Once again, a new year has rolled in, and for just about everyone who has had a job in the past year, that means it's time for EEK...TAXES! Organizing all those W-2's, taxable interest, dependants, joint returns…"where's my calculator?" I'll never get it all done by April 15 with all the other work I have to do for school! ARGH! Well, fear not fellow taxpayer! The IRS has been taking steps to make filing your taxes easier. That's right, I said easier and almost a joy to do as well.

When I filed my first tax form, I had no idea how to do it. It was a 1040EZ, which is the form that most students are using for their returns. My parents took the responsibility away from me and let their accountant take care of it along with their own tax forms. Then, I got this magic booklet from the IRS in the mail last year. It was labeled "TeleFile." It told me how I could file my taxes over the phone in a matter of minutes. I had to try it out.

How do you do it? It's very easy. In the booklet, there is a form that you fill out for your records. First you fill in spaces that ask for pretty basic info, such as your SSN, birth date and a couple other things that should be no-brainers for most of us. The next step is making the call to the IRS. It's an 800 number, and you talk to a computer with your phone (very similar to how you register for classes over the phone). This is when you need to have your W-2's ready. After you've let them know who you are, it tells you to look for a few numbered entries on your W-2(s) and to dial in those numbers. You can file up to 10 W-2's with TeleFile. After you've entered this information, the computer adds it all up and tells you to write down the results on the form in your booklet. In a matter of minutes, you know you're adjusted gross income, deduction and refund with no hassle or worries. When you are done, it gives you a confirmation number, and that's it. No need to mail anything, and all you have to do now is wait for that return to come in. Because it has been done directly with the IRS computer, your return comes much faster. I only waited two weeks for my return this year. I love doing my taxes now because it is so easy to do with Telefile.

There is also a way to file over the Internet with e-file. E-file requires you to buy special tax preparation software, but they say it's affordable, quick and easy to use and that you get your refund quickly. This just might be the future of filing taxes. No more working with numbers, adding this and subtracting that. Your computer will figure out all the hard stuff for you.