conversation: User (mishmish4884): "Hi everyone, just want to share my quick story. I walked into H&amp;R Block in the past few days to do my tax return. I had not made much money, and received a $4000 1099-misc from a job i did. When i went to file the H&amp;R block tax specialist told me that the fee just to file this alone would be $300, not including the rest of the fillings. I was absolutely blown away. I ended up getting up and walking out, and the rep called my cell phone stated that these are the prices. I ended up using turbo tax and the total filling fee was less then a $100. Felt i wanted to share this to make sure people stay away from these thieves."
  Self: "The next time you need brain surgery, head to Walmart and find someone who does brain surgery part-time from January to April.  Sounds stooopid, doesn't it.  Yet we let unprofessionals charge us too much money doing something we are more than capable of doing ourselves.\n\nI forget the brand Walmart uses but keep in mind the people who work for tax chains are basically filling in the same blanks you would if you did it at home.  And BTW, they are probably making $12 an hour.  \n\nTaxes, we all hate them.  But few of us should actually be afraid of them.  MOST of us could do our own taxes, using any of the brands of software in less than an hour for $14.95, $29.95.  \n\nWhen I bought my first rental property I went to my friend Tom, a CPA to get my taxes done.  I think it was probably the 3rd year he said to me, "why are you paying me to do something you are capable of doing yourself?  I replied with something about depreciation schedules, writing off a stove over 27 1/2 years and how complicated that was, etc. etc.  \n\nIn the end, I took his advice and have been doing my own taxes for the last 30 years.  Nowadays I don't have rental property but do have considerable investment activity.  All you do is download your statement directly from your broker right into the software.  The software and the broker have already determined what is short term, long term, how to treat the dividends.  It is more annoying to use Turbo tax than difficult.\n\nThe OP could have gone to irs.gov and filed for free most likely using the same software he purchased."
  Gil_V (Gil_V): "Taxes are not brain surgery. They're actually pretty easy. Detailed? Yes. Difficult? No."
  