A former IRS official is urging Americans to avoid using TurboTax to file their taxes, saying most people can file their returns for free.
Tax season is finally here, with the April 15 deadline looming over everyone’s heads.
Most Americans have already received their W2 or 1099 forms in the mail and are trying to get their documents in order.
One TikToker is offering her best advice to help others before filing their 2023 tax return.
“If you can avoid using TurboTax for your tax return, do it.” Said Jenny(@See_Me_In_Hindsight), a TikToker with approximately 1,400 followers.
In the five-minute clip, Jenny reveals that she previously worked for the IRS before diving into how income tax preparation software actually funds the way filings are made complicated and expensive. explained.
“I used to work for the IRS, and TurboTax, Jackson Hewitt, and H&R Block say they don’t give you anything when you get audited,” she claimed.
“If you have a complicated tax situation, you should preferably pay for an accountant or CPA. Someone authorized to sit in front of the IRS and represent you.”
Jenny added that the audit insurance provided by many tax preparation programs is “useless.”
“Most people don’t have super complicated taxes and can pay their own taxes,” she said.
Jeni points to several options for filing for free, including the “Free File” option on the IRS website that launched on January 29th.
“They use what’s called a free form, which means you have to fill out a tax form, but the truth is, the tax form isn’t that complicated.”
She also provided links to these free options through Linktree on her profile.
of Volunteer income tax support (VITA) program is another option for people who earn less than $60,000 for the tax year.
The program also helps people with disabilities and the elderly free of charge.
Janey explained that TurboTax is “actively trying to get tougher taxes” through lobbying.
non-profit watchdog organizations; OpenSecrets.org TurboTax’s parent company “spent more than $3.5 million on federal lobbying efforts in 2022,” the report said.
The group said TurboTax’s parent company, Intuit, is exploring ways to limit efforts to make federal tax filing free for each service.
“The Inflation Control Act passed in 2022 allocated $15 million to the Treasury Department for the IRS to explore creating a free federal tax filing service. ‘It would be wasteful and a conflict of interest,’ the group found.
“Creating a government-run tax preparation program is a waste of taxpayer dollars and will further disenfranchise low-income taxpayers,” Intuit said in a statement to Business Insider.
“They don’t care about you,” Jenny said. “Find free options.”
Jenny’s video has been viewed 1.6 million times and has nearly 2,600 comments as of press time.
“No need for TurboTax anymore,” one person wrote.
Another person wrote, “Thanks to TikTok University, I’m going to get US tax free this year.”
Another person wrote, “If only they had taught me to pay taxes in high school before I was required to do so.”
US Sun has reached out to Intuit and Janey for comment.
