My nephew asked me to do his taxes today. He only had 1 W-2 so I told him that he could easily do this himself. I remembered seeing the commercial on television that stated, “You do not have to be a genius to do your taxes.” The commercial showed someone taking a picture of the W-2 and pressing a button on their phone and it was done.
I asked him to download the app because I wanted to see how it would work. Needless to say, it was not that simple. He asked me, “why are they asking me all these questions?” I laughed. I would have been impressed if it was actually that easy.
Needless to say, I will work with him to use one of the free file options. I have to pay by return using my software so I felt it would help him and I both.
This is one of the most basic returns you can do. Others who have dependents, own homes, pay tuition, have businesses, should consider the use of a professional tax preparer with good references. There are times when clients come to me with a prior year return and they were entitled to a greater refund. If this happens, we simply file an amended return. We had a case where a client received thousands of dollars because the original tax returns filed did not take advantage of deductions and credits available for the care of foster children. The IRS asks for a lot of documentation when you file an amended return, but you can be successful in receiving a refund for a deduction that was not claimed on the original return.