Have you filed your taxes yet? You still have ample time left until the April 15th deadline, but it’s probably best not to procrastinate too long. 26% of Americans plan to wait until the last minute to file – which means filing during tax week or requesting an extension. You may not be looking forward to doing your taxes, especially if you will owe money, but I’ve compiled some of the best tools to help make filing your taxes a breeze.
1. Money Guy Tax Guide 2025
Our quick-reference tax guide is updated annually with the latest and greatest tax information, including income tax rates and brackets, standard deductions, and more. The 2025 Tax Guide is for the 2025 tax year, which means the information is for the tax return you are filing now, in the spring of 2026. This guide is great if you are looking to refresh yourself on the basics before starting on your taxes.
2. Money Guy’s Top Tax Planning Strategies
Our ultimate guide for tax planning includes a review of tax fundamentals, information about tax credits and deductions, and tax planning you can do for big life events like starting a business. This guide can help around tax time, but where it really shines is helping you plan in advance. There’s not much tax planning left to do when it’s time to file your taxes, but if you develop a tax strategy in advance you can rest easy knowing you’ve done everything you can to optimize your taxes and lower your tax burden.
3. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
There’s no better free resource than the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Qualifying taxpayers, including those making under a certain amount (generally $69,000 or less), persons with disabilities, and those with limited English-speaking ability may qualify for assistance filing their taxes. If you think you may qualify, I highly encourage you to check out the IRS VITA page to find a center near you and make an appointment. It’s best to make an appointment sooner rather than later.
In college, I worked in the VITA program and helped local residents file their taxes. Not only was the experience extremely useful, it was really satisfying to help people file their taxes for free. There are many large corporations and businesses out there that want to squeeze every last dollar out of taxpayers, so it was refreshing to provide a valuable service completely free of charge with no strings attached.
4. FreeTaxUSA and IRS Free File partners
We don’t have any affiliation whatsoever with FreeTaxUSA, it’s just the best tool I’ve found to file our taxes. It is significantly cheaper than some other tax-filing services because they don’t spend nearly as much on marketing and advertising. Consequently, not as many Americans are aware of FreeTaxUSA or other software that is just as good (or better) than the big names at a fraction of the price. With FreeTaxUSA, filing your federal income tax return is always free and state returns are under $20, according to their website. Unlike other services, they don’t charge you more if your taxes are more complex. This may not matter if your taxes are simple and all you have is a W-2, but if you own a business or have other forms of income, it can save you a significant amount of money.
FreeTaxUSA is an IRS Free File partner along with several other companies. Check out the other IRS partners for some more tax filing software options.
5. A tax professional
Does it make sense to do your own taxes or should you hire a professional? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, and if you are ever in doubt, it is best to consult a licensed professional. If your tax situation isn’t complex and you only have one W-2 job, filing your own taxes might be quite simple. If you are in a different tax situation with multiple sources of income and own a business, it may be possible to file your own taxes, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good idea.
The risk of not getting your taxes right is substantial, so if you ever doubt your ability to file your own taxes, please seek the help of a trusted, licensed professional. The cost of using a professional is a bargain compared to the headaches and trouble that could come from filing your taxes yourself and doing something wrong.
No matter whether you are filing your taxes yourself or hiring a professional, keep all records related to your income, tax deductions and credits, if applicable, all business records if you own a business, and any other information that may be required to file your taxes. If there is ever an issue with your tax return, it is imperative that you keep meticulous records and are able to back up all of the information on your tax return.
Chances are you don’t look forward to filing your taxes, even if you are expecting to get a refund. It is tedious work, and if your tax situation isn’t simple, you could easily make a mistake that could cost you big-time. If you qualify for free filing through VITA, that may be the best option available. If your situation is simple enough to do your taxes yourself, take advantage of free tools like our 2025 Tax Guide, our ultimate guide to taxes, and online filing software such as FreeTaxUSA (free for federal returns, but there may be a small fee for your state return).
If you’ve reached the point where you think it is time to hire a professional, shop around and ask friends and family who they use. A great tax professional is worth their weight in gold and the fee you pay will pale in comparison to the time and money they’ll save you on your taxes.
