Best Tax preparation software??

[MS Fowler]

In your experience which is the best, or which should be avoided, or is there no real difference?

[MTI]

Very few people actually road test several programs, typically users pick one and use the same brand year after year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/business/yourtaxes/a-taste-test-for-three-flavors-of-tax-software.html?_r=0

[dynalow]

Originally Posted by MTI

Very few people actually road test several programs, typically users pick one and use the same brand year after year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/business/yourtaxes/a-taste-test-for-three-flavors-of-tax-software.html?_r=0

Speaking professionally, I guess you won't go wrong with Turbo Tax. If your tax profile is straightforward, it will suffice. I've reviewed a few TP prepared efforts in the past and give it a passing grade. But here's a tip. Don't override anything with pencil entries. I heard someone say a few years ago that the most audited returns by the IRS were "TurboTax Self prepared" returns. But,that likely is unrelated to software. After all, they all pass IRS muster to be in business. GIGO lives!

The IRS was late with some forms & instructions releases (as in January 2014), notably the new 3.8% Net investment tax form 8960. But if you swim in that pool, you should have professional help.

If your income is below a certain level, 58,000 AGI for most of them, there's free software by these companies TT, Block, available. Less self help probably & no data storage, but it'll work for kids returns.
Free File: Do Your Federal Taxes for Free

FWIW, 2012 was one of the worst for software companies, including offerings for those in the business. Lots of problems. Ours worked very well, proving once more you get what you pay for.

CPA tax return preparers in 2013 contended with a compressed filing season and widespread reports of software performance problems. Software producers, the IRS, and tax preparers alike had to scramble to revamp their systems to reflect the retroactive enactment of many key extended tax provisions and some new ones by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, P.L. 112-240. The IRS was unable to accept any 2012 individual returns until Jan. 30 and not until March 4 for individual and business returns involving a number of items, including some common ones such as education credits, general business credits, and depreciation. In an informal poll during a May 10 AICPA Tax Section tax season debriefing webinar, 36% of participants called this tax season worse than last year’s, and 24% said it was the “worst tax season in history.” Sixty-one percent said they filed more extensions this year than last.

AICPA - 2013 Tax Software Survey

I don't expect this year to be anything like last year.

TT should get you through..

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

In your experience which is the best, or which should be avoided, or is there no real difference?

I've been using TurboTax since it was MacIntax. Has all the schedules I have ever needed and the state software is well integrated. Never a problem.

OTOH, I have never tried any others so I can't compare.

[elchivito]

Originally Posted by Botnst

I've been using TurboTax since it was MacIntax. Has all the schedules I have ever needed and the state software is well integrated. Never a problem.

OTOH, I have never tried any others so I can't compare.

Me too. TurboTax Home and Business. Why reinvent the wheel?

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

In your experience which is the best, or which should be avoided, or is there no real difference?

If I heard the info correctly, HRBlock provides one free of charge for incomes of either $53K or $58K and less. They didn't say whether that was gross or AGI. I got more schedules than I can count most years, and I rely on my CPA every year.

[INSIDIOUS]

I do not prepare tax, and any software that does is verboten

[tbomachines]

I've used turbotax and taxcut (now its an H&R Block program). The Taxcut one was really bad a few years ago which prompted me to switch to turbotax. Great for straightforward taxes, and relatively cheap. I went to H&R block last year since I had a job change in 2012 among other oddities and they end up charging by the form...so even though your taxes may be straightforward, if you have a lot of forms (for me, tuition forms, health insurance stuff and a handful of very low dividend checks) they charge an arm and a leg. Paying $30 for a sub-$10 dividend is silly in my book. I'll be doing it myself with Turbotax again this year.

[SwampYankee]

Whatever program my CPA uses for my business and personal taxes.

[Idle]

I do it all myself and don't trust anyone else. Yes, it's complicated, but then my compensation is set-up to be rather simple which takes a lot of the work out of it. But by simple I mean simple for me. My IQ is 148, your mileage may vary.

It is always cheaper to do the hard work going in than to try and deal with problems that pop up later. Figuring out the best way to make it all work took some doing, but it was worth it.

[TwitchKitty]

Make sure whatever package you choose will import information from last years filing, brokerages, banks, etc. Make sure it will e-file with all of the states with which you must file. Multiple state efiles are a problem for some.

[Botnst]

My IQ is 3 on a good day. I need software.

[spdrun]

Anything that's NOT "cloud" based -- I'm not uploading any more personal info than I have to into some firm's questionably-secure Web front end and databases. Yeah, it's already online, but not in one convenient place, and I aim to keep it that way.

I've generally done taxes with the relevant tax form pdf's, Acrobat Reader, and Excel, then mailed them in dead-tree format. Though this year I may try a desktop-based tax program, since entering day trades into a pdf gets tedious.

[dynalow]

Originally Posted by spdrun

Anything that's NOT "cloud" based -- I'm not uploading any more personal info than I have to into some firm's questionably-secure Web front end and databases. Yeah, it's already online, but not in one convenient place, and I aim to keep it that way.

I've generally done taxes with the relevant tax form pdf's, Acrobat Reader, and Excel, then mailed them in dead-tree format. Though this year I may try a desktop-based tax program, since entering day trades into a pdf gets tedious.

Doing it yourself serves another purpose. It assures you it's not outsourced to INDIA. You'd be surprised how in vogue that has become.

Should You Send Some Tax Work to India? | AccountingWEB

[link]

I’ve used TurboTax since it was made by Chipsoft. I have a stack of old TurboTax program boxes going back to about 1989

Most of the CPA’s i've provided technical support for use a different edition of TT that’s made for CPAs. It’s pretty much the industry standard.