For those using TurboTax Deluxe (Offline Edition) - Q: E-File Fees for State

[jnw]

Do you pay $20 to E-File with your state?  That's how much they want.  Since we are frugal folks here, wouldn't make sense to just print it out and mail it via mail?  $20 wow.

I paid $49.99 for TurboTax Deluxe w/ software for a single state.   $10 more than the regular Deluxe without state.   Now I gotta pay another $20 on top of that? PFFT.

My state refund is only $40 so they'd be getting half of my return!

[jnw]

Sorry I made a mistake, I should of posted this in the Taxes subforum.

[jnw]

It's really a windfall expense, for most people.  People are like cool I am gonna get like $500 back from the State!  Let's pay up the $20 so we can get it faster so we can spend it all lol.  The $20 being a windfall expense itself.

(If your time is worth $20 to print out and throw in envelope with some stamps, then understand.. but mine isn't..  I don't make $20 in 15 minutes. :)

[MDM]

Since we are frugal folks here, wouldn't make sense to just print it out and mail it via mail?

"Make sense" is subjective, but that's what we do. :)

[reeshau]

When I was in Michigan, the State also mandated a message about e-filing; something to the effect that you had to effectively be a conscientious objector to file by paper.

I always filed by paper.  That's my money, and I didn't mind the work.  If the State doesn't like it, they can lower the barrier for doing business that way.

[terran]

I use Free Fillable Forms for federal and fill out my state taxes directly in the PDFs then print and mail, so I don't pay anything to file my taxes.

[YttriumNitrate]

Do you pay $20 to E-File with your state?  That's how much they want.  Since we are frugal folks here, wouldn't make sense to just print it out and mail it via mail?  $20 wow. I paid $49.99 for TurboTax Deluxe w/ software for a single state.   $10 more than the regular Deluxe without state.   Now I gotta pay another $20 on top of that? PFFT.

$70 to file your taxes? The frugal thing to do is switch to another tax program next year. I used TurboTax for a while, but the prices were getting ridiculous (had income in two states, rental income, investment income, etc.) so I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA and the cost went from about $120 down to $30. Thanks to now only having income in one state, it only cost $15 this year.

[secondcor521]

I wouldn't pay it, unless I was getting a huge refund and the lost interest on the time delay between e-file and paper was close to $20.  Under current interest rates that would be a pretty huge number.

OP, you might check to see if your state has some sort of free e-file.  Some states allow you to fill in a PDF on their tax website or some mechanism like that.  If you print out a copy from TT then type the numbers in carefully, it should be straightforward.

[geekette]

We don't pay, but it would have been worth it in 2020. 

Once the state gets the forms, they get scanned.  That year, some form didn't scan right, so it was kicked out and our return reworked without it.  We got an automated revision and a deadline.  We resent the form, but since no one was in the office due to the pandemic, it apparently just sat until after the deadline passed, which resulted in another automated form. 

We eventually, finally, got someone on the phone, and she agreed that our return was correct and closed the case, but dang...

It seems very counter intuitive that states don't encourage/offer free online submissions.

[jnw]

Do you pay $20 to E-File with your state?  That's how much they want.  Since we are frugal folks here, wouldn't make sense to just print it out and mail it via mail?  $20 wow. I paid $49.99 for TurboTax Deluxe w/ software for a single state.   $10 more than the regular Deluxe without state.   Now I gotta pay another $20 on top of that? PFFT.

$70 to file your taxes? The frugal thing to do is switch to another tax program next year. I used TurboTax for a while, but the prices were getting ridiculous (had income in two states, rental income, investment income, etc.) so I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA and the cost went from about $120 down to $30. Thanks to now only having income in one state, it only cost $15 this year.

No I didn't pay the $20 to file state taxes. I printed it out from TurboTax and mailed it for $1.25.   I need TurboTax Offline ($49.95) because it will connect to brokerage and automatically fill out the Schedule D and associated forms -- FreeTaxUSA doens't do this. Sometimes there can be quite a bit of trades and lots of room for errors and can get complicated wtih various codes and any wash sales you might of done.  The $50 is a lot better than the $119 TurboTax wants to do the same thing online -- which I have paid for in the past only because of the stock trading; I just recently found out about the offline version of TurboTax Deluxe and that it was very capable software.

If you can print out the state forms from FreeTaxUSA and mail them and save $15.. it's worth it.  But I guess they don't offer that for free right?   So I paid only $35 more than you and I was able to have TurboTax Deluxe (for PC/Mac) connect to broker to get all trades and create the Schedule D for me.

Also I did my guy's taxes with the same software I have installed.  And we printed and mailed his state tax return as well.. We both E-Filed the federal for free -- up to 5 people can e-file for free with the single TurboTax install on a PC/Mac.  So it cost about $20 more than if we went with FreeTaxUSA.  Becuase it would of cost us each $15 to file state tax with FreeTaxUSA.  So basically I paid $20 more for the ability to have the software auto generate a Schedule D (etc) pulling data from brokerages.

Additionally I found out later after I paid the $50 that I could of gotten it earlier in the year for $40 from Amazon.  They have a special every year for $40.. So that's what I'll do next year.  Keep an eye out for the special.  That way it only costs us $10 more than FreeTaxUSA, but with ability auto-generate Schedule D.

[uniwelder]

I need TurboTax Offline ($49.95) because it will connect to brokerage and automatically fill out the Schedule D and associated forms -- FreeTaxUSA doens't do this. Sometimes there can be quite a bit of trades and lots of room for errors and can get complicated wtih various codes and any wash sales you might of done.  The $50 is a lot better than the $119 TurboTax wants to do the same thing online -- which I have paid for in the past only because of the stock trading; I just recently found out about the offline version of TurboTax Deluxe and that it was very capable software...

 ...it only costs us $10 more than FreeTaxUSA, but with ability auto-generate Schedule D.

I switched to FreeTaxUSA this year and the stock sales weren't a hurdle.  I'm also not a professional, so I may have totally screwed up, and am giving horrible advice, but hope not. 

It won't link directly to your brokerage account, but apparently all the info that is needed is just a few boxes.  I was asked if I wanted to enter all transactions or just the summary.  I chose summary and only needed to enter two numbers for short term, two for long term, and something for dividends.  You just need to download the 1099-B and 1099-DIV from your account, and look at the totals. I was expecting a big pain, but it was pleasantly simple.

[reeshau]

I agree manual entry of investment account info isn't a big deal, unless you are a day-trader.  I use H&R Block, and have never activated an account import.  I don't trust that that imported information isn't used for some other purpose.  (Not a Block thing, just general caution/paranoia.  I do not link any of my accounts to other companies)

It takes just a few minutes.  I also think the manual review of the documents is a useful check on their records.  Yes, records are electronic.  And mistakes are made.  I can pretty much count on getting at least one amended form every year.

[jnw]

It won't link directly to your brokerage account, but apparently all the info that is needed is just a few boxes.  I was asked if I wanted to enter all transactions or just the summary.  I chose summary and only needed to enter two numbers for short term, two for long term, and something for dividends.  You just need to download the 1099-B and 1099-DIV from your account, and look at the totals. I was expecting a big pain, but it was pleasantly simple.

Yeah a couple years back I had a bunch of day trades and I was trying to enter them in (from the 1099's) and then there was some wash sales.  It started asking about codes etc.. And it just too complicated for me.  So I gave up and paid the $119 to TurboTaxOnline (plus $40 to state if I recall).  $160 just because I couldn't figure out the dang Schedule D and other associated forms. 

At least now it'll only cost me $10 for them to do all that work since I can get TurboTax offline version for $40 for both me and my guy.  But we'll have to print out and mail in our state returns for $1.25 each in postage, not too bad.

[nalor511]

I switched to OLT.com this year because the entire fee is only 9.95 including fed+state+efile.for.both , and they were the first provider to implement efile form 1116 schedule B, long before TT, and HRB still hasn't

[jnw]

I switched to OLT.com this year because the entire fee is only 9.95 including fed+state+efile.for.both , and they were the first provider to implement efile form 1116 schedule B, long before TT, and HRB still hasn't

Do they include schedule C with that and the ability to connect to brokerages for 1099-B 1099-DIV?

[nalor511]

I switched to OLT.com this year because the entire fee is only 9.95 including fed+state+efile.for.both , and they were the first provider to implement efile form 1116 schedule B, long before TT, and HRB still hasn't

Do they include schedule C with that and the ability to connect to brokerages for 1099-B 1099-DIV?

All tax forms are included (yes, sch C). I do not let tax apps integrate with my accounts so I do not know the answer to your second question. My 1099b,1099div, input just fine