College students don't just suck at tax math, they suck at food bill math too? :)
]]>@SaveMeJeebus: The current plan is to keep offering RALs afaik, but the IRS may stop that.
]]>If not, I'll find another place to free file through.
]]>Looks like they're charging 20 bucks for multiple state returns.
]]>Me buying pizza: $10
Me buying "H&R Block pizza": $60 fee - $10 coupon = $50
H&R Block seems like the best offer for me. $50 Bucks is much better than the $200 that the CPA's charge. And with the different state tax laws than I'm used to, what else am I supposed to do?@tande:
]]>@tande: I'd wondered the same thing until a few years ago I walked past an H&R Block set up in a mall for tax season. The people who were lined up, well lets just say they didn't appear to be Nobel Laureates. It's the same folks who go out and invest their refund in scratch off lottery tickets.
]]>That's a given. Naturally, there are circumstances where income tax gets considerably complicated. But, I doubt this is the case for the average student.
]]>Why anyone goes to H&R Block is still one of those great mysteries to me.
If you are in a position where your taxes are complicated enough that you can't do them yourself pony up the money and pay a professional. Thats not a person that took a weekend class and is using effectively the same software you can free online.
When I was working at Sears (whole 'nother mystery) I was reading through some of their stuff when they were setting up. The intrest rates on the refund anticipation loans are down right criminal. I'm surprised they aren't covered under loan sharking laws. On top of that we would take another percentage when we cashed the check.
]]>"But file through H&R Block and you'll probably be paying at least $60. So, you could buy yourself $10 of pizza, or pay $50+ for H&R Block pizza. They still teach math in college, right?"
"At least $60" means $60+, not $50+...you don't deduct the $10 worth of pizza. (Unless you want to say $50+ extra.)
]]>Heh, it's no worse than the Citibank goons setting up a tent right across from campus offering a free medium pizza if you apply for one of their student credit cards.
]]>I havnt trusted H&R block since they implemented their payday-loan-esque "advanced refund" scam they got in trouble for doing years ago.
]]>But for a student like myself, I have alot of taxation through investments, and alot of writeoffs through giving to my church and business writeoffs... so I just pay $30 and get it done.
Big deal, a business advertises... what else should they do, they're out to make money.
]]>@Televiper: Taxes range from the easy to the ridiculously complicated. If you don't itemize and simply take the standard deduction it's pretty easy. If you have several sources of income, and many types of deductions etc it can be a nightmare well worth paying a qualified tax expert. Which exculdes a lot of the H+R Block people.
]]>I had a similar thought on my first tax form though I've changed my mind a bit. It can get a bit rough if you have shares that undergo an aquisition which pays out a some and gives you the rest in shares. Any transaction that is less than straight forward on the gains end tends to be somewhat complicated and if you had more than a couple of these in a year I could see not wanting to deal with it.
Fact is though, if you have a fairly straight forward income (wages, interest, capital gains on simple transactions) it isn't that hard. On the other hand if you are dealing with more complex transactions it may well be worth your while to go to a tax preparer.
]]>If today's college students can't figure out how to file the 1040EZ, we're all doomed.
Doomed, doomed I tells ya.
]]>Are they still doing the "instant refund" that has sky-high interest rates? If so, it wouldn't surprise me if the students would buy that just as easily as the pizza.
]]>@Televiper: Dood same for me. I just hope they paid the poor schmuck in the picture more that $10 in pizza cash for that horrible photo.
]]>H&R Blockheads!
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