bittermelon wrote:
I have used Tax Act for many years. Web-based, nothing to download. All my information are transferred to next year automatically. I get a year to year comparison. We used a CPA one year, who missed an income we had, and we had to pay a penalty. So no more CPA.
However, this last year TaxAct (and also TT, as I heard) was not able to handle a one time tax rule change we have in our region. So a lot of actions have to be done manually (i.e. paying estimate tax, no electronic filing). So I have no confidence in any tax filing programs.
I have used Tax Act for many years. Web-based, no... (
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So you do them manually yourself now?
bittermelon wrote:
I have used Tax Act for many years. Web-based, nothing to download. All my information are transferred to next year automatically. I get a year to year comparison. We used a CPA one year, who missed an income we had, and we had to pay a penalty. So no more CPA.
However, this last year TaxAct (and also TT, as I heard) was not able to handle a one time tax rule change we have in our region. So a lot of actions have to be done manually (i.e. paying estimate tax, no electronic filing). So I have no confidence in any tax filing programs.
I have used Tax Act for many years. Web-based, no... (
show quote)
I too used TaxAct for a number of years. I switched to FreeTaxUSA and have been quite satisfied. FreeTaxUSA does do free electronic filing.
I have used TurboTax for years, and have an account with them.
I download it, fill it out and submit it each year. No big deal. I just don't see a problem here.
JeffR
Loc: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Manglesphoto wrote:
I switched to a CPA 30 years ago!!! it was so easy stop by his/her office on the home from work drop off papers a few days later stop and pick up.
Enter E Filing stop, sign forms, go home and wait for refund conformation Direct dep. No longer have to do any of that 😉 Getting old ain't so bad 😉😉
Depends on the quality of your CPA. I used a CPA one year when we had a particularly complex filing with a real estate Starker exchange. Three different times I disagreed with his position on various points in our return. He insisted I was wrong and I insisted he check with a senior partner. Each time he came back and conceded he was wrong. Even with all of that, when checking through the return I found multiple math errors! I've never found a math error in TurboTax.
JeffR
Loc: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Jack 13088 wrote:
Did anybody ever notice that the first thing a CD does is download the actual current program? Not only tax prep software but all software of any value. Why? Of course, the first reason is they want your unique key before activation of the program. It is called theft prevention. And CDs are way too slow and small to load the full program in a reasonable time. And the IRS doesn’t actually approve the programs until long after those boxes and CDs are entered into the supply chain. Oh, I haven’t owned a computer with a built in disk drive in many moons. However, I do know approximately where my $10 dollar USB drive is stored.
Did anybody ever notice that the first thing a CD ... (
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Agreed. I doubt the CD has much more on it than just the activation ID and a link to the website. I've gotten the download version for the last several years. If I ever need to revise a previous return, I can re-download the software from the TurboTax website.
JeffR wrote:
Agreed. I doubt the CD has much more on it than just the activation ID and a link to the website. I've gotten the download version for the last several years. If I ever need to revise a previous return, I can re-download the software from the TurboTax website.
I'll bet it does, and the activation ID is printed on the CD jacket.
The CD has 216 Meg of data on it, which is probably compressed, which is expanded upon installation. A "loader" for getting the program from the internet need not be that large.
The best way to find out
definitively is to install it with the WIFI (internet access) turned off.
If it installs, it's all contained on the CD, if it's a loader, it will tell you to connect to the internet BEFORE it tries to install the program.
Of course when it checks for updates it will require the internet....
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