Gimme your opinions on Turbo Tax sotware.

C

chrissrv195

New Member
Nov 30, 2009
133
SW Iowa
Boat Info
1979 Sea Ray SRV 195
Engines
260 Mercruiser w/ Type 1 Mercruiser 260 Stern Drive
Hey guys need some advice. We have always taken our taxes to an accountant to have them done. Over the years it's gotten more & more expensive to do this & this year it's gonna cost us $125 to have them done there, which is too much for us. Things are tight.

We are regular people, I work a crappy full time job & my wife is back in college full time to get her degree & has no income. Basically our taxes should be simple to do. All we would have is my income & her old unemployment income from when she was laid off. We do not own a home & we have one 12 year old son. Really no major deductions or anything complicated.

We have been thinking about trying the Turbo Tax software to do our taxes ourselves & save some money. I haven't done all the research on it that I want to do yet, but I do know the basic software is around $30.00. I've never used it before & was wondering if any of you have or currently use it & what your opinions are on it. Thanks in advance for ALL your opinions, good & bad!
 
I've used it for years and its quick & easy. Check out their web site - they may offer free federal filing (Im not sure - I always used the $$ one). The state program is usually an additional cost - plus filing fee's.
 
It works. Also look at H&R Block's software. They bought out Parsons Personal Tax Edge. Both are competent packages. The software includes enough directions, tips, and hints that you can probably manage without any issues. But, based on what my accountant charges $125 is a huge bargain!

Best regards,
Frank
 
It sounds like your taxes are simple... definitely not necessary to use accountant... HR, Turbo Tax or even by hand - 2 hour job, tops!

My wife has a small business (Schedule C) and I have always used Turbo Tax.. easy to use. :thumbsup:
 
My sister swears by it & she also does my taxes with it. :thumbsup:

So far so good nobody has come to arrest me for tax fraud yet. :lol:
 
If you Google "TurboTax Iowa" and go to the TT site, they offer a free online version if you qualify for the 1040EZ return; sounds like you might if you only have income to report. If you start a return you should quickly find out if you're comfortable using the program. If needed, you can always upgrade (at a price) to a more capable version.
 
Thanks guys! You're giving me some good info. The ole lady is dead set against paying the acountant $125 & wants to try it ourselves. I'm just afraid of me or the software not reporting something correctly & it becoming a HUGE headache, so I'm not sure yet.

I've read some product reviews after my first post & it's the usual stuff... they (product reviewers) either love it or hate the software.

That's what I love about CSR... You can get good honest opinions & ideas here & know that people are being straight with you. :thumbsup:
 
chrissrv195 said:
Thanks guys! You're giving me some good info. The ole lady is dead set against paying the acountant $125 & wants to try it ourselves. I'm just afraid of me or the software not reporting something correctly & it becoming a HUGE headache, so I'm not sure yet.

I've read some product reviews after my first post & it's the usual stuff... they (product reviewers) either love it or hate the software.

That's what I love about CSR... You can get good honest opinions & ideas here & know that people are being straight with you. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


I have used it for over 10 years. works well. One thing to keep in mind, is if there is an error in the reporting and it is the software's issue, they will pay the fine and take care of it.
Look at the free version. Also the IRS has some free sites and maybe Iowa dept of revenue will have some free ones also.
 
Chris,

I started with it in the late '80s when it was MacInTax (as I recall). I've used it every year. The first year you use it, you will enter all your personal data (name, address, ssn's, bank info for refunds, etc.). The second (and subsequent) year(s), it automatically imports that data from the previous years. It really works great and I would recommend it. As someone pointed out, if your taxes are "simple", there are free versions available (I think one of my credit unions offers it for free)...
 
Last edited:
alnav said:
If you Google "TurboTax Iowa" and go to the TT site, they offer a free online version if you qualify for the 1040EZ return; sounds like you might if you only have income to report. If you start a return you should quickly find out if you're comfortable using the program. If needed, you can always upgrade (at a price) to a more capable version.
Click to expand...

Turbo Tax consistently tries to upsell their products. So yeah. . .going to the next version up is ALWAYS recommended by the software. So are about 20 other add on services.

Basically, if your form this year looks much like the forms you filed LAST year. . .you should be fine.

I never electronically file. Heck.. if the goobermint is going to check for entry errors, let 'em do it by hand.
 
comsnark said:
...I never electronically file. Heck.. if the goobermint is going to check for entry errors, let 'em do it by hand.
Click to expand...

I alway electronically file since I want to minimize the chance that Uncle Sam takes even a peek at my return. Electronic filing also speeds up your refund if you are getting one versus mailing the return in. I filed on March 21st and got a State refund electronically deposited to my account on March 28th.
 
Last edited:
Been using Turbo tax for years... Maybe since mid 90's. It automatically does appreciation and will take last years forms and get you the max refund. It allows notes for every single input that may be an alert for the IRS. Maximizes your return. It takes me about 1.5-2 hours to do the whole return. Has the ability to find your W2 ans 1099R info online and fill in all the lines in all schedules, etc. I would not use anything else. I got a $10 coupon from Costco this year so my CD was $29 (which is reportable as a valid tax expense)... (That cost was no State tax) WA has no state tax yet... You can find deals on line too for all versions of the CD.

I use to use a tax guy but not anymore... Turbo tax will take a little more work for you the first time you use it... But you will like it once it is done.

I also file electronically and normally get my refund directly into my checking account...

It also compares your work with US wide filers and lets you know how you compare and if you are in the "audit" zone.

I was audited once and after printing out my information and presenting it, the IRS accepted everything and it took about 30 mins to clear me... I never print out the return but keep it electronically on a burned CD with my paperwork just in case... I did print it out once and it took about 30 pages of paper... Hence, burn the return to a CD and file it in a folder...
You don't want to keep it only on your puter... they do crash...
 
I have used both Turbotax and Taxcut (HR Block) for many years and have had equally good results from both of them. I usually pick the one that the stores are discounting, unless they have it bundled with something else that I happen to want that year (like Quicken's checkbook register).

Both use an "interview" process, so if you take the time to go through all of the questions you won't miss anything big. There are some credits/deductions related to education that your wife may be eligible for that are worth looking into, but both pieces of software will catch those for you.

Both will remember where you left off, so you don't have to complete it in one sitting. They also give you the option of e-file or mailing your return - I usually e-file if I have money coming back and mail if I owe.

You will probably need the first upgrade from the basic edition, so that it will include a state filing. I think Iowa has an income tax. The basic versions are intended for those of us who live in states without income taxes.

My experience is that you do not need to pay for the upgrades that they try to sell, such as audit protection. If you need that type of service, you should be using a CPA or tax attorney.
 
If you own a Small business and Own a home the Turbo tax works great. It remembers all the deductions from the prior years. Just like the Mortgage points taken over time. JG
 
Vince_nj1 said:
I used to use Turbo tax, but got tired of the games they have played. Read the fine print on their advertising. There is always a catch. I use HR Block Tax Cut now. This was my post from last year.

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15221&highlight=Turbo+Tax
Click to expand...

Been using turbo tax for years and never had any of the problems you described. I do multiple returns (mine and dads) every year for the past 10 years and never pay extra.

Maybe they figured since you live in New Jersey you are willing to pay more than everyone else for the same things.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. You've all given me some good advice to go on & different software to look at in addition to Turbo Tax. Sounds like most of you have good luck with it. I think we'll try one (don't know which yet) & see how it goes. Anything's better than paying paying an accountant to do our taxes when we can't really justify having him do it. I appreciate all the replies!
 
I use it and it is great especially with investments. You can do online and save money if you do not need the program loaded on your PC.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,193
Messages
1,428,281
Members
61,104
Latest member
Three Amigos
Back
Top