I have used Turbo Tax for years, ever since I discovered how H&R Block does taxes: They put some schlub that has no accounting or financial experience through a class on how to use their software, and then they simply ask what the computer tells them to, and fill in the blanks. Then they charge you a pile of money for it.
Problem is, they often screw it up. Case in point: My girlfriend. She has done her taxes at H&R Block for years. She was showing me her return, and I caught an error. We went through her taxes for the past three years, and they have caused her to pay nearly $4,000 more than she should have.
Now we are having to file amended returns. For 2010, she is past the three year limit on filing an amended return, so that money is gone.
We just finished her amended return for 2011, and the IRS owes her $1724, thanks to the wonderful morons at H&R Block.
Once her refund check comes in, we will have to refile her 2012 taxes as well.
What got me started was her complaining that H&R Block claims that they will file a 1040EZ for you for free, but then they charged her $85, because they had to file a 1040A in order to take advantage of a $71 credit that was available to her. The difference in her refund of $71 caused them to charge her an extra $85 in preparation fees, meaning a net loss of $14 to her. We began looking closer, and saw that they had missed quite a few deductions and credits, including education credits.
Divemedic,
ReplyDeleteYou might want to look again, your statement is incorrect regarding the length of time to file an amended return. If your girlfriends "tax year" 2010 return is wrong, she has until April 15, 2014 to file an amended return. If you were actually referring to her "tax year" 2009 return, she has until April 15, 2013 to file an amended return. Dont take my word for it, I cut and pasted the actual ruling below:
Federal Rule
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has three years in which to make an assessment on a federal tax return, the process of reviewing the return and determining that more is owed than the return states. A taxpayer who wishes to file an amended federal tax return must do so within three years of the original tax filing deadline. Filing an amended return does not extend the three-year statute of limitations. In addition, filing an amended tax return will not automatically stop any collection efforts that the IRS has initiated. You will need to get a signed agreement from the IRS to stop collection efforts while your amended return is being reviewed.
I should have been more clear. I refiled her tax year 2010 and 2011. This got her almost $2500. The 2009 year is out of statute. The 2012 year, we will have to refile next month.
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