I got my real estate taxes in the mail the other day, and as I'm opening up the envelope, I'm wondering how exactly I'm going to pay for them. Pittsburgh has notoriously high real estate taxes (I pay roughly the same as I did for my house in DC--which was assessed at a value four times higher than my house in Pittsburgh).
Anyway, I open up the bill and I find that my taxes have actually gone down. Yeah, I couldn't believe it, either: down, as in about 25% less. Upon closer inspection of the bill, it appears that the City of Pittsburgh (and School District) is joining Allegheny County in utilizing the homestead exemption act. So all told I'll be saving hundreds of dollars that I don't have. Whoo-hoo!
My second surprise came in the form of my federal income taxes. I had seen on the IRS' tax site that many companies are offering free e-filing if you meet certain income qualifications. After trying one site (too many whirly-twirly things made it too slow on my dial-up connection), I gave Free Tax USA a try.
They were, in a word, GREAT! It's super easy, and I felt like I was starring in one of those Turbo Tax ads where the guy gushes, "Turbo Tax found deductions I didn't even know existed and got me hundreds more!" Well, Free Tax USA did the same thing for me, and I didn't even have to buy fancy Turbo Tax software. The coolest thing is the window in the upper right corner--as you progress in your tax preparation, it shows your refund due: and the number keeps increasing (at least in my case).
Free Tax USA got me every penny back that I paid on Federal Taxes, plus essentially doubled my refund when they calculated an Earned Income Credit. They also prepared my PA Tax Return and it turns out I'll get a refund there, too. Both refunds will pay for about two-thirds of my real estate taxes this year.
I really recommend e-filing, especially if you take take advantage of free e-filing. Now if they could only help me with my job search......
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