Why Efile?

[joelgilb]

if you are going to do that, why bother efiling? not critizing just asking [i am not a fan of efiling and want to know your thought process] Whenever i get a problem return i just paper file it and move on. i never struggle to efile a return

Received the above reply to another question I had ( 83 ( election) and thought it was one that may have broader interest. My response is below:

Lets see:

1. There seem to be a lot less problems with returns that are efiled.

2. Clients getting refunds get their refunds substantially faster

3. Most of my clients that owe money, like the convenience of it be taken directly from their bank account

4. I do find that creating an efile has helped me catch errors in the return. Now I know I can still do this and file the paper return instead.

5. IRS has sold E-file well and ALL my clients want to E-file. Those that I have had to file by paper tend to grumble and waste my time.

6 E-file encourages drop offs and often gives me more time to turn the return around. For instance, when a client drops the return off on Thursday, I can let them know that it will not get processed until next Wednesday. This gives me a week rather than the 1 houor to 3 day turn around they expect or want ans see others getting.

7. It encourages drop offs. Now I have very few clients making appointments. I know I am essentially repeating item 6 above. Guess this one is important to me.

8. I encourages the clients to think electronically in other facets of my practice. Email, fax etc.

9. It is letting me move from Chicago to Las Vegas and keep virtually all my clients (at least the ones I want to keep)

10. A dropped off return can be prepared in substantially less time than one with an appointment. Sometimes as much as 75% + less time. I can prepare more returns in the same number of hours and thus I make more money.

Shall I go on?

Joel

Anyone else have any thoughts one way or the other?

Joel

[Pacun]

Other benefits.

State returns are approved very late for paper filing but are approved for efiling as soon as tax season starts.

The future is efiling

Saves trees.

[Booger]

Did you know that PACUN spelled backwards is NUCAP?

Booger

[Gail in Virginia]

My favorite reasons for efiling are that the IRS (and the state of VA) must acknowledge they got the return, without the cost of certified mailing, and it is more environmentally friendly - one copy of everything for the client rather than two. Plus no trying to help the client "guess" how much postage their twenty page tax return will take. Fewer trips to the post office. Fewer stamps. I also get fewer letters saying they didn't get this form or that form, and fewer phone calls from clients telling me they "accidentally" took apart the copy they were supposed to mail - what pages go with that? I love efiling.

[joelgilb]

My favorite reasons for efiling are that the IRS (and the state of VA) must acknowledge they got the return, without the cost of certified mailing, and it is more environmentally friendly - one copy of everything for the client rather than two. Plus no trying to help the client "guess" how much postage their twenty page tax return will take. Fewer trips to the post office. Fewer stamps. I also get fewer letters saying they didn't get this form or that form, and fewer phone calls from clients telling me they "accidentally" took apart the copy they were supposed to mail - what pages go with that? I love efiling.

Great reasons, I especially relate to your last one .. "... what pages go with that?". Never understand why the clients insisted on un-stapling what I gave them? Used to make them bring it back, so that they could suffer right along with me.

Joel

[GeneInAlabama]

I advertise free efiling with tax preparation. It is good advertising and it is quicker and easier than assembling returns to be mailed. People like things that are free and it doesn't cost anything to offer it. This plus all the things listed above just make sense (also dollars).

[Lion EA]

In CT, e-filed returns with direct deposit get their refunds within four business days -- actually, I'm seeing about two!

[Chrisbry]

Saves postage.

Saves getting pesky letters due to IRS input errors from a paper return.

In the 4 years that I have been "requiring" 99.9% of my clients to efile (there are still 2 elderly clients that don't trust anything electronic) -- I have not had ONE error letter from the IRS.

Saves Time -- I don't have to call the IRS and explain "their errors" to them.

Makes for HAPPY CLIENTS -- they don't like getting ANY correspondence from the IRS.

[chadw]

I agree with all the posts. It saves me time and money. Less to print out and I don't have to assemble all the paperwork and give instructions on what the clients need to do.

Saves postage.

Saves getting pesky letters due to IRS input errors from a paper return.

In the 4 years that I have been "requiring" 99.9% of my clients to efile (there are still 2 elderly clients that don't trust anything electronic) -- I have not had ONE error letter from the IRS.

Saves Time -- I don't have to call the IRS and explain "their errors" to them.

Makes for HAPPY CLIENTS -- they don't like getting ANY correspondence from the IRS.

[Jack from Ohio]

1) Accuracy of submission. No keypunch operator to transpose or put numbers on the wrong line.

2) Electronic and trackable Acknowledgement, usually within 1 or 2 days.

3) Quicker processing of the returns.

4) Many states only allow Direct Deposit with e-file.

5) Less postage, paper, toner etc.

6) Less time copying, colating, stapling, trying to get 13 pages into a #10 envelope.

7) No mistakes about where the return gets sent.

8) No doubt if the return was "sent" or not.