H&R Block at Home sucks

[Revalos]

I did my taxes on that program and it cost me an extra $20 to re-file the state return a second time after the IRS rejected both my returns because the program fucked up my last year's AGI on my Federal (the part used to "sign" your document).

If you do use it, make absolutely sure when you get to that screen where you choose a new Federal PIN that you go back and verify that the automatically chosen value is correct from your 2008 taxes.

TurboTax for me from now on.

[Warriorbird]

Yeah. It got less good this year. I'm not a fan of the idea of paying money to import from my previous return that I filled out online with them the previous year.

[Sean of the Thread]

I filed this year for the first time since like 2004 and I had to get a new pin.

Went through without a hitch and I used something like taxman.com.

I wonder if I can file for 2007 and 2008 still? I have all the paperwork around. I think I owed in 2005 but they never said anything.

[The-Pwny-Express]

turbotax.com if you have simple taxes, you can do it yourself for free. I paid nothing, money was direct deposited in my bank acount like a week later.

[Bobmuhthol]

My foolproof method for getting around needing tax software is having such a low income that I'm still in the 10% bracket with no relevant assets or debt accruing interest.

[Cephalopod]

I've used TaxAct every year since 2001, and my taxes have gotten progressively more complicated each year: houses, children, businesses. I'm still a very happy customer.

[Makkah]

I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and make an appointment to H&R. We closed on a house in December, so I think I qualify for the first-homeowner credit. I'm also very, very close to dropping down a bracket if I claim head of household and have that tax-credit. Not exactly sure how it all works, so I'll just pay 50 bucks and go in to H&R again this year.

[Bobmuhthol]

Dropping to a lower bracket doesn't really matter that much since income is taxed at the margin.

[Stretch]

The US Tax Code makes me want to punch small children in the face

[Makkah]

Dropping to a lower bracket doesn't really matter that much since income is taxed at the margin.

Whassat? I must admit, I'm fairly ignorant to all that mumbo-jumbo.

[Stretch]

It's a graduated tax system.

You pay 10% on the first 15k
You pay 15% on 15k to 25k
You pay 20% on 25k to 70k
You pay 25% on 70k to 150k

etc.

Those aren't the real numbers, but you can find it pretty easily on Google. That is also only for federal taxes; each state has a different tax table. Social Security is 6.2% on the first ~90k of AGI (flat, not graduated), and 1.45% for Medicare (uncapped). Double the last two if you're self-employed.

[Makkah]

See... that's what I thought.

http://taxes.about.com/b/2008/10/21/2009-tax-brackets-announced.htm

So what if I theoretically make 47k a year as a head of household. That puts me in 25%. If I get the tax-credit first-time homeowner 8k shit and that pushes me to 39k and into the 15% bracket... how would that not affect me?

[Stretch]

I don't think you can claim HOH unless you have a dependent.

[Makkah]

As far as I've heard... you can claim head of household if you're single and living with someone IFF they don't also claim head of household.


EDIT: Maybe not... but I claim myself as a dependent... wonder if that qualifies, lol.

[Jorddyn]

See... that's what I thought.

http://taxes.about.com/b/2008/10/21/2009-tax-brackets-announced.htm

So what if I theoretically make 47k a year as a head of household. That puts me in 25%. If I get the tax-credit first-time homeowner 8k shit and that pushes me to 39k and into the 15% bracket... how would that not affect me?

It will affect you but more because you have less income than you're in a different bracket.

At 39k, you'll pay:

(11950 * 0.1) + ((39000-11950) * 0.15) = 5252.50

At 47k, you'll pay:

(11950 * 0.1) + ((45500-11950 * 0.15) + ((47000-45500) * 0.25) = 6602.50


You notice in you only pay tax at 25% on 1500 even though you're "in the 25% tax bracket".

[Makkah]

Ahhhh. I think I see. So you pay UP TO the bracket you end in... collectively. Oh yea, that's not that big of a deal then. I thought it was just flat where you stood and a flat percentage.

[Ker_Thwap]

If you visit H & R block in person, you're going to meet with a crappy half trained "expert" who relies on the same software that you get online.

[LordBacl]

If you visit H & R block in person, you're going to meet with a crappy half trained "expert" who relies on the same software that you get online.

I'm surprised they know how to work the software. I heard H&R sends your forms to India for one of their half-trained, indifferent workers to enter the numbers into the computer program and press calculate.

[Sean of the Thread]

Keller is the man to ask.