Two Tax Refund Calculators for 2016

Now that it's fall, are you starting to think ahead for your taxes for 2016? Why procrastinate when you can better estimate your available funds to spend if you think ahead? There are two tax refund calculators for 2016 that can help you figure out your tax refund when you file in 2016.

By calculating your tax refund ahead of time, you can make sure that you don't overestimate your refund and thus spend (or plan to spend) money that you don't really have. On the flip side, if the calculators determine you should be getting a healthier refund than you imagined, maybe you can start making some fun plans to use your refund money. I know that if I don't plan ahead, I end up using my refund to pay for car insurance or some other boring expense, when it would be much more enjoyable to use it for a vacation!

Both H&R Block and Turbo Tax have easy to use and very popular refund calculators, but rather than take my word for it, check out the links to these and other useful tax-related resources on the File My Taxes Online website, a website that serves as an information portal and doesn't try to sell you any tax prep services, etc. They simply give the latest news and links about taxes, tax law, tax-related tools, and more.

Using TurboTax Online in 2015

If you're more organized than I am, you're already thinking about your 2015 income taxes. In fact, instead of reading this right now, you could be using software to enter your 2014 financial data so that you can get your taxes filed right away and get your refund as soon as possible in 2015.

To that end, check out TurboTax 2015 online for more information about e-filing with TurboTax. The site also covers what's new with TurboTax in 2015, as the popular tax filing program is always offering useful updates in line with the ever-changing federal tax codes.

TurboTax is well-known for its "personalized interview" feature which gives you an easy way to make sure you're getting all the deductions you should be getting. I've used it in the past and found it to be straightforward and simple. The program is intuitive and includes a good built-in help feature, too.

Planning for Your 2015 Tax Refund Today

Who isn't curious about when their tax refund will arrive? A lot of people plan special trips or purchases--or particular bills and expenses--around their tax refund money. As 2014 starts winding down, would you like to know the IRS tax refund schedule for 2015?

The IRS also has resources to let you check the status of your refund by phone or online--or even using a smartphone app. So once you file, it's easy to track your refund status.

Of course, the amount of time it takes to get your refund will vary depending on whether or not you file online. Many people still prefer to file on paper, but did you know that this will slow down the time it takes for you to receive your tax refund? There are a lot of good tools for e-filing, and you don't have to be particularly tech-savvy or tax-savvy to to use them.

For a variety of informative articles on tax-related topics, check out File My Taxes Online.

A Free Tax Calculator

Sometimes I think the only thing that makes me feel better about taxes is finding free tax tools online. Doesn't a freebie cheer you up, too? If you're planning ahead and looking for a tax refund calculator for 2015, it's nice to know that Turbo Tax has a calculator that they let you use for free, even if you aren't a paid user of their software.

Of course, many of us might wait until the last minute to figure out tax-related stuff, but the benefit of experimenting with a tax calculator right now is that you can make some adjustments ahead of time to avoid a hefty tax bill later. I know that I have adjusted my deductions in the past, and it's made a huge difference in terms of not owing taxes when April 15 rolls around.

For more information about the Turbo Tax free calculator and other tax tools and ideas, check out the Best IRS Tax Refund site.

IRS Tax Refund Schedule Dates

It's been a bit of a strange year for taxes with the government shutdown last year delaying tax forms and other relevant information from the federal government. On the other hand, some of us might say that every year is a bit of a strange year for taxes, as such is the nature of the beast, but I digress!

We get used to remembering April 15 as our filing date, but even that is subject to change, and when you file at different times, you can expect your refund at different times, as the following two articles indicate:

http://www.examiner.com/article/current-irs-tax-refund-schedule-dates-for-2014

http://www.examiner.com/article/irs-efile-2014-tax-refund-cycle-chart-for-2013-taxes

On the plus side, e-filing has made filing your taxes and getting your refunds a lot quicker. And really my favorite part of thinking about taxes is thinking about getting a refund and figuring out how I'll spend the money. But there are a lot of factors that can slow down your refund. For example, if you're needing to file amended returns, this can slow you down quite a bit.

This isn't a tax blog, of course, but sometimes readers send me links related to taxes, and I try to share information when I can!