OpenTaxSolver -- US Tax Returns 2021

[mikeslr]

From time to time someone mentions that they have to boot into Windows so as to have software capable of generating US Tax Returns. Of course, if you aren't running Windows 8 or above AFAIK --and having Window 7 I've looked, but not too hard-- booting up Window ain't gonna help much this year.

Subject to the following limitations, you really don't need Windows to do Taxes. OpenTaxSolver, http://opentaxsolver.sourceforge.net/ is just as capable of generating accurate Federal tax returns as the programs with which you're likely familiar and is cross-platform. Even has a 32-bit Linux Version. IMHO, it's even easier to use --hence, why I've used it the last couple of years.

Also available via OpenTaxSolver are applications to generate tax returns for "OH, NC, NJ, NY, VA, PA, MA, and CA." Not sure about OpenTaxSolver if you have a complex tax situation as a consequence of investment and/or 'foreign' income. But in such cases, you can probably afford a Windows 10 computer, its software or even a professional accountant to prepare your returns.

In Puppy terms, OpenTaxSolver is a 'portable' which runs from and writes to its own folder.

The limitation is that there's no 'e-filing' component. There are possible 'work-arounds'. (1) Mail in your paper tax returns. Do you really care if IRC employees hate the extra work paper filings involve? But expect a delay in receiving any tax refund. (2) Use OpenTaxSolver to generate a printed return which you can refer to as you complete your Online 'Free File' return directly with the IRS, https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do ... s-for-free and similar arrangements the above referenced States might have.

[rockedge]

Maybe I can do an irrevocable trust's final tax return with it to try out some numbers.

In any case I will be trying this out vs. TurboTax that I'm right now working with doing "normal" Federal income tax. The trust I'll have to do by hand I'm guessing.

[mouldy]

I had gotten into a discussion with some guy on another forum who still uses win7. HRBlock tax software no longer supports win7. So he didnt want to buy it and wondered what, if anything would work. Told him about OpenTaxSolver. Also told him he could run unactivated win10/11, free download from MS, big download, but doable. So he bought it, tried it on win7 first, and found it will still run on win7. People with some money may be able to buy latest computer with latest proprietary operating system, but good chance the reason they have some money is cause they dont feel need to spend it on latest and greatest.

I also downloaded Codeweaver Crossover trial version cause some blogger said it worked in CC in 2018, when it wont activate in WINE directly. Nope its same. Far as I can tell Crossover is mainly WINE available for free, only with a fancy proprietary front end. To be fair Codeweaver has contributed lot effort to free version WINE. It wouldnt be nearly as good without Codeweaver. They mainly concentrate making Crossover work with certain windows software. If as side benefit that helps with other software, great. The tax software is not something they made work.

I had run across OpenTaxSolver. Sure its fine but most likely you will then be doing your state taxes with sharp pencil and some scratch paper. Very limited state support. If you live in one of the handful of supported states its great I am sure. Some states use Federal return as a starting point, couple states its a percentage I think, couple states have no state income tax. Others its just as complicated as a second Federal return from another country. So kinda depends on which state you live in. Any tax software is really nice cause it eliminates math errors and/or putting something on wrong line. But hey even if you live in state with complex tax return, you can at least do the Federal with OTS. Not sure if TaxAct still exists, it used to be the cheap tax software that supported all states . I even got it to work in WINE one year when it refused XP. But then something happened (change of ownership?)) and they jacked their price so HRBlock software on sale was lot cheaper. When you are number three and mostly purchased by cheapskates, not sure this was good move. And alas any others its usually online only, so your info can be in what I am sure is a well protected database... LOL

[oldaolgeezer]

Re: one more free US Tax Returns choice:

If you want to try a free spreadsheet for US Tax Returns for 2021,
and give Puppy Linux's LibreOffice a work out,
(I've tried: LibreOffice-6.0.1_64_en-US_xz.sfs),
you might download: 21_1040.xlsx
from: https://sites.google.com/view/incometaxspreadsheet/home
‭
There is a Disclaimer: These spreadsheets are provided "as is," with no warranty
of any kind, expressed or implied ...

The spreadsheet attempts to perform the mechanics of tax preparation ...

On Form 1040 and the DEPENDENTS sheet, to save time, it's generally okay to enter alternate information (e.g. SSN = 111-22-3333).
However, be aware, to perform an accurate tax calculation, the spreadsheet will need reasonably accurate birthdate,
accurate state of residence, and a valid (but not necessarily actual) SSN. Don't leave these cells blank.

This spreadsheet is designed for US taxpayers who are capable of preparing their
own US federal income tax returns.
Users of this spreadsheet must know what information needs to be
entered and where to enter it.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS for LibreOffice Users:

To save a copy of this spreadsheet in .ods format, perform the following steps:
1) Load the spreadsheet as an .xlsx file, then save it as an .fods file.

2) Load the .fods file, then save it as an .ods file.

Click and read the "Instructions for Use", the "FAQ" and "Changes" on the website.

Just as mikeslr said for OpenTaxSolver, there's no 'e-filing' component, you just mail in your paper tax returns.

I have no connection with this software or website, I just thought to mention it
as one more free US Tax Returns choice besides what mikeslr and rockedge and mouldy had already mentioned.

[geo_c]

I used this to file my Federal and State returns this year. I liked it a lot. A few things to get used to navigating the gui, but once you get the hang of it, it does the job. I had to download a few forms and do them by hand and then add the figures to the 1040, but in the end it all seemed to work out.

It's a lot more relaxed than using say H&R Block, which has a circular gui cycle when it comes to navigating through different sections of the return.

I give it a positive review, and hopefully I filled my return out correctly and don't get audited. Reading the IRS form instructions is like trying to make sense of Finnegan's Wake.

[mikewalsh]

So..... Let me get this straight.

This 'utility' helps you work out a whole bunch of figures.....which you then have to use to manually fill out your official tax returns by hand? And you guys have to do this every year of your adult lives?

Damn, but I'm glad I live in the UK! All taken care of for us....the onus is on the employer, NOT the employee.

(*shrug*)

Mike.

[xenial]

So..... Let me get this straight.

This 'utility' helps you work out a whole bunch of figures.....which you then have to use to manually fill out your official tax returns by hand? And you guys have to do this every year of your adult lives?

Damn, but I'm glad I live in the UK! All taken care of for us....the onus is on the employer, NOT the employee.

(*shrug*)

Mike.

Don't forget the self employed in the uk mike,they have the nightmare of the annual tax return,I was self employed for a while but i always paid an accountant to sort the books out.

[mikewalsh]

Don't forget the self employed in the uk mike,they have the nightmare of the annual tax return,I was self employed for a while but i always paid an accountant to sort the books out.

Mm. Thankfully, I was never in that situation - always worked for somebody else! - but yes; you're right, of course. When you're not "in the system" you have no choice but to do it yourself, I guess.

Be interesting to know if there's an equivalent for UK citizens. Or do you do it all online these days?

Mike.

[xenial]

@mikewalsh
i would sooner be under employed status to be honest and let the employer do all the deductions and tax etc.

[geo_c]

The tax code is deliberately complicated IMHO. Looking at someone with my work situation, both me and my spouse are self-employed, but I also am officially employed by two organizations on a part time/contractual basis, meaning that my employer is taking out tax 'witholding,' while other organizations are paying me on 1099 income and not witholding. The bottom line is all of that has to be reconciled and a final 'payment due' calculated. Add in all of the complicated social engineering code like 'affordable health care act,' 'business credits,' and the return becomes a mish-mash of forms all with their own set of instructions and peculiar definitions of terms.

I took my taxes to accountants until about 2003, after watching what the accounts do, which is basically plug numbers into a piece of software. It became obvious that it took as much time and effort to assemble all the necessary information, and book an appointment with a tax consultant, as it did to just do it myself. With the advent of consumer tax programs like H&R Block and others, it was a no brainer for me.

Enter Fossapup.

After using Fossapup for a couple months, I said to myself, "Hey, I don't really need Windows for anything, and it's getting worse and worse to work with on any level." And that's when I decided to erase every piece of Microsoft code from my systems. The one issue then being how to complete taxes.

It may be that if my tax situation gets any more complicated, I may go back to an account. But you lose a certain aspect of control that way. I'm open source when it comes to that!

[rockedge]

working in the movie making business I worked for short periods of time, just long enough to do the principle filming and paid by a quagmire of layered production company's based in various countries around the world.

Once I worked for a James Cameron production (Earthship) for the Discovery Channel that created a 2.5 hour long documentary on the Battleship Bismarck which included going to the deck of the Bismarck 4282 meters under the North Atlantic waters.

Earthship is an American company who I was contracted for as a freelancer while I officially belonged to CineLicht GmBH in Hamburg Germany where I also was an official permanent resident. The ship we worked on was Russian and we did 90% of the work on the film in the middle of the North Atlantic ocean on board that Russian ship, meaning international waters. The Americans paid me every week with a direct deposit without any taxes withheld while they assumed I would be paying income tax to the Germans but they assumed the Americans were withholding tax....so long story short I paid no one any taxes on that income without remorse.

I threw a Kennedy silver dollar into the sea as tribute as we hovered a few thousand meters above the wreck site.

Photos taken with my camera by a German navy doctor who was invited to go along on the MIR1 deep sea submersible to read the memorial plaque left behind on the deck in German out loud through the acoustic phone to the surface ship on the last dive to the Bismarck.

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The Doc's camera broke moments before he went down the hatch for the dive so I handed him mine! Got back once in a lifetime images taken though a porthole almost 5000 meters down on the ocean floor.

Here's me during the recovery operations of the MIR1 and MIR2 after the 16 hour dive

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[tosim]

@geo_c "The tax code is deliberately complicated IMHO." No truer words ever written! The ONLY reason for my having Windoze on my computer is to run TurboTax Premier once a year. I've checked out OpenTaxSolver every year since its inception, but IMHO, it just couldn't compare to TurboTax.

[mikeslr]

That most of us have to file Federal tax returns at all is because of (1st) the account's lobby, (now) the tax software vendor's lobby.

The US Government receives and has on file in its computers the relevant information from employers, banks, mutual funds and other income generating institutions. That's the information against which your tax returns are compared; and why all the pressure to e-file: why employ humans if you don't have to?. [With exemptions and the current size of standard deductions only a small percentage of us benefit by itemizing].

Rather than our filing tax returns, the Government could send us an Itemized bill or notice of intended refund. We would only have to file a tax return if we disagreed with the itemization or calculation.

My wife insisted that we e-file this year in order to quickly receive our refund. [After 40 years I've learned not to argue about trifles]. So I had to purchase software to use from her Windows 10 OS. This is the first year in a long while that I did not use OpenTaxSolver. But after the first time I used it I found the following to be helpful.

Create a Spreadsheet Template. My template had 6 columns: Income Sources; Taxes Paid to IRS; Deductibles (if Itemized); Taxes paid to State; and Work-Sheets for State Matters.

Each year the Fed (and likely your State) publishes a short document 'Change-log' of how this year's taxes differ from the previous year. You can also find that info online from Tax-Software publishers. It's likely that your sources of income won't change much from one year to the next. So once you have a Spreadsheet Template all you have to do is (a) add, delete or edit rows relating to income sources; (b) edit amounts and occasionally (c) revise formulas.

Computations from the Template can be used in OpenTaxSolver. And, in any event, you'll have a much better appreciation of what's going on behind the scenes which all tax software conceals.

[rockedge]

@tosim I agree. I have one 32 bit machine that runs Windows 10 for the sole reason of running TurboTax once a year and iTunes for some old iPods that still work once in awhile.
I have good results with TurboTax and being able to import the data from the year before is a plus.

I did do a 1041 for Trusts and Estates this year all manually by reading the instructions for someone who died. I got a good understanding of how that works and a clear view as to why I'm not rich.

[tosim]

@rockedge Mine is a "Grantor" Trust, and I file the 1040 form.

[geo_c]

I'm excited to find out about OpenTaxSolver and how it can help us with US Tax Returns for 2021. It's great to know that this open-source software is available for all platforms and that I don't need Windows 8 or above to use it.

A word of caution, I used it last year. Not all forms are available, in fact a whole lot of forms are not availabe, so I did some by hand and added them. Bottom line, got a bill from the IRS owing twice as much as my calculations. Since the specific errors were not documented in the IRS bill, and the due date was seven days later, I went ahead and paid it. It didn't break me, and I'm sure trying to go back and figure it all out would open a can of worms.

It does work though, once you get the hang of it, and if my situation didn't involve a lot of extra forms I would use it again.