Free E-File State Tax Return Directly on the State’s Website

When I was ready to e-file my tax returns through TurboTax downloaded software, it said that federal e-file was free and I could pay another $25 to e-file the state tax return at the same time. Considering that I paid only $30 for the software that includes all the complex logic to prepare both the federal and the state tax returns, $25 for simply transmitting the data and only for the state portion seems outrageous.

It isn’t just TurboTax. H&R Block does the same. Federal e-file is free but you must pay extra if you also want to e-file the state return. Only New York bans tax software vendors from charging extra for e-filing the state return.

No doubt many people relent and just pay the $25. Tax software vendors know it, and they’re counting on this for their revenue. I can afford $25. I would have no problem with it if they included it in the price up front and sold the software for $55 as opposed to $30. I just hate this sneaky tactic.

Printing and mailing the state return isn’t necessarily the only alternative though. Many states accept e-filing directly on the state revenue agency’s website. E-filing a return on the state’s website only takes a few minutes when you already have the completed forms from the tax software.

The web form on my state’s website is just an interactive representation of the same paper form. Besides personal information, I basically entered two numbers from my federal tax return – the AGI and the standard deduction. All the rest were automatically calculated.

Here I collected the available direct e-file links for all 50 states and Washington, DC. If your state offers direct e-file, at least try it once. You can always go back to paying $25 if you don’t like e-filing directly. If your state doesn’t offer direct e-file, printing and mailing isn’t that bad either. I’d done that before for many years and I never had any problems.

You save $25, and more importantly, you feel good about not falling for a big corporation’s pricing game. You get the better product when you use downloaded tax software and you pay nearly half the price than using the software online.

StateFree Direct E-FileAlabamaNo direct e-fileAlaskaNo state income taxArizonaNo direct e-fileArkansasNo direct e-fileCaliforniaCalFileColoradoRevenue OnlineConnecticutTaxpayer Service CenterDelawareDivision of RevenueDistrict Of ColumbiaMyTax DCFloridaNo state income taxGeorgiaNo direct e-fileHawaiiHawaii Tax OnlineIdahoNo direct e-fileIllinoisMyTax IllinoisIndianaNo direct e-fileIowaNo direct e-fileKansasKansas WebFileKentuckyKY FileLouisianaLouisiana File and Pay OnlineMaineMaine I-FileMarylandiFileMassachusettsMassTaxConnectMichiganNo direct e-fileMinnesotaNo direct e-fileMississippiNo direct e-fileMissouriNo direct e-fileMontanaMT QuickFileNebraskaNebFileNevadaNo state income taxNew HampshireNo direct e-fileNew JerseyNew Jersey Online Income Tax FilingNew MexicoTaxpayer Access PointNew YorkSoftware vendors can’t charge for e-fileNorth CarolinaNo direct e-fileNorth DakotaNo direct e-fileOhioI-FileOklahomaOkTAPOregonNo direct e-filePennsylvaniamyPATHRhode IslandNo direct e-fileSouth CarolinaNo direct e-fileSouth DakotaNo state income taxTennesseeNo state income taxTexasNo state income taxUtahTaxpayer Access PointVermontNo direct e-fileVirginiaNo direct e-fileWashingtonNo state income taxWest VirginiaNo direct e-fileWisconsinWI e-fileWyomingNo state income taxLearn the Nuts and Bolts I put everything I use to manage my money in a book. My Financial Toolbox guides you to a clear course of action.Read Reviews

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