How to file my taxes for the first time

Tax filing can be daunting. So if you’re wondering how to file taxes online or on paper in 2022 for 2021, here’s a cheat sheet on how to do your taxes and how to make tax filing easier.

Even if you don’t have to file taxes, you might want to do it anyway: You might qualify for a tax break that could generate a refund. So give tax filing some serious consideration if:

The IRS set the start of tax season as Monday, January 24, 2022.

Yes. The purpose of the 2022 tax-filing season is to file taxes for the 2021 tax year.

There are three main ways to file taxes: fill out IRS Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR by hand and mail it (not recommended), use tax software and file taxes online, or hire a human tax preparer to do the work of tax filing.

If you’ve used tax software in the past, you already know how to prepare and file taxes online. Many major tax software providers offer access to human preparers, too.

TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer, for example, all offer software packages or support options that come with on-demand, on-screen or online access to human tax pros who can answer questions, review your return and even file taxes online for you.

	Federal: $24.95 to $64.95. Free version available for simple returns only. All filers get access to Xpert Assist for free until April 7. Promotion: NerdWallet users get 25% off federal and state filing costs.
	Federal: $39 to $119. Free version available for simple returns only. TurboTax Live packages offer review with a tax expert. Promotion: NerdWallet users can save up to $15 on TurboTax.
	Federal: $29.99 to $84.99. Free version available for simple returns only. Online Assist add-on gets you on-demand tax help.

» MORE: See our picks for the year's best tax filing software

While it's never been easier to do your own taxes using software, as your financial life gets more complex you might wonder if you're missing something and should get someone to prepare and help file your taxes. If you have a business or a healthy side gig, or you just want help understanding all of the forms, you might seek out a professional's guidance.

If you don't want to meet in person with a tax preparer, there’s a way to file taxes without leaving the house. A secure portal lets you share documents electronically with a tax preparer. Typically, the preparer will email you a link to the portal, you’ll set up a password and then you can upload pictures or PDFs of your tax documents.

The government decides how much tax you owe by dividing your taxable income into chunks — also known as tax brackets — and each chunk gets taxed at the corresponding tax rate. The beauty of this is that no matter which bracket you’re in, you won’t pay that tax rate on your entire income.

The progressive tax system in the United States means that people with higher taxable incomes are subject to higher federal income tax rates, and people with lower taxable incomes are subject to lower federal income tax rates.

» MORE: Make sure you're not overlooking any of these 20 popular tax breaks

You’ll need to do this whether you’re hiring a tax preparer or doing the tax filing yourself. The goal is to gather proof of income, expenses that might be tax-deductible or win you a tax credit, and evidence of taxes you already paid throughout the year. Our tax prep checklist has more guidance, but here’s a short version of what to round up:

• Social Security numbers for yourself, as well as for your spouse and dependents, if any.

• W-2 form, which tells how much you earned in the past year and how much you already paid in taxes. (If you had more than one job, you might have more than one W-2.)

• 1099 forms, which are a record that some entity or person — not your employer — gave or paid you money.

• Retirement account contributions.

• Property taxes and mortgage interest.

• State and local taxes you paid.

• Unreimbursed medical bills.

• Last year’s federal and state tax returns.

• There are plenty of ways to send money to the IRS. Electronic payments, wire transfers, debit and credit cards, checks and even cash are among your options. (Here's an overview of them.)

• If you can’t pay your taxes all at once, an option might be an IRS payment plan, which is an agreement you make directly with the agency to pay your federal tax bill over a certain amount of time. There are two kinds of IRS payment plans: short-term and long-term. Either way, typically you’ll make monthly payments to settle what you owe.

There are a few things you can do to make sure your money hits your bank account as quickly as possible:

1. Avoid filing your tax return on paper. The IRS typically takes six to eight weeks to process paper returns. When you file taxes online, on the other hand, your return should be processed in about three weeks. State tax filing authorities also accept electronic tax returns, which means you may be able to get your state tax refund faster, too.

2. Have your refund sent by direct deposit. When you file taxes you can have the IRS deposit your refund directly into your bank account instead of sending a paper check. That cuts the time in waiting for the mail.

3. Track your refund. You can track the status of your IRS refund and your state refund online.