The most common misconception people have about taxes is that everybody else is cheating and getting away with something….giving them the “right” to fudge. Cheating is wrong and I’ve found that the taxpayers I work with understand, and want to do the right thing. The problem is that the law changes every year, and sometimes three and four times in a single year. The professionals are overwhelmed and the average taxpayer completely lost. It’s not that people are cheating – they’re making errors because they don’t know the rules.

Jeff writes for money.msn.com regularly. He’s also the author of How to Pay Zero Taxes 2009 (and its preceding 16 editions).

The Free File program allows taxpayers to prepare file their tax returns online, for free. The only catch is that your adjusted gross income must be $56,000 or less for 2008. That figure varies by year. Even if your income is under $56,000, though, make sure that you don’t have any complications in your taxes before you start your tax preparation. Free File only offers the most commonly filed Federal tax forms. Furthermore, you have your choice of Free File providers — and not all providers offer even all of the common forms.

There is a way to make use of Free File, no matter what your income is, if you’re willing to do without preparation software. About halfway down the page is an option that reads “I want to fill in the tax forms and file them online without tax software and click “Choose Tax Forms.” You’ll be able to enter your data, do some basic math, sign your return electronically and eFile your return. It doesn’t seem like a bad option, though if you feel that your taxes are a little too complicated, it might make sense to go with another filing option.

You can eFile your taxes with most common tax preparation software, for free.