Who else loves filing taxes ?? ?!?
*crickets*
Yeah… filing taxes can feel a little overwhelming. But it really doesn’t have to be that scary! I’ve partnered with 1040.com to bring you some tips for filing your taxes this year.
First off, if you are a millennial I feel 99% confident you are filing on-line (because how awful does trying to figure this ish out with a pen and paper sound?!?). But there are like 10,000 million options to file your taxes online today so I wanted to introduce you to my friends at 1040.com, a DIY tax return filing application. They make it super easy, fast, and simple with their questions to ensure you are snagging all the tax breaks available to you!
*Okay, admit it, you’re starting to dread this a little less…*
Plus it gets better, you know we are all about giving back at TCM and so is 1040.com! For every tax return filed with 1040.com, they donate $2 to Healing Waters International. Each donation equals two months of clean water for someone in a developing country! Last year they raised enough money to fund 2.5 million gallons. That’s a whole year of clean water for almost 15,000 people!
*So not only are you keeping the IRS off your tail, but you are helping people!*
Alright, let’s hop to it…
3 Tips For Millennials Filing Taxes:
1. Be on time.
The tax filing deadline this year is Tuesday, April 18th (it’s normally the 15th every year but that’s a Saturday and then Monday is a holiday). Which means you still have plenty of time to clear a couple of hours in your schedule (if this is your first time filing, I suggest clearing a little extra time)!
ACTION STEP: Bust out your phone (which you is either sitting next to your or you’re reading this on) right now and schedule a time one Saturday morning you plan to get your taxes done! (how adult does that sound haha)
2. Gather all the important info
This is the most frustrating part of filing your taxes IMO. If it was up to me, I would file on the first day it’s allowed each year! But you have to wait for certain documents to get sent in from the previous year before you can do that, so I usually end up filing in March. Here is a helpful little checklist of what you need:
ACTION STEP: Throughout the year, create a physical or digital folder with all of the above information. As soon as you get something, file it! If you haven’t gotten these together yet, I would recommend setting aside some time before your “tax filing” Saturday morning to make sure you have it all… nothing would frustrate me more than sitting down to do my taxes and realize I am missing something and have to come back to it later.
3. Look for expenses to deduct & save receipts!
You can deduct expenses for moving, job hunting, and equipment or office supplies from a side hustle. Make sure you always save and track the receipts for these throughout the year! There are tons of “receipt keeper” apps today to make this easy for the future. Also, if you ever get audited you need to show what the item has only been used for work. In other words, if you bought a gorgeous red dress that you wear to work sometimes, but you also are wearing for Valentine’s day dinner with BAE – you cannot write it off! — BUT you can write off a required work uniform (I’m looking at you fugly non-slip work shoes from my waitressing days!)
ACTION STEP: If you don’t have a receipt filing system in place already, download a receipt tracking app like shoebox, receipt hog, or wave receipts now! Start snapping pictures of your receipts moving forward (not only is this a good habit for taxes, but it’s a good habit to gaining insight into where your money is going and if you could change things up in your budget).
Happy filing! Do you have any tips or tools you use for filing taxes? Let me know in the comments!
*This post is sponsored by 1040.com but all opinions are my own and provided for educational purposes, not as expert or professional advice.
Chelsea
February 22, 2017 at 8:31 amAhhh I needed this post! I literally DREAD tax season. UGH . Last year I had someone else do my taxes for the first time, because I was so confused with my blog, and it hurt to pay the money for that! I wish I could do it effectively on my own but it stresses me out too much!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:21 pmthis is just for personal taxes anyway! you have to file for your business before personal so it’s probably good you have an accountant! whatever works for you is key!
Abbey Phipps
February 22, 2017 at 10:01 amI’m filing self-employment for the first time this year, and saving receipts has been so key! Plus, while doing taxes, I’ve learned ways to improve our receipt system to make it easier for next year! Bonus win! 🙂
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:19 pmFor sure! Love that extra win!
Neely
February 22, 2017 at 10:31 amThese are awesome tips! Exactly what I do! I try to do it as early as I can
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:19 pmIt’s so nice to not have to keep stressing over them!
Sara Holt
February 22, 2017 at 11:27 amThanks for the tips. I really need to get my taxes filed…
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:19 pmGlad they were helpful!
Erin of Very Erin
February 22, 2017 at 11:28 amGREAT tips! Taxes can be super frustrating. Honestly I can’t believe I used to complain about them pre-blog, because they take so much longer now! I think being organized all year round is the most important part, because getting all your stuff together on January does NOT work.
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:18 pmlol i hear that! and totally agree! i get my books in order every week, it takes 5-10 minutes and save a huge headache later on!
Katrina
February 22, 2017 at 11:41 amAs a girl in college, the idea of filing my taxes is super stressful and foreign. I’m preparing to start filing my own taxes really soon and I need all of the help I can get, so thanks for this post! Definitely will be saving it for the next tax season.
– katrina // Yours Truly, Katrina
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:18 pmIt’s definitely scary the first time or two around! But it gets easier as long as you’re organized!
Maggie Reimherr
February 22, 2017 at 1:02 pmLove these tips! I moved 1000 miles last year and didn’t know to keep my receipts from moving expenses. We’re about to move again, and we won’t make the same mistake twice!
Maggie | amillennialmarriage.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:17 pmGlad you guys learned!
Erica
February 22, 2017 at 1:30 pmI am QUEEN of deductions!! And I lovelovelove 1040, too. 😉
Coming Up Roses
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmlol i know you are! haha
Jenny
February 22, 2017 at 1:47 pmSuch great tips! We use TurboTax but I’m sure it’s all similar. Deductions are so important as a business owner haha.
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmDefinitely agree!
Ashley Mason
February 22, 2017 at 3:34 pmAwesome tips, Rach! Luckily my older sister is a tax accountant so she takes care of ALL of that for me!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmthat’s lucky!!
mckenna bleu
February 22, 2017 at 4:16 pmYour gifs are so perfect for this post lol
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmlol thank you!
Mary Duggan
February 22, 2017 at 4:35 pmsaving receipts is crucial – admittedly, i’m the worst at it! i’ll have to look into those apps!!
XO. / easilyinspired-blog.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmFor sure! Apps are a game changer!
Anna Hubbard
February 22, 2017 at 5:14 pmUgh taxes are my least favorite thing to do. Luckily my dad is an accountant so he can take me through all the steps!
-Anna | http://www.fivefootandfabulous.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmThat’s lucky!
Silvia Marquez
February 22, 2017 at 6:10 pmThese are great tips! Filing early is the biggest thing for me!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmit’s such a stress relief!
Rachel @ STCL
February 22, 2017 at 8:09 pmGathering things for taxes is the worst, ugh! I always put it off!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:16 pmLol hope some of the tips work for you!
Alix Maza
February 22, 2017 at 9:52 pmThank you for this! Always in need for good info on taxes.
-Alix
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:15 pmYou’re welcome Alix!
Rachel G
February 22, 2017 at 10:24 pmI am looking forward to having our taxes completely finished for the year…hopefully within the next week now that we finally got all of our papers!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:15 pmlol hope you got them done!
Katie
February 22, 2017 at 10:54 pmI always save my receipts! It’s become a habit (a good one). Luckily my husband handles our taxes so I don’t have to deal with it too much. I’ll tell him to check out 1040.com! 🙂
Katie |Millennial on the Move
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:15 pmhope it helps!
Greta Hollar
February 23, 2017 at 1:34 amThis has been my life this week. So stressful! These are great tips!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:15 pmthanks Greta!
Leah
February 23, 2017 at 3:25 pmGreat tips! And seriously, preparing for my taxes throughout the year has changed taxes for me this season. I love that I didn’t have to scramble this year, that everything was all organized in one place.
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:15 pmit’s so nice, right!?
Dara @ The Southern Thing
February 23, 2017 at 5:05 pmThese are all great tips! Being organized with everything is key for me!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:14 pmtotally agree!
Brittany @ Grace, Love, Life
February 23, 2017 at 5:42 pmGreat tips! I hate filing taxes but thankfully I did our a few weeks ago.
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:14 pmnice! lucky!
Elly Leavitt
February 23, 2017 at 7:45 pmoof literally no idea how to file taxes so this is v helpful. bookmarking for sure! x
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:14 pmlol its definitely not as hard as it seems when you have a good software guiding you through it!
Nicole Booz
February 23, 2017 at 10:23 pmThis is super helpful! I love that they give back. Definitely very millennial-minded.
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:14 pmAgreed!
Kusum @sveetesKapes
February 23, 2017 at 11:04 pmUgh, yes taxes is something I hate the most this season! I really never thought of saving receipts on apps, great tip and I am sure going to start doing that going forward.
xx, Kusum | http://www.sveeteskapes.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:13 pmGlad it was helpful!
Sydney Power
February 23, 2017 at 11:37 pmMy family is pretty luck my Aunt is such an accountant and loves doing income taxes so we send all out stuff to her and she gets it done. I would like to do it online one day but for now she is great! I love that the company also donates!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:11 pmthat’s awesome!
Marie Ernst
February 24, 2017 at 10:03 amSo helpful!! It’s such a stressful season
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:11 pmIt really is! Thankful for 1040.com though!
Cameron
February 24, 2017 at 10:13 amGreat tips! I am so lucky that my family has an accountant, and I take full advantage to make sure my refund is as much as it can possibly be!
| Diary of a Southern Millennial
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:11 pmLol that’s awesome!
Courtney Connolly
February 24, 2017 at 8:31 pmTaxes are the worst, I always forget about writing work stuff off and I always lose out. I love that 1040 gives back in such a wonderful way, that is something can make such a massive difference in how people choose which company to use.
La Belle Sirene
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:11 pmDefinitely agree Courtney!
Allison Jones
February 26, 2017 at 11:08 amI am so naive when it comes to taxes so this post is right time for me! Thanks so much for the tips!!!! I look forward to seeing your posts on the Thursday Three Link Party on LiveLifeWellBlog.com again in the future 🙂
All the Best,
Allison
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:10 pmYou’re welcome!!
Macarena Ferreira
February 26, 2017 at 2:58 pmLove this! Filing your taxes early is one of the most important things! Glad your helping out the young ones find their way. 🙂
xo // http://www.thematerialgirl.co
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:10 pmLol thank you!
Alex
February 28, 2017 at 8:59 amThis is sooooo helpful! I haaaate taxes Hahahaha. So thankful Ian does mine!
Rachel Ritlop
March 3, 2017 at 3:09 pmlol glad it was helpful!!