File Your 2018 Taxes for Free

Posted on Feb 13, 2019 at 4:48 pm

Is it seriously tax time again? Already?! You've got to be kidding me. I swear, it's every freaking year, like clockwork.

Before I get to any freebies, let's get one thing out of the way. If you assume I'm going to take this opportunity to post my favorite Simpsons tax day video, then you know me too well!

If you're looking to get your IRS tax return in faster than Homer or before another huge backlog piles up, then I've got some free and discounted options below!

Free 2018 Federal Tax Filings

TurboTax Free Edition – TurboTax offers both free federal and state tax returns if you use the most common forms, like a 1040. However, they even offer slightly more forms for free than most other services – you can see a full list by scrolling down and click on grey “tax forms” tab. Also, if you're a returning customer, almost 50% of your work is done by transferring last year's info with a single click!

If you need to upgrade, TurboTax is offering up to $20 off through 2/18/19. Don't worry if you miss that deadline though, it's been my experience that it's rather easy to find another similar promo between now and tax day.

H&R Block Free – Another free federal and state tax option is H&R Block. On top of being free, they're heavily promoting the difference between them and TurboTax.

H&R Block is offering 45 forms required for filing your free online taxes, which is twice as many as TurboTax. They specifically mention these situations to look out for.

For Families – Child and Dependent Care Expenses
For Students – Student Loan Interest Deduction
For Students – Tuition and Fees Statement
For Uninsured – Health Coverage Exemptions

Obviously, if any of these situations apply to you, H&R Block sounds like the way to go!

If you find you need to upgrade to a different plan, you can get up to 35% off, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

TaxAct – Another provider offering $0 federal and state tax filings is TaxAct. Their free plan is for people with basic 1040, but one limitation is that it does not cover dependents.

Even if you need to upgrade, their first level of paid plans starts at just $10. However, I have a 20% off promo link, making the Basic plan only $7.96 and the Premier less than $30!

Credit Karma Tax – Credit Karma Tax is a premium product that's 100% free, from start to finish. That includes all of our super-useful features, plus free filing for all supported forms and situations. Have a side-hustle? Own a home or sold some stock? Other tax services might charge you to itemize these deductions – but we don't.

From what I can tell, they don't even have a premium plan, so there's really no coupons or promo codes needed.

TaxSlayer – The final, highly rated service on our list offering both state and federal tax returns for free is TaxSlayer. Like the others, this is primarily aimed at single, married, and student filers with a basic 1040.

Their paid services start at $17, but OFFER20 should save 20% off any of their plans!

FreeTaxUSA – Finally, we have FreeTaxUSA, who my friend swears by. One of their nice perks is that they offer all of their federal plans, both Free and Deluxe, absolutely free. So if you have a slightly more complicated federal return, you can still get it completely free with FreeTaxUSA.

The downside is they don't offer any free state tax returns. However, I looked around, and believe you can save 10% with either code FREETAXUSA or COUPONS10.

So there you have it! With one of those six sites, you should be able to file your taxes for free or extremely cheap. Now hopefully we get a break from all these taxes next year! I hear it's a leap year, that's gotta help us somehow.

Free $5 Off at Subway!

Updated: Jan 24, 2019 · Posted on Jan 23, 2019 at 1:47 pm

This offer from November has returned – I've also added some clarifying info!

PayPal is offering $5 off a $5 purchase at Subway to the first 300,000 customers using this promo before February 6, 2019.

All you have to do is click on “Save Offer” to save the deal to your PayPal Wallet. Then shop through the Subway app, choose to pay with PayPal at checkout and your free $5 off will be automatically applied to your purchase. Please note, your discount will not be displayed when checking out in app, but will be applied automatically to your qualifying purchase as long as you have successfully loaded the offer to your PayPal account. You can verify this by checking your PayPal “Wallet” section after you've clicked “Save Offer.”

The promo didn't start until today, so I'd imagine this will be available for at least another few days. I don't see it lasting until Feb. 6 though.

Current Ibotta Any Brand Offers (Literally FREE Money!)

Posted on Jan 11, 2019 at 3:22 pm

Ibotta is one of the leading mobile coupon apps that pays you to shop for everyday grocery items. Think of it like reverse coupons. You get the discount after you purchase the items instead of during checkout, but it's the same ultimate effect.

While most of Ibotta's cashback coupon rebates are for specific items or brands, they also give free cash-back on generic “Any Brand” offers with no brand requirements whatsoever.

If you purchase any of the items listed below at a participating grocery, online, or drug store, then simply take a picture of your receipt and upload it into the app. Your account will then be credited for the cash back – all for free!

If some of the links below don't work for you, don't worry! Ibotta is a location-specific app. To find ALL the FREE no-brand coupons available to you just login, enter your zip, and search “any brand” on either their app of desktop site!

Ibotta Any Brand Offers

$0.25 cash back on any brand Waffles – exp 01/11/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Non-Dairy Milk – exp 01/12/19
$5.00 cash back on any brand Organic Food Item & Michelob Ultra Pure Gold – exp 02/05/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand One Dozen Eggs – exp 01/23/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Bagels – exp 01/14/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Sports Drink – exp 04/02/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Single Serve Juice – exp 04/02/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Chicken Wings – exp 01/13/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Ice Cream – exp 02/03/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Frozen Chicken – exp 01/21/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Kombucha – exp 04/02/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Jerky – exp 03/21/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Antacid – exp 04/30/19
$3.00 cash back on any brand Eggs & Kumana Avocado Hot Sauce – exp 07/31/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Protein Bar – exp 01/24/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Hummus and Layer Dip – exp 02/18/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Acne Treatment – exp 01/24/19
$0.25 cash back on any brand Coconut Water – exp 04/02/19

Ibotta gives regional generic offers too, so make sure to search for “any brand” on your Ibotta app to get the most up-to-date freebie offers!

I'll keep this post updated and running with every active generic Ibotta cashback offer I can find.

Free Discount Drug Card for 👩 or 🐶 – Save up to 80% on Prescriptions!

Posted on Nov 24, 2018 at 10:44 pm

If you missed the earlier free EpiPen replacement post, then definitely check that out. It's an amazing freebie that's still active if you can't afford an EpiPen.

In that post, I briefly mentioned how HIF has a brand new free prescription card that you can print out and start using immediately. It's a free drug card that helps people without health insurance afford their important medicine. You can print this page or bookmark it and start using it immediately!

Well, today I woke up to this alert.

That's a $78 prescription bill that some Hiffer only paid $25 for! I have no idea who they are or what they bought, but the idea that I helped somebody knock 2/3 off their medicine bill puts a giant smile on my face.

If you don't have health insurance but still need medication, then all you have to do is print out a free drug card and take it to any participating pharmacist (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Costco, most grocery chains, and thousands of independent retailers) to get a free discount on your prescription drugs.

Multiple Ways to Save on Meds!

It's surprisingly easy to use the free drug card.

Each of these methods works, so take your pick!

Print It!

Print unlimited copies of this page (in black and white, no need for color!) to always have a copy. Keep a card in your car glove box, purse, wallet, etc. so you always have a free card when you need it!

You can also give printed cards to friends and family who qualify. There's no reason not to share the savings!

Save It!

Bookmark this page and show it on your phone to a pharmacist in person!

Again, you can share this link with friends and family via email, Facebook, or social media. They can show it to their pharmacist and if they qualify, start saving instantly!

Write It!

Write down the information on a slip of paper! There's only a few, small pieces of information in order for your pharmacist to save on both human and pet meds.

GROUP ID: NATIONAL01
MEMBER ID: NDC3497
BIN: 009893
PCN: ROIRX

App It!

Use the free app! It's available for both Apple iOS and Google Android.

Mail It!

If you do not have a printer or smartphone, request a single, free card via snail mail.

I will follow up with you via email, so please use your correct information!

How much are the free prescription savings?

Most savings are anywhere in the 10-30% range, but as you can tell from the example above, some drug discounts go as high as 85%!

I was even able to find some examples from earlier this year, where many common drugs were around 60% off.

Again, this discount drug card is only for Hiffers without health insurance, but it's 100% free and all you have to do is print out a card at home and take it to your nearest participating pharmacy the next time you need any medicine!

Print a free pet drug card too!

It's not just us humans that need meds either! If you have a pet, you can also print out a free pet drug card! 🐶 🙀

Make sure you print this page or bookmark the link on a smartphone so you don't miss the savings!

I can't emphasize enough that this drug card isn't meant to replace health insurance, but instead help those without it. If any of you fall into that category, hopefully this will help you save a little money!

If you have experience with these, please share in the comments.

Earn Money with Dosh App

Updated: Dec 29, 2018 · Posted on Nov 19, 2018 at 3:26 pm

The Dosh app (or Do$h, based on their logo, but I refuse to call them that) is one of the new cash back apps that automatically gives cash back based 100% on your everyday purchases. It's like an automatic, mini-Ebates for your everyday food, gas, and clothing purchases.

After creating a free account and linking your credit card, Dosh monitors your purchases and automatically gives you cash back if you buy anything at a participating retailer. You don't have to remember to apply for the credit or click a link before you make a purchase. It's completely automated by robots waiting to replace us and designed to run in the background of your hectic, daily life.

I've been using it and a few other similar apps this year and they're great. While you won't make a killing, it's nice logging into my accounts every month and seeing I earned a few bucks simply for buying gas at Exxon or dinner at the local Chinese restaurant.

Since their founding in 2016, Dosh has already paid back $25 million to their users. Like I said earlier, you won't make a killing, but 2% here and 3% there start to add up over time.

Here's how to get your free $5!

Join Dosh and download their app.
If asked, enter code RYANE2.
Link a credit card (you won't be charged a penny!) and Dosh will put $5 into your account – for free!

Pretty easy, huh? 😀

So, if earning a little free money on the side sounds up your alley, signup and start earning free cash!

Swagbucks Monthly Promo – Earn $3 Free!

Posted on Nov 10, 2018 at 7:20 pm

Swagbucks is currently running a promo where you earn 300 SB by the end of the month (which is super easy) and get a free $3 bonus!

When you sign up through me, you can earn a 300 SB bonus to get you started. Here's how:

Sign up using this link and use my special code SBCouponer to earn an extra 50 points – that's 50¢ just for signing up!
Earn 300 SB total before December 1st, 2018 by any methods. You'll get a free 300 SB bonus for doing so!
That's it! It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I personally redeem an Amazon gift card from them once a year based completely on the free points I've earned.

If you've got no idea what I'm talking about, then long story short, Swagbucks is like Google with prizes. It's a rewards site where you earn points called SB, which you redeem for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, or PayPal cash.

I mainly use it for searches. Every search you make has the potential to earn SB. I do it all the time while watching TV. It's a nice little way to generate some extra beer money!

Amazon Cash: Free $10 Amazon Credit

Posted on Nov 06, 2018 at 1:33 pm

This cool deal from Summer 2017 is back!

Amazon has come up with another “huh, interesting, I could see this working out” idea called Amazon Cash. As the name suggests, it's a way for you to turn cash into Amazon credit. While that might seem counter intuitive to some, I know there are people out there like yours truly who tend to spend cash in my pocket far faster than if I put it in the bank or have it as store credit.

Confused? Let Amazon explain!

Since people love free money, they're offering $10 in free Amazon credit to new users when you add $40 to your account thru 12/31/18! Simply generate a barcode by clicking the “Get Your Barcode” near the top left. Then either print it out or send it to your phone via text and visit a participating merchant like CVS, Gamestop, 7-Eleven or a dozen more stores. You'll then pay $40 in cash and have the store scan your barcode, which will give you $50 Amazon credit!

So in effect, you pay $40 and get $50 in Amazon credit! You can then go online immediately and spend the credit on anything Amazon sells.

The free promotional credit expires 1/31/19, so make sure you to redeem it before then.

$5 Signup Bonus for Checkout 51

Posted on Oct 31, 2018 at 3:11 pm

Checkout 51 is currently offering a limited time bonus offer to new members! They have a special signup $5 bonus offer for new users. Here's how to get it.

Signup with Checkout 51
Redeem your first cash-back offer and earn a $2 bonus instantly!
Receive an additional $1 bonus for each of your next 3 offers redeemed!

All in all, you get $5 for free just for requesting cash-back on items you already buy at the store.

New to Checkout 51?

I post Ibotta's any brand offers, which are awesome, but one thing that Ibotta doesn't have is any grocery store chains in New York City. It's kinda crazy.

However, Checkout 51 has all of my local, regional grocery stores as well as all the big, national grocers, drugstores, and retailers.

I also find they have more high-value coupons than other digital rebate apps. It's not uncommon to find $1.50/1 coupons that you can use twice, making for great deals on top of your normal local deals and coupons.

I literally went to the grocery store with a shopping list on a Post-It note and used Checkout 51. Despite the small list, I was able to find 3 coupons to use and redeem. The money is already in my account!

Earn $20+/hr Teaching English from Home

Updated: Dec 8, 2018 · Posted on Oct 25, 2018 at 10:45 am

If you're looking to make a little extra cash from the comfort of your couch this winter, consider applying to VIPKID to teach Engling online to kids in China for as much as $22 per hour! You don't need to know any foreign language and all teaching materials are provided by VIPKID.

Instead, you only need to meet these qualifications.

Bachelor's degree in any field
Eligibility to work in the US or Canada with native accent
Meet eligible tech requirements

Device – Any Desktop, Laptop, MAC, Surface
Headset – Use a headset with a microphone, stable output and input
Camera – HD External camera or HD integrated camera (Most laptops have it)

VIPKID currently employs over 60,000 teachers, but are hiring thousands more right now. Heck, at $22 an hour, I'm thinking of applying! They teach over 500,000 students in China ages 4-12 with a curriculum based on the U.S. Common Core State Standards.

Teachers are recommended to be available for at least 7.5 hours per week, though it's not required. If that sounds like an easy time commitment, then I'd definitely consider applying!

Classes are guaranteed 25 minutes of active teaching time, with an additional 5 minutes assigned for teachers to make a few comments. Peak teaching hours are during Beijing time, Monday-Friday 6-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am–10pm. Here's a handy converter for US time zones. While not required to teach in these time zones, availability during them will help your application chances.

A few Hiffers have sent this site to me, so I know a few of y'all are making some money with VIPKID. If you're one of them, what are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments!

Find YOUR Missing, Unclaimed Money!

Updated: Oct 29, 2018 · Posted on Oct 22, 2018 at 4:25 pm

Some Hiffers have already found a few hundred dollars owed to them!

Table of Contents

My friends and I have shared various online chats since 2001, but we didn't discover Slack wasn't until 2015. It's now a program I couldn't live without. Goofing off and sharing links throughout the day with each other is so easy, even as we're spread across the globe.

A while back, one of the Slack rooms lit when a buddy of mine found an old link on Reddit about free unclaimed money. The following conversation ensued:

We laughed and my buddy proceeded to call his dad to walk him through claiming his $113. It was only later that it struck me. If one of my good friends didn't know about this page on HIF detailing how to search for unclaimed money, then I bet a ton of readers who haven't been with HIF since Day 1 don't know about it either!

So I decided to dust off this old post and republish it in the hopes that more Hiffers could find some free cash!

Wait, Free Money? What's the Catch?

Long story short, there are a few websites where you can search your name for unclaimed money you're entitled to. This could be money from bank errors, back pay from past jobs or employers, money from stocks, or from a myriad of other ways for money to be owed to you.

If the government owes you money and you do not collect it, then it's unclaimed. This also applies to banks, credit unions, utilities, pensions, and stocks, and many other sources.

As you can see, my buddy found $100 for his dad from a tax rebate he was owed from the mid-90s. The most I've ever found for myself was an $8 check from Verizon. But hey, it was something!

Find Unclaimed Money

MissingMoney.com

The easiest unclaimed money search form is MissingMoney.com. It searches multiple databases at once and is the only officially endorsed aggregate site by the NAUPA (National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators).

Simply enter your name and state and click “Go.” You should also search for any state you've previously lived, worked, or owned property in. If a match is found, you can complete a form that confirms your identity

However, as with most “one size fits all” solutions, it works for most people but not all people. The site doesn't work for citizens in CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, KS, OR, PA, WA, or WY. Similarly, even if you live in a participating state, it's no guarantee that MissingMoney.com has your info.

That's why your next stop should be this US Government official unclaimed money guide. They breakdown all of the individual sites you can search for unclaimed money.

While the government doesn't have a central website for locating unclaimed money, they do have specific areas to look based on where the money is coming from.

States' Unclaimed Money

Search by State – Search your state's listing of unclaimed funds and property.

Unclaimed Back Wages

Unpaid Wages – If you think you may be owed back wages from your employer, search the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD's) database of workers for whom it has money waiting to be claimed. WHD is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Life Insurance

VA Life Insurance Funds – Search the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for unclaimed insurance funds that are owed to certain current or former policyholders or their beneficiaries. Note: This does not include funds from Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) policies from 1965 to the present.

Retirement

Pensions from Former Employers – Search for unclaimed pension money from companies that went out of business or ended a defined plan.

Taxes

Tax Refunds – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may owe you money if your refund was unclaimed or undelivered.

Banking, Investments, and Currency

Bank Failures – Search the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for unclaimed funds from failed financial institutions.
Credit Union Failures – Find unclaimed deposits from credit unions.
SEC Claims Funds – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lists enforcement cases where a company or person owes investors money.

Mortgages

FHA-Insurance Refunds – If you had an FHA-insured mortgage, you may be eligible for a refund from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To search the HUD database, you will need your FHA case number (three digits, a dash, and the next six digits—for example, 051-456789).

International

Foreign Claims – U.S. nationals can find money owed to them from foreign governments after loss of property.

Beware Unclaimed Money Scams

Finally, watch out fir people who pretend to be the government and offer to send you unclaimed money for a fee. These scammers use a variety of tricks to get your attention, but their goal is the same: to get you to send them money. Government agencies will not call you about unclaimed money or assets.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides tips on how you can avoid government imposter scams.

Just remember: if somebody asks you to pay for “free” money, then it's not free!

With those tips, hopefully some Hiffers can find some free cash floating around out there. Get started at MissingMoney.com and good luck!

If you find any missing money for you or a loved one, please share the good news with us!

Deal: 2019 Entertainment Coupon Book Sale

Posted on Oct 19, 2018 at 7:01 am

The Entertainment.com Coupon Books for 2019 are on sale!

The annual Entertainment Coupon Book for 2019 are hot off the presses! They're currently on sale for 25% off with free shipping through 10/23/18 with code BOOK25! At such a low price, you only have to use a few of the coupons to make your money back completely.

These coupons don't expire until December 31, 2019, so you have tons of time to redeem as many coupons as possible from your book. If you go in with a friend or relative, you'll both end up with two coupon books for local stores for just $6!

I first posted about the Entertainment Coupon Books back in 2009, but it's been a while since I've refreshed folks on their savings. Each year, they offer location-specific coupon books that come packed with coupons for local restaurants, entertainment spots, and retailers.

This sweet offer expires at 9am EST on 10/23/18. What did Hiffers think of their 2018 books? Any coupons you're hoping to see offered this time around?

Free Credit Freeze and Thaw

Updated: Sep 25, 2018 · Posted on Sep 21, 2018 at 3:25 pm

Who remembers the Equifax hack from 2017? You know, the one where 145 MILLION Americans had their private information stolen by hackers. Why? EQUIFAX HAD A MUSIC COMPOSITION MAJOR IN CHARGE OF SECURITY! I can't even….

If the hack slid under your radar last year, I'll let John Oliver catch you up. Each progressive revelation should make you that much more enraged over the whole situation.

*NSFW LANGUAGE!*

One of the only ways to prevent getting your credit history tied up in the next hack is to put a credit Freeze and Thaw on your accounts. Previously, in order to do this, many states allowed the Big Three credit agencies to charge a fee for this and boy did they! $10 here, $15 there and before you knew it you could be flushing good money down the drain just to keep your credit safe.

However, as of September 21, 2018, credit freezes and thaws are 100% free nationwide. What's a credit freeze? It's a (now free) security measure that restricts access to your credit report, which means if hackers did get your personal information, they wouldn't be able to open an account under your name.

Apply a Free Credit Freeze

Free Equifax credit freeze – go here
Free Experian credit freeze – go here
Free TransUnion credit freeze – go here

I personally suggest applying a free credit freeze with all three agencies. You can lift (AKA thaw) the freeze at any point, like when opening a new credit card. Once you have your new account, you can re-freeze your credit – all for free now!

For a full breakdown on credit freezes, check out the excellent Krebs on Security.

Hey, It's Free!