Is e-filing really a better way to record your taxes?
Americans and the IRS might not agree about everything, but they’re mostly on the same page when it comes to e-filing individual income tax returns.
The majority of individual income tax returns submitted to the IRS are e-filed.
In return, you can find any refund you’re owed faster, especially if you have it directly deposited to your bank account.
But what about safety? And can digital filing really give you access to all of the forms you might need if you’ve got a intricate tax situation? Are there ever situations when you can not e-file? Let us look at the advantages of e-filing, and whether it may be the very best filing choice for your needs.
If you are thinking about e-filing, some of the advantages include:
- Quick confirmation your forms are received: The IRS will affirm a tax filing has been received within one day of electronic submission. For paper filers, the IRS does not send any acknowledgment that your forms have arrived .
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Timely refunds: When you publish a paper filing, it may take six to eight weeks to receive a tax refund. With e-filing, you’ll receive your money in 3 weeks or not. Choosing direct deposit may also speed up the refund process.
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Reduced likelihood of mistakes: In accordance with the IRS, there is approximately a 1 percent error rate on e-filed yields, compared with a 20% rate of mistakes on paper filings. The IRS also provides more information on problems discovered on e-filed yields compared with paper yields.
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Easy payment process: If you owe the IRS money, it’s simpler to cover at your advantage when you e-file. You can submit returns early and pay afterwards if needed, provided that you pay from the April 15 filing deadline. And you can schedule electronic funds transfers to easily send the IRS what you owe on a date of your choosing — again, provided that the IRS receives your payment by Tax Day. You also have the choice to pay your balance by making use of the IRS Immediate pay service from your checking account or savings accounts, submitting a credit card through a payment processor for a fee, or paying by check or money order.
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Digital storage of taxation information: Submitting returns electronically implies there’s an electronic copy of your tax records. If something happens to your paperwork, you will have a digital backup.
The good news: Most taxpayers do decide to e-file and get those advantages — and the practice of doing so is simple.
The way to e-file a tax return?
The types do the math for you and provide standard advice. You can simply do your federal return with all these forms.
Using online tax preparation software is far and away the favored approach of most taxpayers. In fact, the IRS says it expected more than four tax returns to be filed through tax return prep software.
Is e-filing really stable?
While e-filing is suitable, you could be worried about safety — particularly with so many data breaches. But experts agree this isn’t an issue which should dissuade you from e-filing.
“In fact, it may be more secure than paper filing since you’re sending your private information through an encrypted system as opposed to exposing your data in the mail.”
Dennis Chow, vice president of information security at SCIS Security, explains the IRS has set security measures in place to keep your information secure. “Vendors typically utilize IRS specific APIs that need token sessions,” Chow says. “All of this can be routed over TLS encrypted links “
It is very important to employ a trustworthy service that will assist you record your taxes. Chow advises to not e-file on a public computer or utilize an internet connection that isn’t private.
Bottom line
For most taxpayers, it is sensible to e-file a return because it is the most convenient way to submit your tax information to the IRS and it allows for timely refunds and easy payment choices. Just make certain to use tax planning software from a dependable source, so you can make certain the information which you supply to transmit to the IRS will be kept secure.