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Yup, I filed electronically... and I filed federal first, since I was getting a refund and once I received that direct deposit I then filed state and used my fed refund to pay my state taxes (CA entertainment industry = really stupid tax withholding calculations).

I've been filing and paying electronically for the past several years - It's so much easier to accomplish and find obscure deductions that it's worth paying the small fees to Turbo Tax.

"CA entertainment industry = really stupid tax withholding calculations"

You're not kidding - I've always had to pay CA state tax even while I've received small refunds from the Feds. It would be so much easier of they just took what they needed each paycheck and eliminated this annual paperwork.

I did find, however, that instead of writing a check to CA I could pay online using a credit card - the small fee was worth getting the miles and piece of mind of not having to search for an envelope, get stamps, find a postbox, etc.

TurboTax user since 1998

Turbotax makes it fun.
Electronic filing, even if I have to pay for it. It's just too easy.

Nope. My taxes are pretty simple, so I figure them out myself and mail in my return. I refuse to submit electronically until it is free, e.g., you don't have to buy software to get a "free" electronic submission.

Good grief, how many taxes do you guys have to pay? I file one tax form electronically and 2 days later receive my tax return/refund is in my account. No separate federal, state, local whatever. FYI from Australia.

U.S. citizen living overseas, so I have to mail in my U.S. returns. (Not sure why.) But the local taxes are electronic.

ilima, filing electronically is free. You don't need to buy any software to file. You should be able to file your state taxes for free through your state's franchise tax board website. (for CA it's http://www.ftb.ca.gov/) And you can file federal for free using HRblock.com.