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Filing Federal Income Tax Online

Filing federal income tax online is a very convenient and a fast way to wrap up your necessary chore each year. This is really a good thing for the taxpayer. No more running to the post office, making sure you have the correct amount of postage on the overstuffed envelope, and being sure that you get your letter registered for proof of delivery.

There are several advantages to filing online:

  • The well known tax software packages incorporate the online filing of your federal income tax into the software, usually at no additional cost.
  • If you are receiving a refund from Uncle Sam, you will receive it much faster than if you send your return by mail.
  • You receive a confirmation email that the IRS has received your tax return at no additional charge. Compare this to the cost of registered mail.
  • There is no copying of papers, it's all electronic.
If you prepare your own taxes using Turbo tax, H&R block software, or some other software, these will usually have the option of filing federal income tax online to the IRS. Any cost to send your return should be part of the price you paid for the software.

If you have your return done by a tax preparer, she may charge you an additional fee to file electronically. The amount you pay should be reasonable.

What happens when you file your return is that it is sent to the IRS and an agent will review your return for completeness, just like your paper return. If everything is ok, he will put into motion the refund or payment.

This doesn't mean that your return is perfect and the IRS agrees 100% about what you have in it. The return will more than likely be reviewed later in more detail. I've had the IRS contact me three years after I filed my return for clarification on an item. This is not unique to filing electronically though, it is the same for paper returns as well.

If you have to file a State income tax return, you will more than likely have to pay to do this. At this time the more popular tax software packages are charging a fee to file to the State. I think that paying $19.95 is excessive and I mail my state return.

Whether you are filing federal income tax online or by mail here is a tip to get your refund much quicker. On the federal income tax form there is a place to enter your checkbook account number and routing number. Put in on there, but be very careful what you enter is accurate. You don't want your return going to someone else's bank account. This really speeds up the refund process!