a better way to do your taxes
Free Resources
The most useful sites for answering all your federal and state tax questions (frequently updated):
- The Class 5 Tax blog: Regular tax tips, advice, and other tax policy thoughts from the founder of Class 5.
- Community Property Allocation Worksheet: This Excel file is modeled after the community property allocation worksheet in IRS Publication 555, but expanded and redesigned for same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who are now subject to community property laws.
- Instructions to file an extension: This page has a discussion of why filing an extension, and completing your tax return after the filing deadline, may make a lot of sense for many people. Simple instructions for filing an extension are included.
- IRS Free File Homepage: This site contains information about the IRS Free File program, a program that allows many modest and low income tax payers to file their federal return for free. Many states also participate. The list of software providers for this program is generally updated in mid-January, and removed at the end of e-filing season in mid-October. We recommend www.taxfreedom.com, which is a free version of TurboTax that uses a file format compatible with our software.
- IRS Tax Information for individuals: The IRS actually has a very informative site, although you can definitely experience information overload. The IRS Search tool is pretty bad, so we recommend using Google to search the IRS website using the simple search box below. Some of the most useful IRS links include:
- Tax Trails: These have information about common topics and in most cases allow you to find out if you're eligible just by answering a series of simple questions.
- Withholding Calculator: This useful tool helps you determine how to complete your W4 so you don't have too much or too little withheld from each paycheck.
- Publication 17: "The only tax publication most individuals need," according to the IRS. Of course, at over 300 pages, you might wonder how anybody could possibly need anything else. Still, if you can find the topic you're looking for in the Table of Contents, you'll probably find your answer.
- Understanding your IRS Notice: All correspondence from the IRS should contain a Notice or Letter Number (typically in the upper right-hand corner). This page allows you to look up the number and find out more about what the letter means and how you should respond.
- All State Tax Sites: A US map linking to each individual state tax website.
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Over $75,000 in Savings Found in 2011 for Registered Domestic Partners and Same-Sex Spouses!