Best Tax Program to use?
03-01-09 | 04:43 PM
#26
DVD Talk Hero
03-02-09 | 03:52 PM
#27
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
i bought Taxcut Deluxe and did all my taxes yesterday only to discover that to e-file I need a key code. Dumb me assumed the key i saw first was for installation and threw the box out. So now it is $10 to e-file for federal grr. Anyone by some chance have a key for E-file they only used once and wouln't mind sharing? It is good for 5 uses which says from the web site. If so, plz pm me I would be grateful! 
03-03-09 | 03:55 PM
#28
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 551
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: NYC
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
2nd time TaxACT user here ... free federal all the way -- no software cost, no e-filing cost, no direct deposit cost. Fortunately I live in Illinois where you can e-file absolutely FREE on the state's Department of Revenue website. 2 years ... taxes have cost me $0.00.
Some of my co-workers and I tried an experiment last year. I used TaxACT. One used the H&R Block program (TurboTax?). One took her taxes to an H&R Block office to have them filed. Using the "professionally filed" as the control, I plugged her numbers in to TaxACT. We also used the unlocked H&R Block software to calculate her return. And, just for shits and giggles, I figured her taxes by hand (using the fed booklet). Guess what ... not one bit of difference. Every method came out with exactly the same answer (as they should!). So, my FREE return, a co-worker's $15 (e-file cost) return, one co-worker's $40 (or so) return, and a 40 cent stamp (or whatever they cost -- the only thing I mail is my rent check, and I only do that 6 times a year) all would have netted the same result.
Some of my co-workers and I tried an experiment last year. I used TaxACT. One used the H&R Block program (TurboTax?). One took her taxes to an H&R Block office to have them filed. Using the "professionally filed" as the control, I plugged her numbers in to TaxACT. We also used the unlocked H&R Block software to calculate her return. And, just for shits and giggles, I figured her taxes by hand (using the fed booklet). Guess what ... not one bit of difference. Every method came out with exactly the same answer (as they should!). So, my FREE return, a co-worker's $15 (e-file cost) return, one co-worker's $40 (or so) return, and a 40 cent stamp (or whatever they cost -- the only thing I mail is my rent check, and I only do that 6 times a year) all would have netted the same result.
03-06-09 | 12:44 AM
#29
New Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
ok so the best tax program hands down to me is turbo tax i mean it is so easy to figure out even someone with no techical knowledge can do it
i been using turbo tax for a while and dont want to use anything else i still dont see why people feel the need to pay these taxes places when they have great software out there like turbo tax
i been using turbo tax for a while and dont want to use anything else i still dont see why people feel the need to pay these taxes places when they have great software out there like turbo tax
02-05-10 | 01:02 AM
#30
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
02-05-10 | 06:25 AM
#31
DVD Talk Legend
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 13,024
Received 1,051 Likes
on
489 Posts
From: Detroit, formerly known as Obi-Wanma
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I've used www.icanefile.org for the last 3 years. Absolutely free for state and federal (if you live in one of the 5 states that it supports state returns for: California, Michigan, Montana, New York, or Pennsylvania), itemizes deductions, and works great.
02-05-10 | 08:07 AM
#34
DVD Talk Reviewer
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,835
Received 52 Likes
on
44 Posts
From: Formerly known as "12thmonkey"/Frankfort, IL
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I use TurboTax every year and find it to be an excellent program. You could do it all yourself, but I like the convenience of the program doing the math for me and printing out all the forms, especially when it comes to filling out the Schedule C, etc. I've never had any problems with the program.
02-05-10 | 04:59 PM
#35
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I used TurboTax for the first time ever this year. I'd grown tired of paying exorbitant fees at H&R Block for something that seemed fairly simple to do. Turns out, I was right. TurboTax was simple to use and just great overall. I'll definitely be using it in the future.
02-05-10 | 06:43 PM
#38
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I used TurboTax for the first time ever this year. I'd grown tired of paying exorbitant fees at H&R Block for something that seemed fairly simple to do. Turns out, I was right. TurboTax was simple to use and just great overall. I'll definitely be using it in the future.
02-05-10 | 06:43 PM
#39
DVD Talk Hero
02-05-10 | 07:13 PM
#40
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,475
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
yea yr right. right after i posted that msg, i went and looked at my taxes from last year and saw I filed through the state directly.
thanks though!
thanks though!
02-06-11 | 02:09 PM
#42
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
It's that time of year again. Still planning on freetaxusa.com. What is everyone else using?
02-06-11 | 04:19 PM
#44
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I used TurboTax again this year. It took me about 15 minutes to wrap it all up. Best part is that my federal return has already been direct deposited to my account. It only took a week. I was quite pleased.
02-06-11 | 06:50 PM
#45
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
A few years back I bought TurboTax and then tried a free version of TaxAct or some free version of H&R Block. My returns are about as simple as they get but TurboTax got me a few extra hundred on the return compared to the other one, so I just stayed with them.
02-07-11 | 08:31 AM
#46
Cool New Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I'm a CPA and I have consistently used Tax Cut (though H&R wants to confuse us all by changing the name to H&R Block At Home. I use the Deluxe with State. It's cheaper than Turbo Tax. ALL the programs charge a LOT for state returns beyond one.
The question is not always the program. It's knowing what to deduct and what not and only a qualified tax pereparer can do that. Basically if you don't get a 1099-MIS form (consultant income), have Ral Estate Taxes or a Mortgage, you will use Standard deduction. And if you get Pension or Soc Security Income it gets more complicated. As far a software for those with income over $50,000 I like H&R Block one. But Turbo Tax is fine too. Just costs more.
The question is not always the program. It's knowing what to deduct and what not and only a qualified tax pereparer can do that. Basically if you don't get a 1099-MIS form (consultant income), have Ral Estate Taxes or a Mortgage, you will use Standard deduction. And if you get Pension or Soc Security Income it gets more complicated. As far a software for those with income over $50,000 I like H&R Block one. But Turbo Tax is fine too. Just costs more.
02-07-11 | 09:11 AM
#47
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 996
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
I have used Turbo Tax Online in the past, with various offers to make it either free or relatively cheap. But last year I used Turbo Tax Online to calculate the taxes and verify the numbers, but didn't bother to pay them to print out or file electronically. Instead, I used http://www.freefilefillableforms.com/ to file electronically. Highly recommended.
02-07-11 | 06:28 PM
#49
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
Well just got done with FreeTaxUSA. Federal went fine but apparently they do not support part-year income returns so I guess I will have to trudge through the state returns manually.
02-09-11 | 12:36 PM
#50
DVD Talk Special Edition
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,967
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Best Tax Program to use?
Another taxact user for more than five years. There's a summary of recommended (and not) free software at about.com: http://taxes.about.com/od/preparingy...p/freefile.htm