Taxes

[Common Sense Al]

TurboTax 2008 is out now... I used it last year (well, the 2007 version anyway ).

What do you use to do your taxes?

I was looking at the reviews on Amazon.com and they are pretty bad. Intuit seems to want to charge an extra $10 for doing more than one return now. Anything they can do to nickel and dime the consumer I guess (the American way). Perhaps I should give TaxCut a try again though last time I used it I was disappointed. But I also had a serious problem with TurboTax last year that cost me several hours to figure out so it's got its fair share of problems and bugs too.

TurboTax Bad Reviews

Anyway, Intuit is one big special interest that doesn't want the tax code fixed!

[matj6876]

I use the online version of TurboTax, have done for 4 years now. I have a pretty simple return and have had no problems. I will use it again this year.

[Lantana07]

We have a family CPA that does it...Don't have the inclination, or the tax chops (we have creative returns...) to do it myself. How much is TurboTax for those who are do it yourselfer's?

[Common Sense Al]

We have a family CPA that does it...Don't have the inclination, or the tax chops (we have creative returns...) to do it myself. How much is TurboTax for those who are do it yourselfer's?

TurboTax 2008 costs a little over $25 for the most basic package up to a bit over $100 for the business package. That includes e-filing.

[esemerson]

my tax guy says turbo tax is an abomination and should be avoided at all costs. and after he amended some of my returns that I did on turbo tax I was convinced.

[Lantana07]

Agree w/esemerson. Our guy said to try it if we wanted, but to bring the return to him first before filing. We decided the extra $100 was worth having him do it right and get us all the hidden money we were entitled to. He's paid, educated, and certified in all that stuff. Not me.

[Common Sense Al]

my tax guy says turbo tax is an abomination and should be avoided at all costs. and after he amended some of my returns that I did on turbo tax I was convinced.

Have any details on that? What was the problem?

I review the returns myself. Last year I found TurboTax wasn't deducting something that I had entered... so I carefully look over the returns before filing.

[esemerson]

Agree w/esemerson. Our guy said to try it if we wanted, but to bring the return to him first before filing. We decided the extra $100 was worth having him do it right and get us all the hidden money we were entitled to. He's paid, educated, and certified in all that stuff. Not me.

this pretty much sums it up. why not pay a tax guy $100 for peace of mind?

[Bacchus2b]

My tax guy costs a lot more than $100, but my returns can be complicated and the firm would stand with me in case of an audit. In addition the preperation fee's are deductible from the following years taxes (If you itemize).

[HEAD]

We use Uncle Tom. He charges over $100, but hasd gotton us so many deductions that I did not know exsisted. Plus his fee is tax deductable. If we get audited he takes care of everything.

[skiing1974]

been using turbotax online for the past 3 years, without a single problem.

[Brian]

Turbo Tax was just ok. Its good if you need hand holding the entire time. It doesnt allow you to view the actual 1040 at anytime to make modifications. Also, it did a bad job of "explaining" how to report my rental property.

Ive used Tax ACt before and its cheap and decent IF you already know the laws. Its more a program to enter your info and ensure the math is correct.


Im just going to have a professional do it this year.

Any recommendations?

[coglinehome]

TurboTax is not the way to go. We also had an accountant complete our tax returns last year. He found an error on our previous year tax returns in which we used Turbo Tax. I think we got back like $200 extra for that year. The sad thing is, we completed Turbo Tax correctly. It's just the software does not work well and catch everything or ask the right questions.

[Common Sense Al]

TurboTax is not the way to go. We also had an accountant complete our tax returns last year. He found an error on our previous year tax returns in which we used Turbo Tax. I think we got back like $200 extra for that year. The sad thing is, we completed Turbo Tax correctly. It's just the software does not work well and catch everything or ask the right questions.

Curious, do you know what this was? I'm interested in the details. For example, TurboTax wasn't deducting my section 179 depreciation last year until I cleared it and reentered the data (very annoying). Always review the returns and make sure what you enter is there!

[ahutyra]

If your taxes include anything "not normal, it pays to have an accountant handle the taxes. Last year, my husband did the taxes on Turbo Tax and sent them to the accountant (always looking to save a buck!) The accountant found $367 in addition to what he charges (Accountant = $250, Total additional found = $617).
That pays for my electric bill (occasionally...)
Me? I'll stick with the human being.