One word: VITA. Look for a VITA site in your area at tax season. VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This is a tax filing service that most people can use. As long as your taxes are not complicated, these sites have IRS-trained volunteers that prepare and submit your tax returns online. You avoid preparation fees, filing fees, and refund anticpation loans. Avoid paying to get your money and go with a VITA site. They are everywhere.

I don't particularly like letting Uncle Sam have my money to play with all year then getting it back in a big lump, but I prefer a refund to the alternative of having to pay more when I file than I've already paid through payroll deductions. So we try to cut it close but err on the side of caution. Our son being in college has helped us get refunds even when we cut it a little too close on payroll deduction calculations. Both the hubster and I have run our own businesses in the past, and for all situations (self-employed and not), I recommend getting a good tax prep software package. We use TaxCut but I'm sure others are good, too. It just makes me more confident that I'm not missing anything.

I expect a federal tax refund this year, but I live in California so I might be looking at an IOU on that end. I've been using H&R Block for the past couple years and I like it. Quick and easy. If you do it online there is live help, and they keep a record of all my previous returns which I like if I need to refer back to them for any reason.

I'm self employed, and find April-June to be tough months for me. Any tax due for the prior year must be paid, estimated taxes for the 1st quarter of the new year must be paid and I put a lump sum payment into my SEP and (if I qualify) my Roth IRAs. And then 2 months later the IRS wants 3 months of estimated tax payments even though I usually haven't been paid for one of those months yet!

If I calculate improperly, all of those payments can wipe me out, which isn't fun. Ideally, I want the federal taxes due to be close to what I paid so I'm not paying too much through the year and also not stuck with a huge tax payment due on April 15.

One thing I've learned that is convenient is that any refund due back to you can be applied towards the next year's taxes. And since self employed people are often sending in quarterly estimated tax payments, you can just have the overage applied towards the next payment due. No more worries about when you will get your money back!

im hoping i get a refund! i thought about changing my w4 because im currently claiming no exemptions. but im worried about owing at the end of the year. im in a situation where i know i couldnt set aside some of the extra money in case i did owe, i would put it all towards bills.

im currently look for a another part time job, my other was seasonal and ended a month ago, im going to be in serious trouble soon.

was thinking about selling something on the side (like avon, pampered chef, etc.) but i heard someone else talking about how that messed up their refunds.

i dont know what to do, so i do nothing...

I live in California so I'm expecting an IOU from the state, but I still expect a the return from the federal government.

i actually got my money from california this year, which was a serious surprise! i filed right before april 15 and was owed $90, which doesn't sound like a lot, but as a very poor grad student on loans, its huge! a month later i got a real live actual check (well, direct deposit)! i'm glad i filed then and also that i'm done with CA, after having moved last year, b/c i could not deal with whats happening there now.

My husband & I are both self employed, so we pay our taxes when we file. I think if we were taxed again though, I would try to get as much each week vs. getting a big check for taxes. We used to like the big check, but now the money is needed throughout the month instead.

Got mine months ago! Filed online.

I have been doing my taxes, and the taxes of my family for years so I have included some of the tips that I use when tax season rolls around.
1.) Do your taxes yourself and save money. The IRS website includes links to approved tax prep sites.
2.) Any health problems? Keep detailed records and receipts of all medical bills (doctor co-pays, eyeglasses, medications,etc.) because you may be eligible for a deduction.
3.) Travel for work, but don't get reimbursed? Travel expenses related to work are eligible for a deduction as well. Keep a detailed record of your car mileage for these trips and you may be pleasantly surprised.
4.) Take advantage of all of the home credits and that are available, especially this year!
There are some many tips, but the best advice I can give is to make sure that you grab a tax instruction. They breakdown the tax laws that apply for the year and list so many benefits that we can take.

In my case, ... I will probably not get a refund. Then again, I don't quite earn enough money to have to pay taxes anyway. On years that I DO, I always have at least 10% charitable contributions.

I have worked for almost 40 years (started as a 16-yr old). I have learned 2 things:

1. Manage your withholding so that you are +/- approximately zero in taxes owed.

2. I am in that income strata (I don't think you could even call it lower middle class anymore) so that I've always made "too much" money to be eligible for any tax credits but not enough money to invest in any tax shelters. Now that I've been laid off, I'm being penalized for using 401(k) savings to start my own business (which is going very slowly). I know that's the rule for 401(k), but does that seem right?

My husband and I always try to work out our exemptions so that we pretty much "break even" or get a small refund without owing anything. We'd rather have that money throughout the year to use or earn interest on ourselves than have to wait for a larger lump sum while allowing the government to earn interest on it. It usually works except this year we actually got a sizable refund because we bought our first home in 2008.

I have seen how many people do not know they are entitled to so much money... Money or offers that may be waiting in the goverment to do so many things in people´s lives.

I think it is not a question of if you are going to get taxes returned, I think it is a question of you spending half an hour this year, and every year actually, doing the research you need in order to know if you had someone stealing your identity, someone who gave you money in their will and you do not know, research about getting your house for a minimun price (such as the cases in which the people who did not pay their taxes, or their morgages), research about how is your credit report, research about how to do the things you need to accomplish your dream...

People worry about money, and they forget what they need the money for, meaning, you focus so much in ONE method of getting there, you forget there are so many other ways... This is why, many people do the research for you, and make money out of it... It could even present itself as an opportunity to get what you need, and in the way, collect the information others need, and either sell it, or share it...

Our minds are our own limitation, and we need to get the eyes on the ball again, not just on the field...

This year I'm trying something different. At the beginning of the year, I changed my payroll deductions to most closely achieve a zero-owed-zero-refunded tax balance at the end of the year. I fully expect to have to tweak my deductions in the second half of the year as the deduction calculations are not precise enough to hit exact, desired ending amounts without adjustments.

These monies are helping to ease day-to-day financial pressures of work furloughs, no raises, the dissolution of my company's public transit subsidy and higher consumer prices on almost everything. For the first time in many years I have been able to establish an emergency fund. It is still modest but gives me enormous peace of mind.

Taxes for me swings wildly. One year I could end up owing $5000, the next year, I could get $2000 back. It is almost impossible to predict and I do not own a business!

For 2010, I am letting the government get their free loan, hopefull, as I am Head of Household and 2, but with hold at single and 2, and I own a home, so get the interest/taxes deduction. I do make a good income, and could save a lot of it, but I am tired of writing $4K and $5K checks.

I live in Missouri and had to pay a little bit of taxes this year to them. 4 months after filing, they mailed me a letter saying that they had received my return in March, but not the money, and now I had penalties and interest. I called them. They looked it up, said they had received the check, but not YET credited it to my taxes account!

This is yet more incompetence at the highest levels.

I have one solution for this mess: The FAIR TAX. There will be no more with holdings on a federal level, NONE. I say get rid of this mess and go to a consumption based system.

I was reading a few weeks ago that 75% of the legislation that goes through our federal government is TAX related! A FAIR TAX would eliminate all this work.

I got my federal refund by direct deposit and promptly spent it on dental work. Texas doesn't have state income tax, so technically I never got a state tax refund :)

I strive not to get a refund (unless it is soley from a credit) but pay as little extra as possible. A tax refund is basically an interest free loan to the government. I like to put that money in an interest bearing savings account instead and budget for a payment every year come April.

I go to the IRS website and use their withholding calculator (with my latest pay stub) to see if I'm on track or not. Last year, I checked it out right after getting married and adjusted my withholding so that it was dead-on (instead of having to owe).

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html

I did have to run the numbers several times (because I was leaving things out) and the calculator was showing one more paycheck than I actually had coming (which I could adjust), but in the end, it was great to know about how much my taxes would be and where I stood.

I'm not getting a refund this year. My income was not high enough for taxes (still a student...).

Since we just bought our first house and qualify for the tax credit and itemized deductions, we will officially stop withholding on our 2009 Federal taxes on our next paychecks. We might have a $1500 refund from the Feds next year, but we're aiming to get as much as that back in advance by adjusting withholding.

Since we live in California and have no idea what the current tax/deductions are or will be by the time we file, we're going to let our withholding stand and hope for the best.

This is actually the first year where I won't be getting one. I worked at a work-study job and am now at an unpaid internship.

Definitely going to get a refund this year. I've been paying the same taxes as last year, but furloughs have cut out 8% of my pay. I'm not sure I'm that happy about it.

How about this: if you can, eliminate withholding from your paycheck entirely. This would mean you are required to pay quarterly estimated taxes. It takes some willpower and discipline, but you can earn three month's worth of interest off that money before paying it to Uncle Sam. No tax refund, no interest free loan to the government.

I am expecting a nice tax refund this year. I like getting back a lump sum of money at the beginning of every year (EIC and over withholding). I pay off credit cards and do small home improvements. This year I installed energy star windows and a gas hot water heater, so I may be able to get more back. For me, it is easier this way than forcing myself to put the money into savings. A savings account is too easy to dip into when things get a little rough. Having the IRS hold it ensures that the cards and the house get taken care of. I prepare my taxes myself through turbotax online free file.

I own a small business, so my taxes are complex enough an accountant is worth the investment.

I do a midyear and third quarter tax projection, and adjust to have withheld just a tiny bit more than we owe.

Also, every month I put a designated amount into a savings account - which is eventually going to my retirement account, but would cover tax if it had to. At tax time (February), if I've estimated my withholding wrong, I take a little out of this account to pay the taxes. If not, it goes into an IRA, and I begin refilling the account.

It's sort of a multitasking way to save for retirement, provide myself a safety buffer for the taxes, and earn some interest on the money in the mean time.

I have fed withholding set so that I owe/get back +/- ~$0.

State is a bit trickier, because I'm still consistently confused by NY state taxes, but I get back a little every year.

I almost always file during the beginning of Feb - as soon as I get a W2 and any other random forms. It also means that I pretty much always get any refunds by the end of the month.

Hobbies are tax deductible!! u can claim x-penses on your hobby..like that new computer you bought and were planning to create something artistic with...if u made no profits on your hobby u can claim it as a loss to deduct from your income. Taking of advantage of this loss is only allowed for 4 year in a row I believe (check w/accountant or irs).