Pay Off Property Taxes EarlyI am unemployed and work part time jobs off and on during year. So I have starting paying off taxes during the year. Working at the tax office, I found out you can pay your taxes early.
Organize Tax Information in EnvelopesTax time is on us so this is for the next year, but can be very useful all year. Get separate envelopes for every month to put ALL your paid bills and receipts in and mark with month and year.
Collecting Important Tax DocumentsWhen I get my first tax document in the mail (1099, W-2, etc.), I designate a drawer near my computer as my "tax documents drawer" and let everyone who handles the mail know.
Organize your Paper Clutter For Tax TimeA very helpful publication can be found at the Internal Revenue Service web site. www.irs.gov, It is Publication 552 and it is all about record keeping. I recommend downloading a copy and putting it in front of your file box.
Free AARP Tax Service for SeniorsMost Cities or towns, have AARP people that will do your taxes Free, if you are over 60 years old. Check with your local Library and they can usually tell you were and what time they will be. We have had them doing our's for the past 4 years. You can also check with AARP.
Tax Forms No Longer Being MailedIf you're like me and wait for IRS forms and instructions to arrive via US Postal mail to fill out and send in, here's a heads up! Don't wait and expect them to arrive in your snail mail box from now on, because it's not going to happen.
Free Tax Filing Through the IRSIf you made less than $56,000.00 in '08 you can file your taxes for free. Go to IRS.gov, to the right is the free link. You pick which company to use. I have used Turbo Tax for years and have always been very happy with process and the outcome!
Link: Shoeboxed.com For Storing RecieptsI have to keep all my receipts for tax purposes. I hate searching though files of them and have found that it is so much less clutter and easier to find by using shoeboxed.com.
Donating an Old Car to CharityDonating an old car to charity has many advantages to the community. The donor gets a valuable tax deduction on their itemized federal return. The charity gets some much needed money to help fund their programs. The community gets a gas guzzling, polluting car off the road.
Link: Free Tax Filing for Low Income FilersJust found out this year that if you make less than 56000.00 a year you can go to http://www.irs.gov and do your taxes for free! Just wanted to let people know!
Filing Taxes Online For FreeI have gone through the following website for like 3 years now and gotten my federal and state taxes all done, e-file, for free. I believe it's for people who make less than $25,000 per year, and there are other people who qualify too. Check it out. It's free and I have the money either deposited right into our checking account, or mailed to us. I like putting it automatically in the checking account the best.
DIY TaxesOne of the primary rules of being frugal is TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF FIRST. I just finished doing my own taxes with the help of a J.K. Lasser book. Not only does it give me a MUCH better idea of my finances...
Get Ready for Next Year's TaxesWith the tax season already behind us (almost!), here are a few suggestions I have to make next year's preparations a bit easier.
Tax Day - File an ExtensionFor all of us here in the U.S. today is the last day to file your income tax return. If you have already filed, great, but if you haven't yet filled out your forms, it might be best to file for an extension. . .
Early Refund Loans are a Bad DealThinking about getting an early refund loan when you have your taxes done? Those early refund loans are a bad idea from a frugal point of view--the effective interest rate on them is sky high.
