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And you thought it was just the IRS

February 2, 2008

Remember last April when some TurboTax customers had problems e-filing? Well, tax technological glitches pop up worldwide.

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Take the United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs, that country’s equivalent to our IRS.

WebCPA reports that British taxpayers who visited the Self Assessment Online section of the site last Thursday were greeted with messages such as "planned maintenance" or "not found."

What made the annoying messages worse was that the Web malfunction occurred on Jan. 31, the last day for filing taxes in the U.K. Taxpayers who fail to pay their taxes in time by the deadline are typically fined 100 pounds; that’s almost $200 U.S.

Because of the six-hour site crash, British tax officials extended the tax filing deadline for another 24 hours.

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E-filing considerations: This taxpayer experience from across the pond is a lesson for filers everywhere. Don’t wait until the last minute.

Sure, the speed and usual reliability of electronic communications tends to make us put things off. But the safer tax move is to file a tad early just in case there’s a problem.

If you’re considering using tax prep software, this story has some general things to think about in making your decision. And this article looks at all your various e-file options.

When it comes to specific programs, check out Software.com’s analysis of TurboTax and TaxCut (thanks to taxgirl for the heads-up). Money Tip Central looks at those two programs, as well as several other popular software packages here. And Top 10 Reviews also takes a good look at a wide variety of tax prep packages here.

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Credits/Deductions
Disasters
Family
Filing and Paying Taxes
Politics/Laws
Refunds
State Taxes
Tax Brackets/Inflation
Tax Tips
Comments
  • Lubna
    19 years ago Reply

    Hi
    Nice post. Yes, same situation here in India. The first time they introduced efiling for the corporate sector, the software had so many glitches that the due date had to be extended. This was the second year of efiling and things were better.

  • Bob Meighan
    19 years ago Reply

    The tax software comparison chart at software.com is highly inaccurate. It has so many factual errors that I would not rely on it.
    Bob Meighan
    VP, TurboTax

  • Mike Bell
    19 years ago Reply

    Bob Meighan: We compiled our comparison chart from information that is published by Intuit and HR Block. Can you please point out the ‘many factual errors’ – or at least the most offending ones? If we’ve erred we would certainly like to correct it. It would probably help us do a better job of selling and supporting your company’s products.
    Mike Bell
    CEO
    Software.com

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