Desktop Tax Programs

bigmackloud

Active Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Location
Raleigh, NC
Hey,

Does anyone have any experience with some of the Desktop Tax Programs like TurboTax or TaxCut? I want to itemize some deductions this year since I did a lot of driving for work early in the year, etc.

Recommendations?

Thanks,
bigmac
 
www.turbotax.com no need to buy it at the store really, been doing it for years before I came back here (cpa firm)

Asks plain english questions, does a really good job.

Sam
 
Speaking of which.. I've always been using TurboTax, but you always see those commercials about H&R block finding all kinds of deductions for you...

We don't have much of anything to deduct other than the usual stuff - what do they find that I don't? I always see that my deductions are below the average for my income range (I think we deducted around $15k last year, just about $10k of that was home mortgage interest)..

Has anyone used both, and if so, what did you end up with?
 
Rich said:
Speaking of which.. I've always been using TurboTax, but you always see those commercials about H&R block finding all kinds of deductions for you...
We don't have much of anything to deduct other than the usual stuff - what do they find that I don't? I always see that my deductions are below the average for my income range (I think we deducted around $15k last year, just about $10k of that was home mortgage interest)..
Has anyone used both, and if so, what did you end up with?
Click to expand...


I've done both, I felt like I found more with Turbo Tax than the drones at H&R block that are just there to work the clock and go home. They asked me fewer questions that Turbo Tax did.. and Turbo tax didn't charge me $200 to do it. :shaking:
 
Hey,

with the online version can you do multiple returns? i figure if i'm spending the money, i'd like to be able to do my g/f's taxes as well.

thanks,
bigmac
 
I've used TT Deluxe in the box for years.
However, last year the price on it went up w/ fewer features and more user complaints. Switched to TaxCut, found I liked it just as much, and it was cheaper.
 
I used to use turbo tax and switched a year or so ago to tax cut, I like it as much as one can like tax software.
 
I used them all, as a former accountant. Dont fall for the gimmick h&r crap, especially the walk-in store marketing scheme that theyll find this and theyll find that to deduct. They use the same desktop software that you buy at best buy off the shelf and just use a little know how to stretch the legal limit.

in my experience, I have been using tax cut for a few years and like it the best.
 
Well Ive used TT for several years, but the last 2 we ahve gone to a HRblock shop.

My MIL talked me into it with all the great deduction talk.

Honestly, they dont find any more. The particular guy we use is a CPA and owns a few HR block stores. So he is pretty good, but some of the folks in there...wow!

I will use them again for 2 reasons. Between 2 jobs for me this year, 1 for my wife, 2 businesses we own, and more sources of income (different stock/mutual fund accounts that I have been "consolidating" for years but never get around to it :rolleyes: ) it really is a laziness/not wnating to fool with it issue. Also in the ultra rare case that we were ever audited, the protection/representation aspect is nice.
 
I have used www.taxslayer.com for the last few years. The main reason that I went to them was they allow active duty military to e-file for free, and since I work for the military my EIN number is the same as military so I get to use the program for free also. It asks plain english questions and is very easy to use.
 
Yo,

TaxAct...its free but lots of ads and a much push to upgrade.
Search for it on the internet. Good and about same as Turbo Tax. Turbo tax left me in a lurch several years ago so I quit buying it and switched to TaxAct and doing it manually for a second opinion. Yeah, I am a cheap bastard but not lazy.

:beer:
 
Turbotax does a REALLY good job of asking all the questions the H/R block is "supposed" to ask you...but a human gets lazy, the computer will ALWAYS make you answer them.

So...in theory, both are doing the exact same thing but I bet the computer is MORE accurate, what it is doing is asking things like, do you have loans from college education, did you spend money on daycare for your child, did you have a child in college, do you have to pay for UNIFORMS for work, do you have a safe deposit box at bank for your important documents (misc deductions), how much did you pay for docs, dentists, etc....

We send out a custom Q&A to all our clients asking the same things, but some clients fill em out, others don't, but nice part is we have info from prev year to prompt us to ask for the "missing" interest statement for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th mortgage that you had last year...or the $75 of interest 1099, etc.

Sam
 
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