[AtticusTheGreat]

I file my taxes for free, easily, by printing out the forms at home and doing them by hand on paper. The only cost to me is for the envelopes and postage. I've done some pretty complex filings over the years, and have built up the knowledge I need to do it well. Also, if I make a mistake the government is usually pretty good about letting me know and I either cut them a check for the difference or they cut me a check. It's actually not that hard, as long as you go through it line by line and read the instructions.

[coldpie]

I disagree that it's easy to do by hand, and I'm a relatively smart dude. It took me about 2.5 hours to do my and my wife's taxes last night including four W-2s and calculating an ACA penalty due to a gap. That was 2.5 hours longer than I would have preferred, especially considering the IRS already has this info.

But, I still prefer this to supporting Intuit & Co.

[joeax]

Not disagreeing, but what you are really doing is spending your time instead of money. It's a predatory industry for sure, but there are trade-offs. Sometimes they find deductions you didn't know you had.

[eli]

As someone who does their own taxes, aren't you in favor of the IRS pre-filling your forms with the information they already know?

[AtticusTheGreat]

Yeah absolutely. I'd love a free online solution from the government as it would make my life easier. So far, I haven't been willing to pay out to Intuit or HRBlock for a slight time/convenience savings.