| The IRS has a long and tortuous history of trying | | | | calculations. |
| to come up with easy tax returns, only to come | | | | Fortunately, the problem was solved - without the |
| up short - or far too long. | | | | IRS's help. Instead of waiting for a new form, |
| The original 1040 was fairly simple, and only | | | | taxpayers have found ways to file easy tax |
| applied to the wealthiest of taxpayers. But over | | | | returns on their own. They don't have to use |
| time, new taxes were added, and new credits | | | | expensive tax preparers, they can spend minutes |
| and deductions piled on as well. A longer tax | | | | instead of hours, and they can find the results - |
| return meant that taxpayers spent more time | | | | and get their refunds - almost instantly. |
| calculating their deductions in order to fill it out | | | | What's this solution? Simple: filing easy tax returns |
| correctly - even though more and more | | | | online, through a tax preparation site. Easy tax |
| deductions applied to fewer and fewer taxpayers. | | | | returns aren't just about filing out short forms, or |
| In 1982, the IRS came up with an answer to the | | | | missing out on key deductions. Instead, the best |
| easy returns conundrum: the 1040-EZ, which was | | | | way to file easy tax returns is to automate the |
| designed to make filing as simple as possible. The | | | | process: a tax filing website can use complex tax |
| 1040-EZ certainly made things easier, by excluding | | | | filing algorithms to maximize deductions and |
| a large number of taxpayers, and ensuring that | | | | credits, while minimizing the time and effort it |
| the rest couldn't get very many deductions. | | | | takes to file. |
| Fine for taxpayers who had simple returns, but | | | | Nobody likes waiting for the IRS to change their |
| what about those who couldn't file these easy tax | | | | rules. Fortunately, you don't have to. It's entirely |
| returns because they were trying to get credits | | | | possible to file easy tax returns - all you have to |
| and deductions, just not the same ones? There | | | | do is know who to file them with. You can even |
| wasn't an easy way out for them - they could | | | | start a return for free and only pay once you've |
| miss hundreds or even thousands of dollars in | | | | gotten to the end of the process. |
| deductions, or they could spend hours on useless | | | | |