The Taxman Cometh

Your W2 arrived a couple of weeks ago, your 1099s are finally here. Its time to gather all that tax information and input those numbers for either a pleasant refund or a not-so-fun tax bill. If you planned ahead and are lucky enough not to owe a big tab this year, you want your refund as quickly as possible.

If you prepare your taxes yourself or have a professional do it for you, the best and fastest option is to E-File your return. While you may get your refund a bit faster if you go into a tax office and get a tax refund anticipation loan, you will pay through the nose for this service. By filing your taxes electronically, it typically takes about 10 days to get your money directly deposited to your savings or checking account and it is free.

A tax professional will E-File for you as part of their paid services but you can do your Federal taxes online very inexpensively or sometimes even free through services like TurboTax and H & R Block. Using one of these programs will make sure you get all deductions due you and make preparing your return yourself much easier than the old fashion way of years past. Get your taxes done now and don't spend your refund all in one place!