Best tax software for . . .

[janey99]

Hi all -

Taking the plunge and doing our own taxes this year. For those who file federal and in more than one state (because of living in one state and working in another), what's your favorite software?

Thanks! Jane

 

[jedijill]

I've always used Turbo Tax. Last year I used it to file in 3 states.

Jill in CO

 

[cjstarr]

Hi all -

Taking the plunge and doing our own taxes this year. For those who file federal and in more than one state (because of living in one state and working in another), what's your favorite software?

Thanks! Jane

Jane I do my taxes every year without any problems. I usually try 3 or 4 software packages just to see which one is better.
The 3 I used this year where H&R Block, E-Smart, & Turbo Tax.
Out of these 3 I found that Turbo Tax was the easiest to use.
I was able to e-file my Fed & State return for free. (can't beat the price)
H&R Block & E-Smart would have charged me a fee to file.
Also I found that Turbo Tax will allow you to chat with one of their people for free if you have a question. This was something that the other 2 wanted a service charge for.
Hope this helps
If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.

Charles

 

[janey99]

Thanks both of you! I see Turbotax has premium, deluxe and some other versions - any preference?

 

[jedijill]

I used Deluxe now because I have rental property but I always used the basic prior to last year.

I got a discount code through Merrill Lynch this year and have gotten one through my bank in the past. You should google and see if you can find a discount code.

Jill in CO

 

[janey99]

I used Deluxe now because I have rental property but I always used the basic prior to last year.

I got a discount code through Merrill Lynch this year and have gotten one through my bank in the past. You should google and see if you can find a discount code.

Jill in CO

Thanks! Just poking around on Amazon, it looks like I need Deluxe, but some reviews seem to imply you need to "buy" any extra states you need beyond one one state? How does that work - put in credit card info once you get the software to download some type of multistate add on?

 

[jedijill]

Thanks! Just poking around on Amazon, it looks like I need Deluxe, but some reviews seem to imply you need to "buy" any extra states you need beyond one one state? How does that work - put in credit card info once you get the software to download some type of multistate add on?

Yes, you will need to pay for filing extra states. I haven't used the disk for awhile as I have been using the online version.

Jill in CO

 

[vcasey]

I have used Turbo Tax for years but this year decided to try TaxAct and found them pretty easy to use and cheaper than Turbo Tax, since you can start them all online for free I did them with both softwares to make sure the results came out the same and they did (not that I distrusted the software per se, more afraid I might miss something with Tax Act b/c I was less familiar) so in the end TaxAct got my business

 

[richmond282]

DON'T use Turbo Tax online. You will pay out the wazoo for multiple state filings. I learned that lesson the hard way Don't know about the packaged deal. We also used TaxAct this year, and it was pretty easy to use as well.