • @SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
      24•9 months ago

      Me too. I was skeptical at first, but maybe people can start giving Biden the smallest shred of credit now please? Lack of enthusiasm always kills the left for no reason.

      • vortic
        5•9 months ago

        Unfortunately it is a lot easier to rile someone up with anger and fear than with gratitude and hope… Republicans feed on one, Democrats (sometimes) feed on the other.

    • @Ilovemyirishtemper@lemmy.world
      5•9 months ago

      That’s, honestly, what I expected as well when I first heard about it, but I’m so glad it’s moving forward. I shouldn’t have to pay money to correctly and accurately pay the government money.

  • @DrPop
    33•9 months ago

    Attention: please go to IRS.gov regardless of if your state qualifies for this program. The IRS free file program is available to most taxpayers and is based on amount of income rather than types of income.

  • @DolphinMath@slrpnk.netEnglish
    30•9 months ago

    In the meantime… I highly recommend people try out FreeTaxUSA (aka TaxHawk). They charge $15 to e-file both Federal and State taxes, with no upcharge for self employed people.

    For TurboTax Home & Business it would be $190.

      • @DolphinMath@slrpnk.netEnglish
        10•9 months ago

        If your taxes are simple enough for the free version that’s great! Promising free is 100% a way that they get you in the door and upsell you though.

        • @Alcatorda@lemmy.world
          4•9 months ago

          Yep, there actually is a free version that’s truly free for some people (Free File), but the company behind TurboTax actively hid it. They instead heavily marketed another version of TurboTax (Free Edition) as “free, free, free!”, only to tell people who were already halfway through filing that their taxes were “too complicated” and required large payments after all. Horrible tactics and they were fined for it.

        • @PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works
          1•9 months ago

          It’s likely different for Canadians than Americans though.

          Right on the website for the CRA it has a list of free tax software.

          I have a buisness and claim taxes common law. I have never had to pay.

  • @Wooster@startrek.websiteEnglish
    26•9 months ago

    Only 13 states are participating in the roll out… still. That’s better than the 0 we’re currently experiencing.

    One of the main criticisms of the program is that it the direct file pilot only covers individual federal tax returns and does not prepare state returns. However, IRS officials said they are working with Arizona, California, Massachusetts and New York for filing season 2024 to integrate state taxes into the pilot.

    Taxpayers in nine other states that don’t have an income tax – Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming — may also be eligible to participate in the pilot, according to the IRS.

    As an aside, the wording in the article makes me feel like the people putting this forward have a gun to their head and they’re trying really hard not to piss TurboTax off.

    • @derf82@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9•9 months ago

      My state, Ohio, has a way to efile your state return, albeit a little unpolished. I’ve been using TaxAct (free for federal at my income) and just doing my state on Ohio’s website.

      It is rather foolish to exclude states just because you can’t do state taxes, too.

    • sylver_dragonEnglish
      2•9 months ago

      Only 13 states are participating in the roll out… still

      Crawl, walk, run. As the article stated, they are trying to avoid the cluster-fuck that was the healthcare.gov rollout. Assuming the Repuglicans don’t manage to kill this initiative, I suspect it’s going to be extremely popular. It would be pretty easy for the system to crumble under the weight of so many people filing at once. Best to get a sense of what they are going to need and roll out carefully.

  • Flying Squid
    19•9 months ago

    The IRS should figure out your taxes for you and then you have to send them your deductions.

  • ME5SENGER_24
    7•9 months ago

    Tax my earnings, tax my purchases, then charge me to figure out how much one of us owes the other…

    Yeah, the system is fucking broken