Tax Season

Alan Barthelmess
Well it’s that time of year again, where we all must file our yearly taxes; whether you owe money, or are expecting a fairly decent-sized refund check, it must be done. Most of us students will probably be receiving a refund, so why not hurry and get it done? Also a reminder for those students receiving financial aid and planning to file financial aid for next year, you need to have your taxes completed before you can file for aid. These are a few options that should help students decide how they wish to proceed with filing their taxes this year.



For starters, there is always the free edition of Turbo Tax online which is pretty good. This program is free to file your taxes, but to submit them through their e-file service is probably going to run you about thirty bucks. You can always just print your results however, and mail everything in for free, but then you’ll have to wait a few extra weeks and people tend to want their cash instantly. If you owe, don’t sweat it too much; taxes aren’t due until April. There are the free edition online, Basic, Deluxe, Premier, and Home & Business editions. Each of those goes up in price in ascending order and fills different needs. Turbo Tax even has an app that you can file certain forms on.


H&R Block has been known for its intellectual dominance when it comes to filling out taxes. If you want the convenience of having someone else fill out your taxes for you, then they have many experts at the ready. This will probably come with a hefty price as well though. H&R Block also added an online feature for anyone who wishes to file their taxes online just like turbo tax. The wait for your refund is about the same as turbo tax, advertised at eight to fifteen days.


Those are the most popular options it would seem, but there are always local firms that are more than happy to help you with all your tax needs, for a price.