{"id":13689,"date":"2016-04-12T07:09:53","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T12:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/?p=13689"},"modified":"2024-07-24T15:25:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T20:25:24","slug":"file-taxes-quickly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/filing\/file-taxes-quickly\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete taxes quickly: How to file a tax return STAT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s the final countdown. Really. Your tax return has to be filed by the federal tax deadline<\/a>. That’s one week away. Here are a few ways to complete taxes quickly:<\/p>\n

1. Forget finishing the return; file an extension instead.<\/h2>\n

Just can’t make it in time? You can\u00a0file an extension<\/a> and automatically get six more months to complete your return. There\u2019s just one catch \u2013 if you owe the IRS, you still need a payment that is at least 90% of your tax bill by Tax Day\u00a0in order to avoid the\u00a0failure-to-pay penalty.<\/p>\n

Note that if you are in the military, have a spouse in an active combat zone, or live abroad there are different deadline rules<\/a> that apply to you.<\/p>\n

2. Get pro help.<\/h2>\n

Have a pile of paperwork? Feel completely overwhelmed? Make an appointment<\/a> at an H&R Block office to have someone help you get that return filed ASAP.<\/p>\n

Remember to get advice from a professional you can trust. No matter how quickly the deadline is approaching, anyone who offers you a bigger refund than you\u2019re due or advises you to claim credits and deductions you don\u2019t qualify for may be\u00a0preparing a fraudulent return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Do it yourself.<\/h2>\n

Yes, it’s possible. Prepare yourself for either a marathon session (the average tax return takes 16 hours to complete) or plan on spreading out the work over a couple days.<\/p>\n

The first step is to gather all the documents you will need. Common ones include: Form W-2, a 1095 form reporting health care coverage, and a 1098-T<\/a> reporting student loan interest. See this list of many other common forms<\/a> and what to do if you can’t find one.<\/p>\n

If you get stumped, there are number of good resources to use. The\u00a0IRS Interactive Tax Assistant<\/a> has a search function to look up information on any tax term, or you can browse from the list of categories to select the topic you are interested in. The \u201cinteractive\u201d part of the tax assistant will ask you questions about your situation to help determine the answer to your question. H&R Block also has a great\u00a0online resource<\/a>\u00a0to help you get answers to your tax questions. You can browse by topics or type in a search term to research a particular question. The Tax Institute at H&R Block provides answers in the database.<\/p>\n

Once you’re armed with knowledge and all the tax documents, it is time to select an online tax program <\/a>or tax software<\/a>\u00a0to get started.<\/p>\n

Before submitting your return, be sure to check for simple mistakes. That includes making sure the following are right: your name, Social Security number, address, amount of income, bank account information and the names of any dependents. It might seem silly, but they are easy to overlook and can slow down your refund or result in needing to amend your return.<\/p>\n

Finally, hit submit and bask in the fantastic feeling of being done! Now you can follow the proper course of action to complete taxes quickly — and correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s the final countdown. Really. Your tax return has to be filed by the federal tax deadline. That’s one week away. Here are a few ways to complete taxes quickly: 1. Forget finishing the return; file an extension instead. Just can’t make it in time? You can\u00a0file an extension and automatically get six more months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":406,"featured_media":26511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-filing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"Fastest Methods to File Your Taxes | H&R Block<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did the tax deadline surprise you? 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