Get TurboTax at Amazon: TurboTax Deluxe 2022 tax software (includes State), $45 (reduced from $70)
On Jan. 11, the IRS announced that California storm victims now have until May 15, 2023, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The IRS is offering the extension to people in areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Included areas cover the most populous parts of the state, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento and San Francisco counties.
Think you might qualify for an extension? Click here to see the full list.
According to the IRS, the tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting Jan. 8, 2023. Those affected have until May 15, 2023, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. This includes 2022 individual income tax returns due on April 18, as well as various 2022 business returns normally due on March 15 and April 18. Eligible taxpayers will also have until May 15 to make 2022 contributions to their IRAs and health savings accounts.
According to the IRS, anyone can request an extension of time to file.
To receive an automatic 6-month extension of time to file your return, you must file Form 4868. An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay. You may be subject to a late payment penalty on any tax not paid by the original due date of your return.
When it comes to e-filing, also known as online filing, there seem to be as many options to get the job done as there are forms to fill out. Which online filing option is right for you may depend on your income, your budget, the complexity of your return — and perhaps your patience for filling out forms.
We found the best online tax filing options, including IRS Free File and TurboTax, that should work for just about every and any kind of taxpayer.
Looking for some motivation to get started? The earlier you file your taxes, the earlier you’ll get your tax refund. The IRS started accepting 2022 tax returns for individual filers on Jan. 23, 2023.
Intuit’s TurboTax is the giant in the tax-prep space, scoring 73 percent of sales in last year’s tax high season, per the data analytics outfit Bloomberg Second Measure. Its services are basically divided into two areas: do-it-yourself online taxes and tax-pro-assisted online taxes.
This free version of TurboTax is a great option for taxpayers whose income is largely from W-2s and savings in the bank. The tax software includes a free filing of your simple federal and state tax returns. According to TurboTax, the Free Edition covers W-2 income, Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) and child tax credits, plus your standard deductions, student loan interest deductions and limited interest and dividend reporting (1099-INT, 1099-DIV).
It’s worth noting that TurboTax Free Edition can not handle 1099-G unemployment income or itemized deductions.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently suing TurboTax parent company Intuit, claiming the software company is misleading people with its promotions over free tax filing. (Intuit, for its part, says it follows IRS rules and has called the allegations «simply not credible.»)
Users get anytime assistance from TurboTax’s online community of TurboTax specialists. Worried about something going wrong? TurboTax Free Edition includes guidance in case of an audit, backed by TurboTax’s audit support guarantee.
TurboTax Free Edition
TurboTax Deluxe includes all the features of TurboTax Free Edition, plus a few extras. It’s a good option for homeowners. This TurboTax version offers homeowners step-by-step guidance on how to turn their home investment into a major tax break. (If you’re hoping to deduct the interest you paid on your mortgage, you’ll want to go with TurboTax Deluxe.).
TurboTax Deluxe includes a search of more than 350 tax deductions and credits to find all qualifying tax breaks. And should an unexpected form arrive late, this software lets you make changes to your 2021 tax return, online, up to three years after it’s been filed and accepted by the IRS.
TurboTax Premier has all the features of TurboTax Deluxe, but is also great for taxpayers with investment incomes, such as stock, cryptocurrency, bonds, ESPPs, robo-investing and income from rental properties. If you’ve been buying and selling on Robinhood or Coinbase — especially selling, which is a taxable event — TurboTax Premier is likely the version for you. It makes reporting these transactions easy, even there are a lot of them — the software can import thousands of transactions directly from brokers.
Similarly, if you own your house and are renting a spare room to a friend or family member, this version will help you report the income and locate common deductions that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Like all TurboTax software, Premier aims to give customers the biggest tax break possible. TurboTax Premier searches for more than 450 tax deductions and credits to find qualifying tax breaks.
