$400.00 To File Taxes!!!!

[Unregistered]

I croaked the first year when I got the bill too, thinking it would be too complicated to figure out on my own. I used that as the example for every year moving forward and now do it on my own and pay $11.99. There was no way I was willing to pay that again.

[Lyss]

I knew I would be getting a refund on my taxes this year as I just reopend January 2012 and only had 1 child for 10 months and another one for 3 months of the year. I am able to claim my two grandkids for the earned income credit.

So since I was planning on getting a refund, and was making plans to go on vacation, I decided to hold off filing my income taxes until it was close to time for vacation so I wouldn't be tempted to spend any of it.

I took my taxes in yesterday to a well known chain and after we were finished entering all the information, he told me my filing fees were 440.00!!!!

Is this a pretty standard amount to file? I had done it on a program at home, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything this first year so wanted someone who was a professional (yeah right!!! He couldn't even figure out what type of field to put my daycare under...I had to tell him it was under childcare).

I'm pretty sure from here on out I'll be doing it myself...it's really not that hard, I just didn't want to miss anything...and I didn't when I had done it at home. But oh my gosh....$440.00!!! That would have almost paid for all my gas on my vacation.

I did them myself with the help of Tom's book http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1605541338 (awesomeness!) and then used Tax Act. Ours are pretty easy outside of the daycare though.

I'd be VERY concerned of the fact that your preparer didn't know about the daycare! Entering things for childcare is different than other home office type businesses.

[MarinaVanessa]

I paid $200 for my personal and my business taxes. I don't go to H&R block anymore, they charge way too much money IMO. They quoted me $350 to file the same forms that I pay $200 for at the place I go to now and you never know whether they "know their stuff" in regards to home daycare or not (unless you keep getting the same person year after year).

[Little Star75]

I thought you only got a penalty if you owed money?

I could be wrong.

You are right, penalty is only for those tax payers that owe $$ so it shouldn't apply to the OP. $440 sounds like a lot to me I say rip off. I paid 200