Tax help?

[packrat]

Where can I find out what the standard deduction is for State taxes? Married filing jointly, status two, if that helps. Means nothing to me, I don't understand it but my mom is trying to figure theirs out. No books were mailed out so she got papers from the library but they didn't have any instructions.

I've googled various different phrases but they all say "to find out what the standard blah blah is you first must figure out if you should file..to find out if you should file blah blah" Or I can find the Federal but not State. Driving me nuts.

Anyone have any ideas? I called the lawyer where we get ours done but she just told me $40 per person which mom says is just an exemption..gives me great confidence is how *our* taxes were done hahahaha.

 

[Kismet]

Not every state is the same. Which one are you talking about?

 

[VRBeauty]

Go to the state's website. The main website should include a quick link to the state's tax agency or tax materials. Most states use *.gov urls - i.e., California's is www.ca.gov; Texas is www.texas.gov..

 

[packrat]

Sorry, I didn't realize they weren't all the same. We're in Iowa. I'll go find the gov't page, thanks VR.

 

[packrat]

Jeez Louise..Iowa's page goes thru 2009. I found a link in there that gives the amount for 2010. And for 2011 I found what she could deduct if she were a student from India.

hahahahaha no wonder people get so irritated at tax time!

 

[packrat]

Found it. Thanks for the state gov idea!

 

[VRBeauty]

 

[amc80]

May I suggest using some online software? Turbo Tax or H&R Block have really easy and affordable programs.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

2nd to using Turbo Tax. Just be that the TT fee is paid by credit card when filling or TT will add in extra charges if you have the fee deducted from your return - there's a lawsuit about this right now re: the hidden fees.

 

[amc80]

2nd to using Turbo Tax. Just be that the TT fee is paid by credit card when filling or TT will add in extra charges if you have the fee deducted from your return - there's a lawsuit about this right now re: the hidden fees.

Really? That's surprising. When I did my return I clicked on the "deduct from your return" option...and then it clearly said there was an additional fee (and it was a lot, like $30 or something) for doing so.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

2nd to using Turbo Tax. Just be that the TT fee is paid by credit card when filling or TT will add in extra charges if you have the fee deducted from your return - there's a lawsuit about this right now re: the hidden fees.

Really? That's surprising. When I did my return I clicked on the "deduct from your return" option...and then it clearly said there was an additional fee (and it was a lot, like $30 or something) for doing so.

Yeah, I know, but some people don't read the fine print! lol Maybe they changed the wording after the suit was filed...I'm not sure, though, as I didn't read the complaint, but heard about the suit long after hearing a string of people claiming they were tricked into double paying. I've been using TT since 2008 w/out any problems...

 

[rubybeth]

2nd to using Turbo Tax. Just be that the TT fee is paid by credit card when filling or TT will add in extra charges if you have the fee deducted from your return - there's a lawsuit about this right now re: the hidden fees.

Really? That's surprising. When I did my return I clicked on the "deduct from your return" option...and then it clearly said there was an additional fee (and it was a lot, like $30 or something) for doing so.

Yeah, I know, but some people don't read the fine print! lol Maybe they changed the wording after the suit was filed...I'm not sure, though, as I didn't read the complaint, but heard about the suit long after hearing a string of people claiming they were tricked into double paying. I've been using TT since 2008 w/out any problems...

They made it MUCH clearer this year than it was last year. And geez louise, people do NOT read fine print.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I LOVE TurboTax! (As much as one can love anything related to a tax return !) It so quickly fills out the state return because it has almost everything it needs from the federal.

The entire state booklet with instructions should be online. They shouldn't be trying to fill out a form without having the instructions!

 

[packrat]

They're not "online" people. Well, dad is, but mom's the one who does the taxes. I found what she needed, and when I called her to tell her $4500, she answered the phone, "$4500"..she'd gone back to the library and they searched for her.