Thanks, G-dog. I just scheduled an appointment today!
If your income is less than about $50K, the United Way and the IRS run a free tax (fed and state) prep and e-filing program called VITA. If you are over 65 (?), there may not be an income limit.
The preparers are trained, and the return is audited by experts before filing. The teams are well versed in getting you the best return possible. I volunteered 2years ago and learned that income taxes for lower income folks can be really complicated!
The program has sites in various locations, check online for a location near you.
Great! Take all your info, including DL, SS cards for you, spouse, and any dependents (filing status = head of household is a great option for folks helping out family, etc. at a significant rate). You'll check in,fill out forms and hand over the info, then likely wait - even with an appt since it is mostly walk-ins. Your return can be deposited to a bank account, but there are some other options. The yep will also be able to give you a good estimate of when to expect your Fed refund if you e-file, it is usually 10-14 days if I remember right.
They file the returns the same day. If you forget something, they can hold the file until you get the data to them (best to do this quickly, like the next day). When I was there, often folks would run home and get the missing item the same day.
I'd love to volunteer there again, but if did feel like an idiot much of the time. I think the auditors found a correction on every single return I prepped, except maybe one. And I was slow, small type on w-2s and poor lighting don't help, and the software is not particularly intuitive.
I'd love to hear how this goes for you. PM me if you want to report out.