For decades, most Americans have dreaded tax season because it brings flashbacks of length paper forms that must be filled out each year and sent in to both state and federal governments. While it may be a national obligation that all citizens are required to fulfill, filing your taxes does not need to be a nightmare. In fact, with our current level of technology, a digital solution offers you the ability to reduce the time that it takes to file your taxes and even get back any refund you are owed from overpaying your taxes in record time. This has made filing taxes online the premiere choice for many of those who would like to experience a lot less stress at tax time. When you choose to have your tax preparation service utilize the e-filing methods offered by the IRS for your federal taxes and your local State Department of Revenue for your state taxes, you are taking advantage of the convenience that millions of taxpayers have come to rely on. While not all states offer e-file and direct deposit, most are developing these systems if they do not already have them. Your tax specialists will know what your options are and guide you through the process, but you will want to make sure that you have your tax documents organized before you start the e-filing process. This means that you will need your W-2 forms from any employers that you and your spouse, if you are filing jointly, have worked for in the past year. In addition to this you will need the Social Security numbers for both of you and any dependents that you are planning to claim. Receipts for any expenses that you intend to have itemized on a Schedule A are another must, along with Forms 1099 that you may need for your dividends or retirement fund withholdings. By having these proofs of income and receipts ready in advance you will definitely be speeding up the tax filing process. Once you have everything together, you will discover that filing taxes online is not only easy, it's the fastest way to get the refund you deserve. Don't forget to have your bank account numbers handy if you plan to request a direct deposit of your refund.