Tax Questions?

Ask a tax question or find help information below

 

 

How much does E-file cost?

E-file.com offers three prices tiers depending upon the software that best fits your specific needs:

 

How do I file my tax return for free at E-file.com?

If you're like many people and qualify to file with a 1040EZ (the shortest, simplest IRS tax return form), you can file your federal return at E-file.com completely free of charge. To qualify, you need to meet specific criteria such as:

 

What is my AGI?

AGI stands for Adjusted Gross Income and is the total amount of income a taxpayer earns minus whatever deductions they claim. When submitting a tax return using E-file, your AGI constitutes one part of your identity verification and functions as your digital signature. Digitally signing is an IRS requirement to help protect against fraud. To find your AGI, locate a copy of last year's tax return:

 

Is E-filing safe?

More than a million tax filers have trusted E-file.com with their returns, and we protect our users' data and privacy. E-file.com does not sell your information to third parties.

Around 90 percent of all Americans file their taxes online. In 2017, Inc. Magazine featured E-file.com as one the top 100 fastest growing privately held companies in America. Technological advances in online safety and security have made e-filing a more popular option than paper-based filing.

How long does it take to file?

Once you create an account, it can take less than 15 minutes to file your free return. More complex tax returns will likely take longer, but E-file makes the process so efficient that filers can accomplish, in short amounts of time, what used to take hours. Regardless of whether your tax return is simple, complex, or somewhere in between, you can take as much time as you need, working at your own pace, saving and returning to your return at any time so you don't have to complete it in a single session.

How does it work if I want to also file my state taxes?

You can file your federal and state taxes at the same time (if you live in a state that levies an income tax). If you choose to include state taxes, regardless of what level of software you use to file your federal taxes, the cost is only $22.49 when you apply the coupon code, 25OFF.

How do I select the software I want?

Once you complete your tax return at E-file's online system, you'll be prompted to enter payment information, provided you've upgraded from Free Federal filing. We deliberately designed our system this way to put the control in your hands so you can feel confident about moving forward.

In other words, you could walk yourself through every step of your tax return and then — should you change your mind about filing — you wouldn't be out a single penny.

What information do I need to file my taxes

Before you file your taxes online with us, here is some of the information that you will likely need:

How do I save my progress?

E-file.com tax software offers the ability to start and stop at any time, so that users can complete their tax return at their own pace. When a user logs out of the software we will automatically save the filer's progress, allowing the user to pick up where they left off at any time whenever they log back in to the website.

What filing status do I choose?

Identifying your filing status helps determine which tax deductions or tax credits you are eligible for, what standard deduction you qualify for, and what tax bracket you fall into. These are the five filing statuses to choose from:

  1. Single
  2. Married Filing Jointly
  3. Married Filing Separately
  4. Head of Household
  5. Widow(er) with Dependent Child

To determine which is the right filing status for you, you can go here for detailed information to help you decide.

If you're missing one or more W-2's

By law, your employers are supposed to keep copies of W-2's for four years. Your best bet for obtaining a missing W-2 is to ask your past or present employer for a copy of it.

You can also request copies of prior or current W-2's from the IRS by using the same process for obtaining a prior year's return. However, this process can take up to 10 days for an online request (and up to 30 days for a mail or fax request) to be granted, so if you use this option, be sure to request your forms well in advance of the federal filing deadline.

How do I receive an extension?

A tax extension provides you with 6 months to file your taxes without incurring late-filing penalties. You can file for extension anytime before the April tax deadline. All extensions on E-file.com include free tax return software. This allows you to come back anytime between April 20th and October 15th to file your tax return for free.

Please keep in mind you do have to pay any taxes owed to the IRS by the federal due date or you may be charged interest on the tax you haven't paid. An extension only allows you more time to file your taxes so you don't incur penalties from missing the filing deadline.

How long will it take to receive my refund after filing?

The IRS' stated time frame for receiving a refund after you file a tax return electronically and opt for direct deposit is 21 days. With that said, it's not uncommon to receive your refund more quickly. The time frame for receiving a refund can be impacted by the date it is received, the errors (if any), and if the return is printed and mailed it to the IRS (rather than submitting it electronically).

State tax refunds tend to take a little longer to receive than federal refunds. Many state governments try to issue refunds within 21 days after receiving a tax return, however, some states do take longer, particularly if the refund is going to a first-time taxpayer.

How do I track my refund status after I've filed my taxes?

The IRS' "Where's My Refund" tool provides updates on tax refunds every 24 hours (you may need to wait at least a day after you receive acceptance before checking your refund status. To check your status you will need:

  1. Your social security number or tax ID number
  2. The type of filing status (single, married filing jointly, head of household, etc.)
  3. The exact refund amount you are expecting

As for your state tax refund, you can usually find information on the status using the State's website. Occasionally, a state may require additional information, such as information from a prior year return, zip code or full mailing address, before providing status updates.

What do I do if my tax return is rejected?

Typically, the IRS notifies E-file.com of your tax return's acceptance or rejection within hours, at which time we promptly notify you. Occasionally, the IRS will take as long as 48 hours to provide this information. If your return is rejected, we'll provide you with the reasons for this rejection so you can take steps to correct and retransmit your return. It can be unnerving to receive a return rejection notice, but more often than not, the rejection can be corrected in minutes. E-file.com allows you to correct your return and electronically resubmit it for free.

If a rejection notice is received on or near April 15th. The IRS usually allows you until April 20th to correct and retransmit electronically.

How do I print a copy of the tax return I filed at E-file.com?

Once you've filed your taxes online at E-file.com, you can download a printable PDF of your return. To access copies of your tax returns, you must log in here - https://www.e-file.com/login.php with the username associated with the filings. If your return has been accepted by the IRS, you can click on the printer icon on the My Account page next to your federal or state return. If you do not have an accepted return, you may proceed to the Summary/Print tab and choose Print Return (if you are using our Basic software) or Show Details followed by Pay Now (if you are using our Deluxe or Premium versions).

How do I retrieve a forgotten password?

If you don't remember your password, you can look it up or reset it by using our online account recovery tool. With this tool, you can request an email that will enable you to reset your password. The tool will ask you for your username and your email address. Please feel free to reach out to us if you need additional assistance with your account and are unable to log in.

What is my username?

If you don't remember your username or login information we're happy to assist you in retrieving it. Our online account recovery tool will allow you to lookup your username. If you can't remember the username you created, you can request a second email with that information.

Where can I find my prior tax returns?

If you ever need to access or print a return that you've filed and was accepted, you can do so by logging back into your account. To access copies of prior returns, you must log in here - https://www.e-file.com/login.php with the username associated with the filing. Once logged in proceed to the My Account page, here you should find copies of the tax filings you previously prepared with us. You may proceed with printing a copy of your tax filing by clicking on the printer icon.

How can I get support with my account?

In order to better assist you with this, we ask that you login to your account and submit a support ticket. Submitting a ticket from your account will allow our specialists to help you with this.

Start by logging into your account. Once you've logged in, click the "Help" button in the top right corner of the navigation or below the form on the code validation page. From the help window, you can choose the category of support you need, describe the issue you are having in the message box and then click "Send Email".



What is E-filing

The term "e-file" in relation to tax filing simply means to transmit your tax return electronically rather than mailing in paper forms. E-filing includes several benefits, such as confirmation of receipt, faster refund and safer transmission. The IRS will typically provide the taxpayer or software provider with confirmation once the return has been accepted (usually this happens within a day or two). If you qualify for a tax refund, you can receive it comparatively much quicker than by using a paper filing. There also tend to be fewer errors that may delay your refund. E-file.com can help you to prepare your tax return and e-file it to the IRS and applicable states.

About Us

Since 2014, we have provided affordable online tax preparation software that is up to half the cost of what other tax preparers charge. Unlike other software providers who resell their customer information to advertisers, E-file.com does not sell any of its customer information to third parties. Our goal is to provide an affordable product without sacrificing a customer's privacy to do so and as a result, over a million U.S. taxpayers have trusted our software to help prepare their tax filing. In 2017, E-file.com was honored as the #79th fastest growing private company in America by Inc. magazine.