Yes, obviously, everyone knows that. When all you have to file is a 1040, reading one of the instructions documents is fine. When you have to use several forms it start to add up.

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anon291 a day ago | parent | next [-]

I've filed my own taxes for years and have a complicated set up; real estate, stocks, rsus, espps, private shares, amt, etc ... It's extremely straightforward and takes less time than using turbotax if you've done it before. The instructions are obvious.

You can also call the IRS and be told for free what the rules are. People pay h&r block and Intuit when the irs is extremely responsive and will connect you with an actual American irs rep to answer your questions.

People pay for the software because they've been marketed to not because they need it. For the situations that are actually hard, then a software like TurboTax is useless.

Also if you get the numbers wrong the IRS just corrects it

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simoncion a day ago | parent | prev [-]

> Yes, obviously, everyone knows that.

It's pretty clear that daemonologist did not know that. Which is weird, given that all the tax law the average USian needs to know is "Read and follow the instructions for Form 1040.".

(RIP 1040-EZ. You were a good form.)

Also, I've had to file several forms in the past. It 'adds up', but it's all mechanically following instructions... not anything difficult.

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xboxnolifes 20 hours ago | parent [-]

Following forms is easy. The hard part is knowing if you need to file a form.

	▲	simoncion 20 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> The hard part is knowing if you need to file a form. In my experience, the form instructions tell you clearly when you should and should not file a form. They also clearly indicate which other forms are to be filed when you meet specific conditions (income limits, possession of specific other forms, etc.). Granted, I don't run a business, nor do I have exceptionally complex finances, so there are a great many IRS form instructions that I have never seen. Because I've not see them all, I'd never say that every such form instruction is clear, but the ones I've encountered have been.