Tips for Filling Taxes in Missouri for Free

Missouri Residents, have no fear! It's everybody's favorite time of year: Tax Season! So many things are electronic these days. Mail, pictures, shopping, even dating! Of course society throws in electronically filing for taxes. You could go to places such as H&R Block and spend about half of your refund just having someone else fill out paperwork that never seems to end and spend a few weeks waiting to get your check in the mail, or you could do it all yourself with easy online guidance and with a few clicks of the mouse be less than two weeks away from getting your refund back from Uncle Sam.

With this step-by-step guide, you'll be closer to electronically filing Federal and State taxes for FREE.
Missouri's Department of Revenue web page has two programs which will allow for free state filing. Don't worry about paying for a program to put on your computer or finding several of those internet sites that tell you filing is free and then have an asterisk which means the Federal is free but they'll charge you to file your state.

Before you get started, be sure to have all W-2 forms from 2007, copy of 2006 taxes, a printer, and about 10 minutes.
To make sure you quality to efile for free, you must meet one of the following requirements: You earned less than $30,000 in 2007, you were in active duty in the military and earned less than $54,000, or you qualify for Earned Income Credit (EIC). If you're still unsure, follow the steps and you'll find out.

1. In your web browser, type http://dor.mo.gov/
2. On the left side of the screen is a red button that says "Taxation", click it.
3. Again on the left side of the screen are several red buttons. Click the button that reads "Electronic Filling".
4. There are four blue links in the middle of the page; you want to click "Free Online Filling of Federal and State Income Tax Returns through the Free File Alliance.
5. You will then be taken to a web page listing two "Free Online Filing Providers". The choices are Intuit and TaxSlayer.
6. Be Careful!
If you choose Intuit it is a version of TurboTax. There is a TurboTax Freedom Edition and TurboTax Free Edition. For free state-taxes, make sure you choose the Freedom Edition.
TaxSlayer is just as safe and easy as TurboTax, however it does NOT offer free filling for state.

I like many things that are free, so i chose Intuit. Remember those requirements we talked about? When you're on the Intuit Tax Freedom Project page, there are three square boxes listing each of those requirements, and under the requirement is a "Learn More" link. If you know you qualify for one of those then click the blue "I Qualify! Start Now" button at the bottom of the page.

Throughout the process there will often be helpful links to click which will guide you through any questions you may have. It's quick, it's easy, and best of all it's free!