How long does it take to do taxes with turbotax

How long it takes to file taxes depends on your situation. Certain situations (Ex: you have investments, children, or own real estate) might trigger additional forms and questions. The more of these taxable situations you have in your life, the longer it might take to file your taxes.

But the good news is, since you won’t need to do calculations or figure out which forms to use like you would if you were completing paper forms, a simple return could take less than two hours.

Worried About How Long It Takes to Get Taxes Done?

Using H&R Block’s Online tax prep makes tax filing simple and convenient. Instead of filling out the forms line-by-line, we’ll ask you the relevant questions and use your info to complete the necessary forms. Our goal is to make it easy, so it won’t take long to file your taxes.

Don’t worry about trying to complete your return online all at once. You can save your work and come back to your return whenever it’s convenient. Just remember to note your account username and password so you can easily sign back in when you return.

It varies but here's a look at average time spent on IRS tax returns.

How long should it take you to prepare your tax return? Like with most things tax, it depends. The IRS says that the average nonbusiness taxpayer spends 13 hours preparing a tax return. But it takes far longer for taxpayers who file business returns.

The following chart that the IRS prepared shows how long it takes taxpayers to prepare tax returns.

Primary form filed or type of taxpayer	Return %	Total time	Recordkeeping	Tax planning	Form completion and submission	Other	Average Cost
All taxpayers	100%	13 hours	6 hours	2 hours	4 hours	1 hour	$240
Nonbusiness Taxpayers	72%	9 hours	3 hours	1 hour	3 hours	1 hour	$160
Business Taxpayers	28%	23 hours	12 hours	4 hours	5 hours	2 hours	$470

(Source: IRS, 2021 Form1040 Instructions, "Estimates of Taxpayer Burden.")

As you'd expect, taxpayers who don't file any business returns spend the least time on their taxes. The IRS says they spend 13 hours preparing their returns, with six hours of the total used for recordkeeping and two hours for tax planning.

Taxpayers with their own businesses spend far more time on tax preparation than nonbusiness taxpayers. The IRS says the average total time they spend on their taxes is 23 hours, with 12 hours devoted to recordkeeping and four hours to tax planning. They also spend the most on tax preparation, an average of $470.

Of course, these are just averages. Some people spend much more time on tax preparation; others spend less. Because recordkeeping is the most time-consuming part of tax preparation, the best way to reduce the time you spend on your taxes is to complete accurate and complete tax records throughout the year—whether you prepare your return yourself or hire a tax professional. Accurate records are also your best defense against an IRS audit.

According to the IRS, the average taxpayer spends 13 hours preparing their return. This includes record keeping, tax planning, form submission, and other related activities. And this number can vary widely depending on how complex your taxes are.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of how long average Americans spend on their tax return, followed by some pointers on how to use your time as efficiently as possible.

It takes how long to file a tax return?
The average time Americans spend on their taxes varies considerably depending on which tax form they use and whether or not they have any business income.

Non-business filers, who make up 68% of all returns, spend an average of eight hours on their returns, including three hours spent on record keeping, three hours spent filling out forms, and one hour spent on tax planning. For this group, filing the return costs an average of $110, which includes all possible methods of filing (e-Filing, tax-prep software, or a tax professional), as well as other out-of-pocket costs such as postage and photocopying.

For business filers, the average time jumps significantly to 24 hours. And this group doesn't just include corporations; a return filed by anyone with any type of business income (including revenue from rental property, freelance work, etc.) is considered a "business return." The most significant difference here is record keeping, which takes 13 hours on average for business filers, though the other areas of tax preparation take significantly longer as well.

It also depends on which version of the 1040 form you choose, which makes sense, given that your choice of form generally reflects the complexity of your taxes. Total preparation times vary from five hours for a 1040-EZ to 16 hours for a standard 1040 form.

Here's a complete breakdown of the average time spent on taxes (in hours) and the average cost of filing for each of these groups of taxpayers:

Type of Return	Average Cost of Filing	Time Spent
Total	Record Keeping	Tax Planning	Form Completion	Other Tax Activities
Personal	$110	8	3	1	3	1
Business	$410	24	13	3	6	2
Using 1040EZ	$40	5	1	< 1	2	1
Using 1040A	$80	8	2	1	3	1
Using 1040	$260	16	8	2	5	1

Source: IRS.

How to cut down your time
The No. 1 way to make tax-preparation more efficient is to keep organized, accurate records throughout the entire year (not just during tax season).

For example, a good way to waste a few hours of your time is by sorting through a shoebox full of receipts. Instead, come up with a filing system that allows you to sort receipts as you get them. It doesn't have to be too complex. For example, I have a drawer with a handful of envelopes that are labeled with things like "business deductions," "charity and donations," and "other deductions."

Also keep any tax documents you receive in one central location. I make a list of all of the tax forms I receive as they come in so I know exactly what I have and what I'm still waiting on.

Finally, using tax-preparation software (such as TurboTax) can save you a lot of time compared to doing your taxes completely by hand. While the cost of the software can easily exceed $100, including your state return, it could save you lots of time and help prevent errors -- no small benefit, given that you're 41 times more likely to make a mistake if you do your taxes by hand! One of our tax experts went so far as to say that doing her taxes the old-fashioned way was the biggest tax mistake she ever made.

Should you turn to the professionals?
Whether or not you should hire a professional tax-preparer depends on how highly you value your time and just how complex your taxes are. If you're leaning toward professional help, ask around to see how much it might cost to get your taxes done professionally. If it seems like a reasonable expense for the time it will save you, then it's probably worth it. For example, if the difference between doing it yourself and hiring a tax professional is $200 and you estimate that it will save you 10 hours of time (and aggravation), ask yourself whether or not your time is worth more than $20 per hour.

Also keep in mind that a professional tax-preparer may be able to find tax breaks you didn't know you were eligible for, potentially saving you more than he or she charges.

The takeaway
Everyone has to deal with taxes, but the time it takes out of your life is largely up to you. If you keep the necessary documents organized and buy a good software program, you could file your taxes in far less time than the average taxpayer. That said, there's a big difference between using your time wisely and rushing the process. Take the time you need to get it done right.

Matthew Frankel has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Intuit. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intuit. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.