For those waiting until the last minute, here’s some good guidance for filing your tax return

With time rapidly dwindling to file your taxes — the deadline is Tuesday — it’s crunch time to figure out a plan.

Are you filing with an online tool? Seeing a professional? Have you thought about your Health Savings Account?

More to the point: Are you just out of time and need to file an extension?

Here are answers to those questions and more, as we’ve rounded up the best of our advice for filing taxes.

Filing Your Tax Return

▪  Which online tax-prep service should you use? If you’re going the online route, have you decided which service to use?

One reviewer looked at the big three online tax prep services: TurboTax, H&R Block and TaxAct. Generally, the differences between these three are smaller than ever, with one crucial exception: price. “TurboTax still charges a premium. Block aims at the middle of the market. And TaxAct offers a comparative bargain,” the reviewer wrote. (One tip: Watch out for the add-ons.)

The Wirecutter this year tested those three services plus two others — TaxSlayer and Credit Karma — and picked TurboTax as its top choice: “TurboTax asks all the right questions and discards the unnecessary ones. It’s the easiest and most painless way to file your taxes online.”

▪  Navigating the many offers of free tax help: The Internal Revenue Service and commercial vendors provide free tax software, but the offerings often carry income restrictions, and features vary. Tax brackets, 1040s, Schedule D’s, education credits ... there’s so much to understand.

Deductions

▪  Tips for whittling down your tax bill: You’re legally obligated to pay only what you owe and nothing more, so tips from the pros might help to pare back your bill.

Here’s one you might not have thought about: Do-overs are possible. If you realize after filing that you didn’t take a deduction you were qualified for, it’s possible to amend your return up to three years after its original due date.

▪  With health savings accounts, don’t leave money on the table: Another little-known but perfectly legal tactic: Eligible filers can make a tax-deductible contribution to a health savings account for the 2016 tax year up until the federal filing deadline.

Extensions

▪  IRS extension adds time to file, but you still have to pay: Really, it’s no big deal. Though you should try to hit the Tuesday deadline, requesting an extension can help prevent you from making careless errors in a rush to file in time. You’d also avoid a penalty for missing the cutoff, which is around 5 percent per month of any tax owed, up to 25 percent.

However, though an extension provides more time to file a return, if you owe any tax, it’s still due Tuesday. Remember, it’s an extension of time to file, not to pay.

Refunds

▪  Ways to save (and not spend) the tax refund: More than 70 percent of taxpayers are likely to get a refund this year. If you’re among them, what should you do?

While splurging on a special gift for yourself or your family is the most instantly gratifying move, consider buying savings bonds or splitting the return among multiple bank accounts.

Nearly half of American families would struggle to meet an emergency expense of even $400, according to the Federal Reserve. Think about using your refund as protection against that.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 10:23 AM with the headline "For those waiting until the last minute, here’s some good guidance for filing your tax return."