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I do not fucking believe it.
I filled in a paper copy of the federal tax form, and then I went through the pages on the https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/ website, in order to e-file. I finished entering all the online forms, and wanted to print copies of the forms to keep for reference. But printing didn't work - it took several minutes to do anything, and then the printer just printed out a blank page. I was using IE, as the site requires Silverlight. So I decided to try it in Firefox, but Firefox didn't have the latest version of Silverlight. So I uninstalled and reinstalled Silverlight.
Now when I try to log back in to the website, in either IE or Firefox, the site claims that my userid and email address are both invalid, even though the site earlier *emailed* me a new account confirmation email to my email address, listing the same userid that I'm trying to login with.
SHEESH.
Seriously, what is the biological advantage of annoyance and frustration? Surely one would get things accomplished quicker, if one wasn't spending time fuming about how annoying things are.
...
Okay, I fricking figured it out.
There are 2 different websites:
https://www.freefilefillableforms.org/
and
https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/
The IRS page must randomly forward you to either one of those sites when you click the link for the fillable forms. Yet each site must maintain its own user IDs, so if you create your account on the .org site like I did, then you can't login to the .com site.
This is not reassuring. I'm beginning to worry whether my data is safe on either of those sites.
..
Still can't print from the .org site.
If what is said here is true,
that the one site is Adobe-based, and the other is Silverlight-based, why the **** does the IRS not tell you that, so that you can choose which site you want to use? Rather than randomly linking you to one or the other without even telling you there are 2 different sites each using different technology and each requiring separate user accounts? I am very disappointed in the IRS.
I filled in a paper copy of the federal tax form, and then I went through the pages on the https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/ website, in order to e-file. I finished entering all the online forms, and wanted to print copies of the forms to keep for reference. But printing didn't work - it took several minutes to do anything, and then the printer just printed out a blank page. I was using IE, as the site requires Silverlight. So I decided to try it in Firefox, but Firefox didn't have the latest version of Silverlight. So I uninstalled and reinstalled Silverlight.
Now when I try to log back in to the website, in either IE or Firefox, the site claims that my userid and email address are both invalid, even though the site earlier *emailed* me a new account confirmation email to my email address, listing the same userid that I'm trying to login with.
SHEESH.
Seriously, what is the biological advantage of annoyance and frustration? Surely one would get things accomplished quicker, if one wasn't spending time fuming about how annoying things are.
...
Okay, I fricking figured it out.
There are 2 different websites:
https://www.freefilefillableforms.org/
and
https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/
The IRS page must randomly forward you to either one of those sites when you click the link for the fillable forms. Yet each site must maintain its own user IDs, so if you create your account on the .org site like I did, then you can't login to the .com site.
This is not reassuring. I'm beginning to worry whether my data is safe on either of those sites.
..
Still can't print from the .org site.
If what is said here is true,
that the one site is Adobe-based, and the other is Silverlight-based, why the **** does the IRS not tell you that, so that you can choose which site you want to use? Rather than randomly linking you to one or the other without even telling you there are 2 different sites each using different technology and each requiring separate user accounts? I am very disappointed in the IRS.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-27 07:31 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)no subject
Date: 2011-02-27 08:16 pm (UTC)From:When you click the link to use that option, a disclaimer is shown: "Please note that by clicking on this link, you will leave the IRS web site and enter a privately owned web site created, operated and maintained by a private business."
The same disclaimer is shown if you choose any of the "Free File Companies" listed on the IRS site, rather than the "Free File Fillable Forms".
Unless the IRS is totally incompetent, those are legitimate non-fraudulent sites.
The IRS also has a Free File Fillable Forms - General Overview page, which explains how it works.
I think it makes sense for both the federal and state tax authorities to provide free electronic submission of tax forms, as that would surely cost them less than processing paper forms which are mailed in. SC used to offer their own free eFile service (it worked well!), but stopped it some years back. Perhaps the tax filing companies complained that it lost them money. But if my only free option is to send in paper forms, then I'll continue sending in paper forms.