- Free Tax Preparation Software - Photo by Author
As income tax laws in the US, UK and Canada are complicated, a taxpayer usually needs help from a professional tax preparer to file tax returns. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of United States Department of the Treasury, 57.7% of the American individual tax returns in 2008 were filed with the assistance of paid tax preparers such as IRS tax lawyers and tax accountants.
In the United States, a professional tax preparation service could cost several hundreds of US dollars to an individual or business taxpayer. If a taxpayer does not want to pay for these kinds of professional services, he or she can seek for assistance from a tax preparation software system.
Commercial or Free Open Source Tax Preparation Software Prices
Tax preparation software can help a taxpayer easily prepare the filing of income tax returns. A commercial software application can be fully-featured but may cost hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, an open source software program is usually available for free download online but does not provide full functionality.
Using an open source tax software program, a user may have to do a lot of manual operations to finish filing individual tax returns. But the software will be free, and the user will be allowed to edit the source codes to improve the performance of the software.
Best Free Open Source Tax Preparation Software Download Reviews
Open Tax Solver is free and open source tax preparation software running on Microsoft Windows, Linux and Apple Mac operating systems. It can help a taxpayer easily calculate tax form entries and prepare income tax returns. This system includes versions for US 1040 and Scheds A, B, C, D, and provides forms for several U.S. states, Canada and the UK.
To download the Windows version of Open Tax Solver, just click the “Download Now!” button on its web site and download the Zip file. Then unzip it to hard disk and run payroll_deduction.exe. Input numbers such as total federal or state taxes and taxes deduction into the pop-up window. A user can easily calculate the payroll reduction.
Open Tax Solver cannot fill in the tax forms automatically. Users should download Adobe fill-in tax forms online. These fill-in forms allow users to paste tax numbers calculated by Open Tax Solver into the appropriate lines and print the form to produce professional quality income tax returns.
Though open source tax preparation software applications are not perfect, they provide simple and free alternatives for personal and business taxpayers. Of course, if a taxpayer finds the preparation work is too complicated, he or she may need to seek for assistance from a tax lawyer or accountant.
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Chen Nanyang - Chen Nanyang's journalist career began in 2002 when he started writing for China's Nanfang City News, Singapore's United Morning Post and ...
