Is e-filing really a better way to record your taxes?
Americans and the IRS might not agree on everything, but they are mostly on the same page when it comes 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 conserve the IRS cash because its employees don’t need to spend time manually processing your return. And in return, you can find any refund you are owed quicker, especially if you have it directly deposited into your bank account.
But what about safety? And can electronic filing actually provide you access to all the forms that you might need if you have a complex tax situation? Are there ever situations when you can’t e-file? Let’s look at the benefits of e-filing, and if it might be the very best filing choice for your needs.
If you’re thinking about e-filing, some of the advantages include:
- Quick confirmation your forms have been received: The IRS will affirm a tax filing has been received within 24 hours of digital submission. For paper filers, the IRS doesn’t send any acknowledgment that your forms have arrived safely.
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’ll get your money in three weeks or not. Choosing direct deposit can also accelerate the refund process.
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Reduced chance of errors: According to the IRS, there is around a 1% error rate on e-filed yields, compared with a 20% rate of mistakes on paper filings. The IRS also provides more information on issues discovered on e-filed returns compared with paper yields.
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Easy payment procedure: 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 necessary, provided that you pay by the April 15 filing deadline. You also have the choice to pay your balance by using the IRS Immediate pay service from your checking or savings account, submitting a credit card through a payment processor for a commission, or paying by check or money order.
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Digital storage of taxation information: Submitting returns electronically implies there is an electronic backup of your tax documents. So if something happens to your paperwork, you will have an electronic backup.
The good news: Most taxpayers do opt to e-file and find those advantages — and the process of doing so is easy.
You have four options for submitting an electronically filed tax return to the IRS.
The forms do the math for you and offer basic guidance. You can simply do your federal return with all these kinds.
Using online tax prep software is far and away the favored approach of the majority of taxpayers. Actually, 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 security — especially with so many data breaches. But experts agree that this is not an issue that should dissuade you by e-filing.
“In fact, it may be more secure than paper filing as you’re sending your personal information through an encrypted system rather than 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 data safe. “Vendors typically utilize IRS specific APIs that require ab sessions,” Chow says. “All this is routed over TLS encrypted links .”
It’s important to use a trustworthy service to help you record your taxes. Chow advises to not e-file on a public computer or use an internet connection that is not private.
Bottom line
For many taxpayers, it is sensible to e-file a yield because it is the most convenient way to submit your tax information to the IRS and it allows for timely refunds and effortless payment options. Just make certain that you use tax planning software from a dependable source, so that you can make certain the information which you supply to transmit to the IRS will be kept protected.