Have you finished your taxes yet? We haven’t. I actually entered most of our information into TurboTax at least a month ago, but I never finished the job.
My lack of motivation was due in part to the fact that we owe a significant amount. This was by design, so we have the money on hand. That being said, there’s no point in hurrying if we’re not getting a refund. Sure, I could’ve at finished everything up back when I started, but I didn’t. Thus, I’ll have a busy evening pulling things together.
If you still haven’t filed…
For those that still haven’t filed their taxes, it’s time to issue my annual reminder: don’t forget to sign your tax return! This is less and less of a problem with the move toward e-filing, but… For those that still file a paper return, it’s important to know that the IRS does not consider your return to be valid unless you sign it.
Beyond that, here are thirteen lucky articles to help you last-minute filers:
- TurboTax vs. TaxCut: Which is Better?
- Common Income Tax Deductions
- Twelve Commonly Missed Income Tax Deductions
- Limits on Itemized Income Tax Deductions
- Uncommon Charitable Tax Deductions
- Ten Common Income Tax Credits
- Refundable vs. Non-Refundable Income Tax Credits
- $8, 000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
- How to Claim the Recovery Rebate Credit
- Are Unemployment Payments Taxable?
- Ten Tips for Avoiding an Income Tax Audit
- How to Request an Income Tax Filing Extension
For those that are done…
If you’ve already filed, then it’s time to start looking ahead:
Hopefully you won’t need that last one, but it’s there if you do.
First time in a long time… actually, ever… got my taxes prepared, sent, and received my refunds before April 15. Feels good, except for the fact that all the money has already been spent. Odd thing is my gf is still waiting for her refund and we sent them at the same time (feeling paranoid I guess).
I’m not sorry, Atlas. Like I said, this was by design. Income was up in 2008, and I intentionally paid in just enough to avoid underpayment penalties. The rest sat in a savings account earning interest.
I filed 2 weeks ago using Turbo Tax for federal and printed out the forms and mailed in my state tax returns, sorry to hear that you owe the government.
When I filed in Feb using Turbo tax, I was able to file and then pay later using the electronic payment, so I’d reccomend going ahead and filing.
Nickel – I am in exactly the same situation. Most data is in TurboTax but waiting until tomorrow to write the big check. Don’t you love being at the wrong corner of the tax pyramid?