Editing Form 1040 (section)

==== Comparison ====

If one is not eligible for IRS Free File, depending on the company used it might cost hundreds of dollars to file electronically, whereas paper filing has no costs beyond those of printing and mailing. Furthermore, the available existing electronic filing options may not offer sufficient flexibility with respect to arranging one's tax return, adding attachments, or putting written notes of explanation that can help preempt IRS questions. In the past, filing electronically may have exposed the taxpayer's data to the risk of accidental loss or [[identity theft]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Internal Revenue Service Is Not Adequately Protecting Taxpayer Data on Laptop Computers and Other Portable Electronic Media Devices|url=https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2007reports/200720048fr.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129164754/http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2007reports/200720048fr.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2011 |url-status=live|website=Treasury.gov|publisher=Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration|access-date= August 2, 2016|date=March 23, 2007|quote=IRS employees reported the loss or theft of at least 490 computers between January 2, 2003, and June 13, 2006 ... we conducted a separate test on 100 laptop computers currently in use by employees and determined 44 laptop computers contained unencrypted sensitive data, including taxpayer data and employee personnel data}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Nate|title=Inspectors: IRS lost 490 laptops, many with unencrypted data|url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/04/inspectors-irs-lost-490-laptops-many-with-unencrypted-data/|website=[[Ars Technica]]|access-date=August 2, 2016|date=April 6, 2007|archive-date=February 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223092855/https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/04/inspectors-irs-lost-490-laptops-many-with-unencrypted-data/|url-status=live}}</ref> but now e-filing with reputable companies is considered more secure than paper filing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Common Myths About E-filing |url=https://www.e-file.com/help/e-filing-myths.php |access-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927050432/https://www.e-file.com/help/e-filing-myths.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Is It Safe To File Your Tax Return Online? |url=https://www.thebalancemoney.com/is-it-safe-to-e-file-your-tax-return-1293933 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=The Balance |language=en |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224135100/https://www.thebalancemoney.com/is-it-safe-to-e-file-your-tax-return-1293933 |url-status=live }}</ref>