Even with TurboTax, taxes still suck
Written: Mar 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Has every form you will need in one package
Cons: Requires some familiarity with the process of doing taxes
The Bottom Line: If you have a moderately complicated tax situation, get TurboTax. Just the convenience of electronic copies of every form you will need is worth the $30.
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| stevelarrison's Full Review: Quicken TurboTax |
No other way to put it. When you think about government waste on programs such as the Strategic Helium Reserve and realize that this is merely the tip of the iceberg, taxes can be quite infuriating. However, until the Libertarians are in power and eliminate personal income taxes, using TurboTax is the next best thing to not having to pay taxes.
TurboTax combines ease of use, a logical design, convenience, and various reviews to make doing your taxes as painless as possible.
The Layout
TurboTax is comprised of various sections. During the tax "interview" phase, TurboTax prompts you for Personal Information, Income, Deductions, Tax Credits, Final Review with wizards to find deductions, audit alerts, comparisons of your return against US Averages, and tips to reduce your tax liability in the future, and State Taxes.
The format is relatively easy to use, you start by entering information in the Personal Information section, then go on to enter data from your W-2's, 1099's, ... into the Income Section, you are walked through deductions (and of course, of determination of whether the standard deduction or itemized works better for you is figured into your taxes).
As you will out the various sections, you will see your running tax due (or refund) as you enter data. When you are finished, a handy wizard will check for any inconsistancies. If you live in a state with State Taxes, alll information that can be transferred from your Federal Taxes will be transferred automatically (you need to buy the state product as a separate package).
Ease of use
The interface is very intuitive, and no issues were encountered during installation. You will want to install TurboTax on a machine with an internet connection so you can download patches for any last minute tax changes.
The range of tax forms included should be sufficient for almost any tax situation. In addition, there are interactive video segments and liberal use of help throughout the system. Although the subject is dry, TurboTax tries to take as much of the pain out of doing your taxes as possible. Electronic filing of taxes is convenient if you are getting a return, but I usually end up paying after all is said and done, so I prefer snail mail.
As far as entering the tax information, whether it is easy for you will be primarily dependent upon a couple things 1) Preparation No tax software or accountant can make the task of getting various tax related documents together. If you don't have the paperwork for your income and deductions, TurboTax won't do you much good. Your situation Face it, different income situations affect the ease of doing taxes. People who are self employed have more complex situations then people who aren't. Other variables such as sale of property, inheritance, capital gains, ... can affect how easy it is for you to do your taxes. Familiarity with doing taxes I have always done my own taxes. As my tax situation has become more complicated, I switched from doing taxes manually to using TurboTax. Even though the wording of TurboTaxes questions are better laid out then native tax forms, the subject itself is complicated and dry. If you have never done your taxes before, but have a basic return, TurboTax is probably a good choice. If you have never done your taxes and have a complicated situation like self employment and/or daytrading, you may want to seek professional help instead of relying on TurboTax or any other package.
Final Recommendation
If you have a simple tax situation ( can you file a 1040EZ), then you probably don't need TurboTax. Just grab a couple of forms and be prepared to spend 15 minutes some afternoon. If you have a more complicated tax situation, just the convenience of having electronic copies of all the forms you will need is worth the purchase price, but you should have some familiarity with the process of doing taxes or access to someone who does. If you have a very complicated tax situation, you may be better off with a professional.
Recommended:
Yes
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stevelarrison
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Member: Steve Larrison
Location: Scottsdale, Az. USA
Reviews written: 171
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Beer, the answer to, and the cause of all life's problems.
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