Is e-filing a much better way to record your taxes?
Americans and the IRS may not agree on everything, but they are mostly on the exact same page in regards to e-filing individual income tax returns.
The majority of individual income tax returns filed to the IRS are e-filed.
If you e-file your federal income tax return, you save the IRS cash because its workers don’t need to spend time manually processing your return. And in return, you can find any refund you are owed quicker, especially in the event that you have it directly deposited into your bank accounts.
But what about safety? And can digital filing actually provide you access to all the forms that you might need if you’ve got a intricate tax situation? Are there situations when you can not e-file? Let’s look at the benefits of e-filing, and if it may be the best filing choice for your needs.
If you are Considering e-filing, some of the advantages include:
- Quick confirmation your forms are received: The IRS will confirm a tax filing has been received within one day of electronic submission. For paper filers, the IRS does not send any acknowledgment your forms have arrived .
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Timely refunds: When you publish a paper filing, it can take six to eight weeks to be given a tax refund. With e-filing, you are going to receive your money in three weeks or less. Choosing direct deposit may also accelerate the refund procedure.
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Reduced likelihood of mistakes: According to the IRS, there’s around a 1 percent error rate on e-filed yields, compared with a 20% speed of mistakes on paper filings. The IRS also provides more information on issues discovered on e-filed yields compared with paper yields.
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Easy payment procedure: If you owe the IRS money, it’s simpler to pay at your advantage when you e-file. You can submit returns early and pay later if necessary, as long as you pay by the April 15 filing deadline. You also have the option to pay your balance by making use of the IRS Immediate pay service from your checking or savings accounts, filing a credit card through a payment processor for a commission, or paying by check or money order. Just be aware delaying payment after the filing due date (typically April 15) can result in penalties and interest.
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Digital storage of taxation information: Submitting returns electronically means there’s a digital copy of your tax records. So if something happens to your paperwork, then you’ll have an electronic backup.
The fantastic news: Most taxpayers do decide to e-file and get those advantages — and the practice of doing this is easy.
You have four options for filing an electronically filed tax return to the IRS.
Using online tax preparation software is far and away the favored approach of most taxpayers. Actually, the IRS says it expected over four in five tax returns to be filed through tax return prep software.
Is e-filing really stable?
While e-filing is convenient, you could be worried about safety — particularly with all these data breaches. But experts agree that this is not an issue which should dissuade you by e-filing.
“E-filing a tax return has proven to be a very secure way to file your taxes,” states Scott Grissom, vice president of product leadership, advertising and revenue at LegalShield. “In fact, it may be more secure than paper filing since you’re sending your personal information through an encrypted system rather than exposing your information in the mail.”
Dennis Chow, vice president of data security at SCIS Security, explains the IRS has put security measures in place to keep your data secure. “Trainers normally use IRS particular APIs that need token sessions,” Chow says. “All this is routed over TLS encrypted connections”
It’s important to employ a trustworthy service that will assist you record your taxes. Chow advises not to e-file on a computer or use an internet connection that isn’t private.
Bottom line
For many taxpayers, it is sensible to e-file a return since it is the most convenient way to file your tax information to the IRS and it allows for timely refunds and easy payment options. Just make sure to use tax preparation software from a trusted source, so you may ensure the information which you supply to transmit to the IRS is going to be kept protected.