#Professional tax software reviews 2012 software
#Professional tax software reviews 2012 free

#Professional tax software reviews 2012 software

Others allow users to download the software directly from the company. Some programs can be bought in a store and come on a disc that installs the software on your hard drive. Taxpayers have two main options: using software that is loaded onto a computer or mobile device or using interactive web-based programs. Once these programs complete your tax return, you can either file it electronically or print it out and mail by post. This an improvement over last year, when tax forms consumed over 3,000 trees. 10 for filing 2013 returns.Ī T1 form weighs 0.119 kg, which multiplied by the seven million Canadians who filed paper tax returns in 2013, works out to 833,000 kg of tax forms.Īssuming an average pine tree is 0.3 m wide, 18 m high and has a 50 per cent yield of pulpable wood, it takes one tree to produce about 365 kg of paper - or 2,282 to make all those T1s. The CRA limits the number of returns that can be filed to Netfile from one computer or online account to 20 in order to ensure the service is used by individual tax filers only and not tax professionals trying to skirt costs by using cheaper tax-preparation programs meant for individuals. New this year, most certified programs will submit returns directly to the CRA - sparing you the task of uploading files to the agency's website. The CRA has a list of certified programs on its website, and it will be updated through March as more programs satisfy the certification requirements. Using Netfile only requires your social insurance number, date of birth and a 'certified' tax program. The popularity of the service has grown rapidly since its 1999, debut when it was used by just 530 people. Most tax returns travel via EFile, but one-quarter of taxpayers, just under seven million people, filed their taxes through Netfile in 2013.

#Professional tax software reviews 2012 free

A few are offered free to everybody.įor the do-it-yourself types, this means using Netfile, a web-based service that allows taxpayers to be their own accountants and file their returns over the internet. Most cost money, but some are free for those with modest incomes. As of 2013, it requires tax professionals who prepare more than 10 returns to file electronically.Ī variety of software programs are available to help Canadians file electronically. It also cancelled its phone-based Telefile service and simplified its Netfile service by dropping those personal, four-digit security codes.

The CRA itself is recognizing that fewer people are opting for paper returns and last year stopped mailing out paper forms. Electronic options like EFile, which is the internet-based filing system used by professionals who prepare tax returns for a living, and Netfile, the system individual taxpayers use to file their returns electronically, are fast, secure, more accurate, and refunds can take as little as eight business days with direct deposit.įor a mailed return, you can wait as long as six weeks to get a refund. Most tax returns are now delivered electronically to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and it's not hard to see why. Last year, just over seven million Canadians filed their taxes the old-fashioned way - mailing in ink-and-paper forms - which, according to some very rough math, required introducing some 2,200 trees to the business end of a chainsaw.īut that's an improvement, thanks to the rising popularity of filing taxes electronically, on the 3,300 or so that were turned into T1s for the 2010 tax year. Tax season can be tough on all of us, no less so for trees.