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INEXPENSIVE TAX PREPARATION

  • Writer: Treavor Dodsworth CFP®, CPA, CKA®
    Treavor Dodsworth CFP®, CPA, CKA®
  • Mar 21
  • 2 min read

It is everyone's favorite time of the year - tax time! While many may have checked this off their to-do-list, others have yet to finish (or start).

Inexpensive Tax Preparation

Below are a few ways to complete your income tax forms listed by how much each generally costs.


  1. IRS Free File Program has expanded in recent years. It is possible you will qualify to use one of the systems even if your income is over $80,000. The software options may still charge for state tax forms or be limited in some way.


  1. Do it yourself software. Two of the more popular ones are TurboTax and HR Block Online. Even though these are do it yourself options, they can be as much as $200+ depending on your situation- especially if you pay for the add-ons. FreeTaxUSA is slightly less robust than the aforementioned options but dramatically cheaper and can handle most every situation.


  1. Enrolled agents. Generally an enrolled agent is going to be cheaper than finding a CPA. That doesn't necessarily mean they are less knowledgeable about tax.


  1. CPA. In general having a highly qualified CPA is going to be one of the more expensive options. That said, in many situations, a good CPA is well worth their fee.


While this post is about the expense of the actual preparation of the return, the goal isn't to find the absolute least expensive option but rather the option that fits best for your situation. For example, while you may pay more for the tax preparation, if you have a more accurate return that has been optimized for tax planning it could be well worth it.


Ultimately you must use wisdom to know what would be optimal for your individual situation.


Note: I am a CPA but I don't actually prepare taxes. If you want my opinion about which method to prepare taxes, feel free to reach out to contact@monthlyfinancialcoaching.com.

 
 

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