When you prepare your income taxes using paper forms, you spend a lot of time shuttling back and forth between them. You come to a line on form 1040 that requires a supporting form or schedule, so you go there and complete it, and then transfer the number back to the 1040. Sometimes, you need to fill out a worksheet, chase down a document you got in the mail, or double-check your calculations because things just don't look right. You may have to do this many times if your return is complicated. Online tax services work much differently. Once you create an account and fulfill the site's security requirements, you can stop worrying about which forms you need and whether your calculations are correct. You also don't need to worry about how any tax code changes are going to affect your return—and maybe your refund. That's all taken care of in the background. When you use a digital tax preparation solution, you're really just filling out a lengthy questionnaire. These sites ask questions, and you provide answers by entering information in blank fields, selecting the correct option from a list, or clicking a button. You never have to see an actual IRS form or schedule (though in some cases, you can if you want to). If you're familiar with tax forms, you'll probably recognize the path the tax site follows. It's patterned after the order of IRS Form 1040. Personal information comes first, and then you move on to income, deductions, credits, health insurance status, and taxes paid. After you've exhausted all the topics that apply to you, the site reviews your return and highlights potential errors or omissions that might affect your refund. Once you've addressed any concerns, the software transfers your tax data to any state returns you must file. Then, you answer some final questions, check your entire return, and pay the service's fees (if there are any). Finally, you file your return electronically and print or otherwise save a copy for yourself.