Its that time of year for every American who has tax owed to them. That's right, it's tax season and soon everyone will begin receiving their W2s from their employers. Once they receive this, its a matter of time of receiving their tax return. But what should you do when it comes time to figuring out what method to file your taxes?

The answer... eFiling...

eFiling is the wave of the future. For a few reasons which I have listed below:
1) Save the Tree's - Some wouldn't really care about this small little detail but they should. eFiling saves tree's which of course produce oxygen. If you think about it, with the global warming issue we need as much tree's as possible to cleanse the air.

2) Faster Returns - I am no professional tax preparer so I can't say how fast paper filing returns, but its a well known fact that eFiling generally reports a 2 weeks or less return timeframe. And you can have your money deposited into your bank account which saves having to find a place (or bank) to cash your return check.

3) Accuracy Checks - Some computer software like TurboTax, TaxCut and TaxAct apparently have mechanisms to check the accuracy of your tax return forms. This is usually good to keep from reporting bad information to the IRS that could cost you. Even if TaxAct does clearly state they will pay any penalty fee's for any accuracy issues.

4) Save Money - Once again, please note, I am NOT a professional so the following fact isn't guaranteed. Companies like Jackson Hewitt, H&R Block, etc. usually charge to file your taxes for you. What that rate is I don't know but TurboTax and TaxAct both equally allow you to eFile your FEDERAL taxes for FREE! State eFiling cost's a little bit to do but usually doesn't cost that much. TaxAct charges around $13.95 for each state filing.

5) Get Help from Professionals - Some tax software allows you to receive professional help. Although its supposed to be an automated step-by-step process to completing your IRS tax forms, some people get stuck. Therefore, help is always offered to those who PURCHASE the tax software. TaxCut offers help from any H&R Block branch which is good. If you get stuck you can always call them up for assistance.
So the bottom line is that when it comes time to file your taxes, the advantages of eFiling highly outweigh the option of filing on paper. There are so many more reason's why you should eFile but I figured the 5 items listed above should be enough to make you think twice.

Keep in mind the 5 reasons I listed and how much more effective eFiling is compared to filing on paper. I'd recommend anyone looking to purchase tax software to purchase it directly from the website and download it. That to saves you from having to run out to your local electronics store and picking it up, BUT, only if you have broadband internet access. That's because a majority of the tax preparation software are LARGE files (we're talking 5MB and above.) If you have dial-up, your best bet is to go to your local store and pick up a copy of TurbTax, TaxCut or TaxAct.

If your not willing to spend any money, you can always opt-in to complete an incentive website in order to receive a copy of TurboTax. Click Here to Complete the Incentive Site and Get Your FREE Copy of Turbo Tax