Ask questions via Twitter. Tweet any question to @AskFiLife and we will respond with an answer. More.

FiLife - In partnership with The Wall Street Journal

Your Financial LifelineTM

In partnership with The Wall Street Journal
 
 

Disclaimer

FiLife is a great place to get your finances in shape, and the expert advice in the community can help you address specific or general problems. But very often you’ll also need one-on-one advice from a professional, especially since rules and laws maybe specific to your state or country. Remember that investments and other financial transactions come with risk, and you should consult an independent, qualified professional before making financial commitments.

Stop Showing this Message

Question

Mark
Newcomer

Mark asked 12 months ago in Tax Preparation

2008 taxes

How do I estimate the amount of taxes I will get back when I file in 2009?

Was this question interesting?

Yes

(0)

No

(0)

Permalink | Abuse

FiLife Recommends

Answer this Question
  • Share:
  •  

1 Answer

Sort by:
Kelly Phillips Erb
FiLife Contributor
Reply

There are a few ways to estimate your refund...
If you're good at math, you can print out a form 1040 from the IRS and throw your round numbers in to see what comes up. Tax geeks like me do this.
If you're trying to avoid math altogether, try some of the free estimation tools available from tax pre sites.

Two of the more popular are H&R Block (http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tax_calculators/index.html) and Turbo Tax (http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/tax_estimator.jsp).

You'll want to have some basic tax information handy, such as your filing status, dependent info, income from wages and investments (including capital gains and losses), expenses and deductions (including mortgage, charitable contributions and taxes). Don't forget records of withholding and payments made during the year.

Plug in the numbers and you should have a good estimate of what to expect.

Is this helpful?

Yes

(0)

No

(0)

Permalink | Abuse

Answer this Question

Generic User Image

Ask a Question

140 characters

Tips

  • Be specific and clear.
  • Be courteous and thoughtful.
  • Share some details about your situation (age, relationship, etc)

Login or Join

or login with

Ask a Question

140 characters

Expert Partners

Stacker Poll of the Day

What age should you start your child's allowance?

Avg 8.5
 
Avg 8.5
 
248 responses