Turbo Tax and the like

[Anonymous]

Does anyone use these types of websites for taxes? Have you also used a real-live tax person before? Just wondering if there are any arguments in support of either way of filing taxes.

[Anonymous]

always use turbo tax, have for years, simple to use, you get all forms, it does all the calculations, then the next year, it imports the data (name, addr, # exemp, etc) from prev yr & you can also import W-2 data/1099s etc for most companies

[Anonymous]

We’ve done Turbo Tax one year, then tried HR Block another. Our refund was identical.

We do Turbo Tax now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve done Turbo Tax one year, then tried HR Block another. Our refund was identical.

We do Turbo Tax now.

OP here, yes, this is what I was getting at. Is there any real difference in numbers when you file either way.

[Anonymous]

I've done Turbo Tax for almost 15 years now. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. Sometimes my taxes are a little complicated, too.

I do always use the download/cd version. I like to have everything on my laptop rather than in the cloud.

[Anonymous]

I've used Tax Act for .... a decade? Maybe more. Takes me an hour max, and is super easy.

[Anonymous]

I've always used Turbo Tax. Once you start with one, it's easy to stick with it because they load all your information from previous years. I have to use the Self Employment version which is a little more expensive, but so far I've been fine with it and haven't had issues.

[Anonymous]

I have used Turbo Tax for years - like everyone else said super easy because they store all past year info. I did my fairly simple but still itemized taxes in probably 30 minutes yesterday once I had everything together!

[Anonymous]

The only time I might use a live person is if you are self-employed or maybe have a rental property because it would be good to learn those rules at least for a year or two.

[Anonymous]

Turbo Tax is fine. We have a single rental condo and it's easy. If you had a more complicated tax situation, it might be worth it to get a real CPA, but for most people, TurboTax is fine.

There shouldn't be a difference in the numbers, because the software is just applying the same tax laws.

[Anonymous]

I used to use Turbo Tax for years and had no complaints. I always wondered if the AMT stuff was correct since I felt like I was answering things a little randomly. We switched to using a real person a couple years ago when we moved and kept our previous home as a rental. Last year I was convinced that we were going to owe a bunch of money and somehow we ended up with a refund. Now, it's possible that the same thing would have happened using Turbo Tax but I'm a convert to letting an expert do it. We may him like $200 and if he can find us money that Turbo Tax can't, it's money well spent.

[Anonymous]

No real difference between TurboTax and HR block software. I use HR Block mostly because I've been using it, I'm used to it, and it's easy to import everything from last year to this year.

When you bring your stuff to HR block in person, basically you're paying them to put everything into their software. For me, gathering the documents is the hardest part--I'm not going to pay someone to do the easy stuff! And if I did have a complicated return where I wanted advice about the most accurate or advantageous way to handle a situation, I'd take it to a CPA, which most people working at tax prep places are not.

[Anonymous]

We did turbo tax for years and we have a rental and non trivial incomes from multiple sources. It’s fine.
My dad did the experiment 10 years ago when he did the taxes himself with paper, hired and accountant and did TurboTax. The latter was fastest and ended up with the best results and you can pay for audit protection.

[Anonymous]

We have had a good experience with Turbo Tax, but I will warn that relying on it can cause you to miss little mistakes in logic. It isn't that their system doesn't work, but once I misunderstood what one of their handholding questions was asking me. It wasn't until a couple years later, when I was going over the form, that I realized I had missed a write-off I could have taken. If I had forced myself to fill out the form with the IRS directions in hand, I would have done it correctly. I just missed what the Turbo Tax user-friendly question was trying to accomplish.

Bottom line ... if your taxes are at all complicated, print out the Turbo Tax form and walk through the steps yourself too. Make sure you have no questions.

[Anonymous]

Anyone has used Credit Karma for taxes?