i-CAN Free File is a free federal tax return filing website. This website is also a part of the IRS free file alliance. You can prepare and e-file your federal tax return for free only if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $31,000 or less or if your qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). There is no state restriction, you can file you federal return free from any state.
If you do not qualify for the free filing criteria, then you will be charged $9.99 to e-file you federal return. This also includes state returns if you live in California, Michigan, Montana, New York, or Pennsylvania. You can either e-file or take a print out of your return to send it to the IRS.
You might also want to check the Limitation of i-CAN free file before you start entering your information. There are a number of forms that are not supported by the website. So be sure that all the forms that you need are supported by the website before you start. For more featured free tax file software, you can check out TurboTax free, and Jackson Hewitt online.
How to File Tax Return with iCan Free File:
You will be asked to create an account and sign in to start with. After you sign in, you will be answering question about your federal tax return and even state if applicable. The interface of the website is easy to understand and simple to navigate through. After you are finished with entering information, you will be asked to review all the data for accuracy. Once you are done with that you can then decide whether you want to e-file the return or mail it to the IRS.
In case you run into any problems, there is an option of live chat on the website. So you will be able to chat with a customer service agent, who will help you with your questions or concerns. You do not need to download any software, from data entry to filing your return everything can be done online.
Also you have the option to save your tax return and come back to finish it on a later date. i-CAN Free file also offers you the facility of Direct Deposit. This means you can have your refund directly deposited to your bank account instead of receiving a check. All you will need is the routing number of the bank and your checking/ savings bank account number.
Some other tax filing software you can also try are H&R Block online free, and TaxSimple.
If you need to file an extension for your tax return, you can do that for free too from this website. But remember extension of filing date is not an extension to pay if you owe money. Filing an extension just extends your date to file by 6 months. If you owe money to the IRS and do not pay it by the end of the tax season then you start getting charged interest and penalties on the amount.
i-CAN Free file allows you to free file your federal return if you qualify the criteria set by them. Plus if your reside in one of the states mentioned above then you can also file a state return for free. Nothing tops free.
