| Every year, people are required by law to file the | | | | 3. Does it have a help function should the person get |
| income tax report. This usually takes hours to do given | | | | lost along the way? The program may not have it so |
| that the person will have to sift through boxes of old | | | | this must have a customer service hotline allowing the |
| receipts to be able to get a correct account of how | | | | individual to talk to someone who can help with the |
| much will be paid to the government. | | | | problem. |
| People who are too busy to do this alone sometimes | | | | 4. People have to pay different taxes every year |
| enlist the help of a tax specialist to take care of this. | | | | aside from income tax. Does the package also offer |
| This doesn't have to be the practice anymore | | | | the same thing for State and Federal? Some |
| because the work can be done in a shorter span of | | | | software companies may charge an additional fee but |
| time using software that can be downloaded into the | | | | this could be better than having to buy another one to |
| computer. | | | | do something similar. |
| There are various income tax programs available in | | | | 5. The last thing to ask is how much will it cost to file |
| the market. Some of these are free while others | | | | the return instead of printing everything then mailing it |
| require the person to pay a certain amount in order to | | | | to the IRS. If this is cheaper, the individual can do |
| use it. Those who have never done this before should | | | | everything online then just keep a copy for |
| set a criteria when making that selection. | | | | documentation. |
| 1. The first thing to check is what features come with | | | | When the individual has found the right one, this should |
| the program. Will it be able to shorten the time needed | | | | be downloaded immediately into the computer so that |
| to finish the forms? Is it error free? | | | | work can begin. In fact, the program may even be |
| 2. Another thing to look at is if the software is | | | | saved so that this can be continued later on. |
| user-friendly. The individual doesn't have time to learn | | | | It is advisable to do this way ahead of time so that this |
| everything from scratch so the ideal program should | | | | can be double checked before submitting a copy to |
| guide the taxpayer throughout the entire process from | | | | the IRS. |
| beginning to end. | | | | |