Product Description

Microsoft Money 2005 Premium is the automated personal finance solution, providing consumers with a quick and easy way to view, improve and optimize their finances. Completely rebuilt for simplicity, Money makes handling finances easy with speedy setup, automated tools that reduce the need for manual entry, and adaptable Essential and Advanced features that enable a more personal experience. Following is an overview of the software's new and enhanced features. Money has been redesigned to bring more people into the personal finance category. Everyone’s financial wants are different. For the user who doesn’t want to spend time on their finances but just focus on the essentials, they can easily access their account balances online, have their transactions automatically categorized and instantly see where their money is going. They have ALL their financial information in one place, with minimal to no typing. For those people who like to pore over the details, Money gives you more with its advanced views. Money 2005 –one product, different user perspectives. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TaxCut can make preparing taxes fast, easy, and stress-free. TaxCut eliminates the confusion from this year's new tax laws. Every detail in the new tax laws is included in the program, so users have the opportunity to receive every new tax break to which they are entitled. The program asks simple questions, automatically selects and completes the necessary forms, and double-checks the return like a personal accountant. You can then print the return and mail it in, or file it electronically to get the refund faster. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Former TurboTax User Prefers TaxCut
TaxCut is great! Never any problems. Intuitively easy to use.
I was burned by Turbo Tax two years in a row. They didn't have all the forms I needed and the electronic filing didn't work. I wound up having to hire H&R Block to do my taxes. I tried to get the "guaranteed" refund from TurboTax, but nobody answered the phone number they gave you to request the refund. TurboTax was a big ripoff. Buy TaxCut instead--you'll be much happier.

Taxcut Quality has taken a nosedive.
I have used Taxcut at least 6 years now. I used Turbo Tax Deluxe once between tax years and returned back to Taxcut because it was a better price. This year I was ripped off. I should have gone with Turbo Tax. Not only did the software crash on XP, but it crashed at the end of my "Interview" of entering in all my information. Locked up every time I got to this point. There were also a few points along the way where data was lost for charitable contributions and a couple of other worksheets. In all I think I had at least 4 quirks to work around in the software. I did eventually figure out the lockup problem and got my taxes finished. Then after downloading the CA State and e-filing I spent another $45. I could have paid a tax guy to just do all my taxes in the long run. Taxcut will never get my business again. I am going to Turbotax next year.

I should have known better...
I do not do this too often, I usually try to remain positive. At this moment I am looking at my tax return that was returned to me by the IRS. I should have known that there might have been something wrong when the program asked me to find specific answers to my questions on the IRS web site. I use tax programs to help me file, given that I do not know all the current tax laws, I did not expect the program to ask me to find the answers to my own questions.

Taxcut took me twice as long to file then when I use Turbo Tax. Errors were hard to correct and manual corrections would void your ability to file electronicaly. A full day went into preparing my taxes and now I will have to spend another day redoing my taxes with Turbo Tax. I do not think I will ever use Taxcut again.

I would like to close this review on a positive note, but I can only say that I am positive that I will not use H&R's products again.

Very Disappointed
I used TaxCut for 2000 and had no problems, so I bought it again for 2001 and I have had nothing but problems with this year's program, I had to redo my taxes at least six or seven times because the program will not correct mistakes by the interview process -- and if you try to manually correct a mistake on the form, it warns you that you will NOT be allowed to e-file if you do that. The problem turned out to be "user error" but I interpret that as NOT "user friendly." The instructions were very vague and hard to understand. I finally had to complete my taxes on a paper form 1040 using the IRS's easy to understand instructions and then I was able to transfer that information into the program. In addition, the program also refused to allow me to e-file, stating that I was required by my state to file my state return electronically at the same time I filed my federal return (definitely NOT true!), and that I had to go back & purchase their state software program in order to complete that section. I had downloaded their update yesterday using the "update" button provided at the beginning of the interview -- however, when the program repeatedly refused to allow me to e-file until I bought their state program I realized that there had to be an error in their software. So I downloaded an update today using the "tools" button at the top of the screen - this time it was definitely a MUCH larger download and once the download was complete, the program finally allowed me to file!! What should have been a simple process took me two days and a LOT of aggravation to complete. Next year I'm getting TurboTax!

Piece of junk
The program crashed all the time. Tech support was a joke. I tried the product on several computers and set it up different a couple of time. Same results everytime, it crashed. Spend the extra 5 bucks and buy turbo Tax. I still can't beleive I bought this garbage, never again. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

TaxCut Platinum takes the guesswork out of preparing your taxes, and turns tax time into a pain-free, logical, educational, and simplified experience.

It seemed like TaxCut Platinum was easier to use this year than ever.Navigating through taxable income, deductions, and penalties is far less tedious than it used to be. With TaxCut Platinum you can easily enter your W-2 information (and depending on your employer, some W-2s can be automatically populated), view educational videos on current tax law, and take an interview to see if you qualify for a specific section. TaxCut Platinum also lets you skip any steps with which you are already familiar, and easily return to any section of the form.

As is standard with most of these programs, you must purchase state tax software separately from the federal program. However, TaxCut Platinum includes rebate coupons for your state program and electronic filing fees. Once you have installed your state program, all the information you have already entered into your federal return will be automatically read by the state program. Once you've finished with both returns you can choose the format in which you want to file them: by mail or electronically. TaxCut Platinum will walk you through either process with printing and mailing instructions and electronic filing guidelines.

New features this year include Retirement Savings Enhancer, 9-Year Tax Preview, Home Office Assistant, and Portfolio Manager. Improvements have been made to the Error Check and Entry Manager features. TaxCut Platinum also includes professional tax advice from H&R Block.

While enjoyable is certainly not the first adjective that comes to mind when preparing your tax return, TaxCut Platinum certainly makes the process more than bearable. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Features

• No more wading through paperwork for hours -- the simple Tax Assistants bring you the financial assistance you need, step-by-step
• Work out the total taxable value on your stock portfolios, options, and capital gains with no trouble
• Find out how you can increase your tax and retirement savings with sound advice from H&R Block and Kiplinger
• Also includes free copies of TaxCut State, E-filing, and a copy of Microsoft Money(after rebate -See below)

Reviews (21)

Disappointing
I made the switch from TurboTax to TaxCut because of Intuit's copy-protection schemes that treat me like a criminal and make we worry about not having access to my return in the future. I figured TaxCut would be the same as TurboTax or maybe a little better since I never loved TurboTax. However, I found it to be worse. First the good points, it did import my dad from Quicken and last years return fairly well. Now the bad:
1. It had an annoying inconsistency in entering dates. Sometimes it insisted you use 2-digits etc. I think software should be smart enough to figure out the different ways people enter dates, rather than force people enter dates one way.
2. The platinum upgrade is worthless. I got it for the "capital gains assisteant" but that turned out to be nothing more than having you enter you information on multiple screens (interveiew style) rather than one. If you go with TaxCut save the 10 bucks and go with the deluxe or standard editions.
3. It did some to know how to handle my Employee Stock Purchase Plan. It did not ask me about the discount I bought the stock at (which is taxed differently I believe than the capital gains). Since I sold at a loss this did not worry me.
4. It had me enter information many times when it seemed like it should have been smarter. I think I enter my address 4 times - why can't the program figure out that I am not moving?

I am hoping that Intuit treats their customers better so I can go back to TurboTax next year. If not, I am not sure what I will do.

Very user friendly tax software
I have used TaxCut for several years now, and really appreciate its convenience and ease of use. The software works like an interview - you answer a list of questions, and when you are done, your tax return is complete. It picks up the data from prior year returns done on TaxCut, so if you use the program year after year, it gets progressively easier and less time-consuming to prepare your taxes. Clear explanations are provided for every entry, potential problem areas are flagged, and your return is compared with average taxpayer returns in your income bracket so you can see if your deductions etc. are out of line with the norm. The state program for my state is also very simple to use. In my opinion, using TaxCut is far simpler and less stressful than either doing taxes by hand or using a tax preparer.

Don't use Tax Cut if you have to file an Oregon State return
Last year I used Turbo Tax and was able to file my state return electronically. This year I switched to Tax Cut and it doesn't support E-filing the Oregon State return. Now, at the last minute, I have to print and file a manual return. This will add about 2 months to the time it takes to get a refund. Next year it's back to Turbo Tax, no matter how bad it is, it's better than Tax Cut.

Disappointing; about as good as TurboTax was 2-3 years ago
I switched to TaxCut from TurboTax because reviews said it was as good as TurboTax but without TurboTax's copy protection scheme. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Entering Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) transactions was much more difficult than last year's TurboTax. The capital gains wizard was almost no help. The online instructions and help were much less helpful, and the help had a much poorer index.

Overall, I would say TaxCut 2003 is about as good as TurboTax was 2-3 years ago. But it is not nearly as easy to use as TurboTax was last year. As much as I dislike TurboTax's copy protection scheme, I will go back to TurboTax next year.

Does not live up to TurboTax Deluxe
Since this is my first year of trying to file US Income Taxes _myself_, I picked TaxCut since I didn't like the TurboTax registration annoyance. I later hat the opportunity to enter my Federal and my California Tax Info on a friend's computer with TurboTax Deluxe and thus was able to compare the Interview process.

My tax situation was very easy except for 3 issues:
1. I had to pay tax due in 2002 for my 2001 State Tax Return
2. I collected foreign dividends, interest and captital gains
3. I payed foreign taxes (on those foreign dividends and
interests) and thus filed form 1116.

So what happend:
1. Knowing on where and how to enter the fact that I payed state
taxes, was a major hassle with TaxCut. The interview process
asked about it at one point, but then you were left alone
to figure out on which of the following screens you had
to enter this information, so that it would properly carry
over to the State tax program. There was nothing in the FAQ,
in any of the help sections or on the website. It took
two emails with customer support to get an answer to this
question.

TurboTax explicitely asked that question in its interview
process and had my enter the amount right away.

2. Neither program provides any support for dealing with foreign
currencies, so you're on your own with the conversion.

3. Form 1116 was another nightmare with TaxCut, which basically
left you to filling out the forms / worksheets by yourself.
TurboTax made it much more easier.

Other issues:
- Changes in the Federal Data did not always carry over
properly to the State Return (i.e. when I deleted info
about Estimated Taxes payed). I only noticed this
when comparing the figures with TurboTax
- I bought the "Platinum" version, but I didn't see any
practical benefit.

At the end of the day both programs calculated the same
figures, however TurboTax' interview progress was much clearer

and mad me much more comfortable.

If TurboTax didn't have that awkward registration scheme I would never use TaxCut again. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Complete your state tax return quickly and easily with TurboTax State. This easy-to-use program works seamlessly with TurboTax 1040 programs to transfer your federal data to your TurboTax state return. The EasyStep Interview process asks you questions, places your answers directly onto state-approved forms, and automatically performs all calculations for you. There's even a built-in feature to check your return for errors and omissions to help ensure that it is accurate and complete.

Note: This is for every state where state income taxes are required, except California. If you need to file taxes in more than one state, additional TurboTax State programs will need to be purchased for each additional state. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

beware - the rebate - they won't send the rebate to you
I sent in all of my documentation for the rebate so that this would be free after rebate (as advertised everywhere). They sent me a postcard saying that they needed my receipt. I don't know if they don't take the Amazon shipping receipts or if they just don't want to issue rebates. I think that's what they count on to give so much "free" software away - not issuing $$ back to purchasers. This was the first time I've purchased tax software and I won't buy this product again - ever.

Great
I find that this product makes Mass Tax so much more enjoyable. I don`t like doing taxes but using this product makes them fun.

Many bugs in Turbo Tax state
I have used Turbo Tax for many years, but this is the last. The NJ state version has many calculation errors and bugs. Technical support says it unable to help, as the calculations are to complicated for them to understand. The program rounds up figures when importing from federal program. Beware of this program, especially if you paid excess UE & DI. Many other errors. No fix available. Avoid this product.

TurboTax State
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT ...BR>I live in Delaware one of the many states that the CD does not have complete on it but needs an update to work! Imagine selling an unworkable product .... First Intuit said Updates would be ready on Jan 30th, then on Feb 15th but here it is the 17th and nothing! Customer support is non existant. The online people know nothing and the phone support is closed except during daytime business hours.SO BUY THIS PRODUCT AT YOUR OWN RISK BUT BE WARNED IT DOES NOT WORK AND IS NOT SUPPORTED!

Turbo Tax Deluxe
TurboTax use to be a good product but this year it is a disaster.The product seems only to exist to sell you more products and be aware many of the state products as of Feb 17th still do not work because there are no updates.
Intuit has fallen vey very far. You can not even tab through screens anymore but must constantly point and click with the mouse. Customer support is also almost nonexistant. The people at support do not even know that updates are not yet available. PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU WOULD DO BETTER AND WORK FASTER WITH PAPER. ... Read more

Features

• Tax software guides users through IRS returns
• Interview-based wizard system
• Up-to-date with latest federal tax law
• Checks math and audit flags
• Includes tax publications and expert advice

Reviews (21)

Great product, lousy company--never got refund for state
I give Turbo Tax 5 stars and Intuit 1 star, averaging to 3 stars.

I've used Mac'N'Tax (the Turbo Tax predecessor that Intuit bought out) and Turbo Tax since the late-80's--so that's a lot of returns. The product has worked very well for me, with only a few complaints. The ability to roll forward your tax information year after year is one of the compelling features of Turbo Tax--once you set up a depreciation, or have credits that carry forward, Turbo Tax populates this information in next year's return.

However, I have found Intuit to have become less friendly and more work to deal with as the year's have gone by. If you end up needing technical support your entire experience with the product will probably be soured. In 2003 even though the "Deluxe" product advertised that it came with a free state product, you had to pay to download and then send in the voucher to get your money refunded. Quite annoying, but the real kicker is that the refund never came and Intuit was pretty much unresponsive to my attempts to follow up.

I will probably continue using Turbo Tax because the product is solid (at least for me...I see others have had issues), and because once you've got your tax information in for one year, the next year and the next year after that you keep reaping benefits. I just wish some other company would buy the product from Intuit so I could quit dealing with them.

Now if they'd stop charging a premium for Mac users.
Regarding the C-Dilla issue... this is the statement from Intuit, makers of TurboTax. Keep in mind, it was never in the Mac software anyway.

"In response to customer feedback, we have removed the technology from TurboTax 2003 products. In addition, Intuit is changing its policy and updating the TurboTax software license agreement, enabling customers to use TurboTax software to install, prepare, file and print multiple returns for themselves and their family from multiple computers."

I've always found TurboTax to be a very good product. If this C-Dilla issue proves to have been resolved, it may be again. However, their insistance that they need to charge a 25% premium for the Mac version is just foolish.

saves my sanity every year!
I have been using TurboTax (formerly MacInTax) for 6 years now, and it gets better every year. Beginning last year, I did the electronic filing and I couldn't have been happier with the results. Philosophical arguments notwithstanding regarding doing this electronically, I did get an e-mail response from Quicken saying everything went through and 2 days later a response from the IRS that they had received my return. I always used to put off filing my taxes until the last possible moment because I dreaded reading all the details and filling out the complicated boxes with the vague instructions. It's not something you want to get wrong. I have never had a tax preparer do my taxes for me - I've always done my own since I was 17, but procrastination has always been my enemy, even when I had a juicy refund coming to me.

TurboTax takes the chore and bore out of the process. Each aspect of the software has little checks to make sure you're doing everything correctly. I was able to import my data from previous returns to save loads of time filling out stuff that doesn't change from year to year as a rule.

The software takes you dialogue by dialogue asking you questions like "do you own any stocks?" and if not, you skip the all the related questions so you don't have to muddle through things that don't apply to you. Everything is in concise categories.

Anytime you have a question, you can click on the help button for specific, context-sensitive information. The major sections have built-in QuickTime videos of professional tax experts explaining the latest tax laws and what the IRS is looking for, etc. etc.

When you're about all done, it does an error check and automatically goes through everything on your return and will tell you if anything on your return contains errors or otherwise will raise a red flag with the IRS and make you more vulnerable to an audit.

After filing my taxes with Turbo Tax, I got my refund deposited into my bank account electronically within 6 days. For those who are not expecting refunds, but rather have to send payment to the IRS, you can set up your payment so that it gets sent at the last possible moment on April 15, even if you file much earlier.

When you first install the software, it first checks with Intuit's servers for any updates and allows you to download State Tax software for free (if applicable). Fortunately, there are no state income taxes in Texas (yea for us!).

I am using a nearly 6-year-old Mac running (albeit slowly) Panther (10.3.3) and the software ran like a champ.

Updates a nightmare, no customer support
I've used Turbotax ever since the MacInTax years, and the software was always easy to use and update--until now. Using an iMac with OS 9.2.2 and Turbotax Deluxe 2003, over a 56K modem the update that promises to take "just a few minutes" actually takes about 120 of them, that is, if something does not crash on you first. The updates would apparently install successfully but the program kept telling me, "You've never checked for updates"--and refused to let me fill out form 4652 for Depreciation based on that. After attempting the download at least three or four times, I ordered the "update on CD". It took 10 days to arrive. After installing it, the same error message appeared again. Also, apparently the "update" does not put obsolete files into the trash. Therefore, finally after several 'Update" attempts I ended up with several folders and did not know which files were up to date or which files my program was pointing to. So I spent several hours going through all the folders manually comparing file creation dates. This enabled me to finally complete form 4652 but after finishing the State return, I once again received an error message, "You've never checked for updates". All I've spent the last three weeks doing is checking for updates!

The State return was very disappointing also, because, if you need to quit in the middle, the software cannot remember where you left off--so you may have to click through literally tens of screens to get back to where you were.

Intuit's online "support" was a pointless waste of hours and hours of even more time. With this year's product being so unsatisfactory, I simply could not justify sending Intuit a single penny more to get it working. I shouldn't have to. I began my tax return at the end of February. Now it is April 13 and I still have not got this garbage product running.

Next year I won't mind spending hundreds of dollars more to take my taxes to an accountant. Time is money too, and life is way too short to waste any of it trying to fix a product that ought to have been debugged and finished BEFORE it was shipped.

Don't expect to import '02 TaxCut data!
Despite assurances from TurboTax customer service that I could import data from last year's TaxCut (ever try to manually enter years of depreciation?), I found that he forgot to mention the details. You have to find a PC computer with PC TurboTax, import the TaxCut data, then transfer that file into your Mac for use. Just a slight omission!

Now after having no other choice but to also purchase '03 TaxCut, I can honestly say I'll never buy an Intuit product again... ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Managing your personal finances always has been a game of give and take,and Intuit Quicken 2001 Suite gives you all of the players in one user-friendly,fully integrated package. New and improved features such as Smart Reconcile,better 401(k) tracking, and integrated Web browsing make this software acomprehensive way to organize your personal finances. Plan your investments andfinances with Quicken 2001 Deluxe, prepare and file your taxes with TurboTaxDeluxe, and protect your family's assets with Quicken Family Lawyer 2001.

Quicken 2001 Deluxe is designed to control seven major areas of your personalfinances: banking, investing, taxes, planning, spending and saving, loans, andinsurance. Improved Activity Centers link these sections together, whileenhanced Alerts let you stay on top of investment opportunities. Travelers willappreciate the ability to view banking and investments online through a secureWeb page at Quicken.com. However, if you are new to online banking or feeluncomfortable with the idea of being able to access personal information on theWeb, you might need some time to adjust to this new feature.

TurboTax Deluxe will guide you through the process of filing your taxes withstep-by-step interviews, careful checks to catch errors, and personalizedmoney-saving features. A TurboTax State manufacturer's rebate lets you file yourtaxes electronically (one free State program per rebate, along with a freeFederal return). If you prefer to file the old-fashioned way, you also can printyour return onto IRS-approved forms that are integrated into the software.

Finally, Quicken Family Lawyer 2001 will walk you through the preparation oflegal documents from start to finish. Get help deciding on the documents thatyou need and preparing them (based on step-by-step interviewing), then prepareand print your legal documents.

People who have not used personal-finance software in the past should beprepared to spend a few hours entering relevant financial data. However, QuickenSuite 2001 comes with a slew of handy setup assistants and a formidable helpsection. All things considered, this is a comprehensive, relatively easy-to-usesuite of products that is designed to make planning of your finances easier,which is always a good investment. --Gisele Toueg ... Read more

Reviews (7)

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME
I am incredibly disappointed with Quicken. I am a first time quicken user and was expecting far more from this software. In fact, it seems to me to be the poorest software i have ever seen. When you open the box, there is no instruction manual. The program is slow and crashes continually. The screen and options are redundant and set up in no logical way, giving you the feeling, as you are fooling around, hitting every button (because there is no instruction manual so you are on your own), that there are about 50,000 things quicken can do for you, where really there are only about 8. Preferences and customize options are annoying, and for anyone adept at computers, this program will drive you nuts because it is so rigid -- there are so few options for REALLY customizing quicken to satisfy your needs -- and my needs are the most basic -- i am still a student!!!!!!!!! I wish i had never bought quicken and just set up a spreadsheet on excel for my finances. you can do more on excel than you can do on quicken, and make all the same charts, and do what you want without waiting 8 years for the program to respond every time you push a button and without having to go through a rigamarole to set up loan accounts. use your time learning how to use excel's beginner and advanced features, NOT quicken's useless ones!!!

A quicken user since version 2.0
I've used Quicken since 1994 when I bought my first computer and Quick 2.0 came preinstalled. Since then I've tried MS-Money twice. I keep going back to Quicken. It's intuitive, logical and makes reconciling the check book a breeze. I admit that my finaces are fairly simple and others may need the deluxe or small business versions of the program, but I think for the average person the basic program is perfect. I don't upgrade every year. I don't think there's a need to. I moved from version 2.0 to Quicken 98 to the current version. The program is very stable. I haven't had problems with bugs or crashes in any version. I recommend it.

Intuit does not stand behind its product anymore
Having been a Quicken user for many years I upgraded to Quicken 2001 for the internet downloading features. Be very careful if you do this! Although the regular banking seems OK, the investment price history updating puts in the WRONG NUMBERS. Mine even added security prices for the year 2003! All the software support options are charged for at ~$10/query.

Intuit has hit on a good way of making money: write a sloppy product, don't test it and charge your customers for finding the problems. Oh, and make yourselves very difficult to contact.

Check out the forums on the Quicken web site to get a flavour for what to expect if you are seriously considering a purchase.

A Very Good Suite of Products For Home
All three of these items have proven very useful for home use. I have been a Quicken user for years, and the 2001 edition is well worth the purchase. Turbo Tax Deluxe is worth the extra cost over standard Turbo Tax because one electronic filing and one individual state filing is included. You have to pay additional money in the standard package for those features. Plus, in the deluxe version there is great and useful tax information and assistance. The Family Lawyer is also well worth the investment. My wife and I saved the expense of hiring a lawyer to draft our wills, plus we were able to develop a few other legalese forms for childcare and the like. No telling how much money that saved us. This suite is worth dishing out a few bucks to have in your office.

Quicken Basic is very basic
The Basic version of Quicken 2001 appears to be a tickler only. This version was purchased for the simple task of printing checks (due to my poor handwriting), but there is insufficient flexibility in formatting the print to (1)change the memo, and (2)align the fields on my checks. I am sure that with Quicken check forms it would do better, but that should have been mentioned in the specifications. The Help instructions seem to be written for a different version of Quicken, as they mention course and fine print-field adjustments that were not available on the Basic version of 2001. E-mail help, which is now fairly standard at other software publishers, is not (yet) available. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TaxCut Standard 2002 offers many new features, like nine-year tax preview, Home Office Assistant, Retirement Savings Enhancer, and free H&R Block financial planners. In addition, you still get your favorite standard features such as auto entry and financial data imports.

H&R Block financial planners assist you in determining if your investments support your financial goals and if your asset allocation matches your risk tolerance. You can also create what-if scenarios for future savings. Nine-year tax preview shows you all the ways that the tax legislation of 2001 will affect you now and in the future. Home Office Assistant walks you through a series of questions to see if your home office qualifies for tax purposes. Retirement Savings Enhancer provides ways to increase your tax and retirement savings to ensure you get the most out of your 401(k).

The improved Error Check feature catches mistakes or omissions that could cost you money or flag your return for an IRS audit. Entry Manager tracks where your data originates, guides you to related forms, and itemizes your entries. It also allows you to flag entries as tentative, so you can go back and review them before you finalize your return. The H&R Block tax law assistant helps you understand the implications of changing tax laws, provides information about how the changes affect your taxes, and ensures you get the maximum tax benefit possible under the new laws. Auto entry automatically imports W-2 and 1099 information from participating employers and financial institutions. Auto entry saves you valuable time and prevents costly data entry errors, and makes it easy to deal with multiple W-2s. ... Read more

Features

• No more wading through paperwork for hours -- the simple Tax Assistants bring you the financial assistance you need, step-by-step
• Work out the total taxable value on your stock portfolios, options, and capital gains with no trouble
• Then print out and mail your tax return and get your refund back in time at all!

Reviews (33)

Great product, easy to use, helped me get a bigger refund
I don't understand why the average customer review is only 3 stars. I've used this product for 3 years now, and found it very easy to use, efficient, accurate. It's less expensive than Turbo Tax, but just as good.

This year, I tried using a free online service recommended by the IRS to do my taxes. After spending a few hours with it, I realized it lacked the ability to account for money I'd previously paid the IRS toward this year's tax bill. So I did what I should have done in the first place - got the latest TaxCut software and re-did my tax return (in half the time). TaxCut got me a bigger refund.

My only reservation is that TaxCut charges a little more to E-file your return than the online service would have charged. But accounting for the bigger refund, I'm still way ahead.

I'm sure TurboTax would be just as good for most people. But TaxCut costs less and works very, very well.

Does what it needs to do
Personally, I think the government should supply us with free programs for tax calculations - it's their complicated rules after all. I'm convinced it would save everyone money by eliminating errors. But until that happens a software program is well worth the investment.

After reading all the negative reviews on TurboTax, I opted for TaxCut this year. I want Intuit to realize that I have no interest in buying software that installs spyware and advertisements on my computer. ...P>TaxCut did try to put Earthlink on my computer, but after a refusal it never tried again. I guess I can live with that.

It was easy to use and almost as straight forward as TurboTax. I had no problems with installation or updating it. The only reason I knocked it down to 4 stars is because the appearance was a little bit distorted. The boxes where data is typed in (e.g W-2 forms) had the numbers not really aligned with the boxes. Also, all the text was in a little box using up maybe 30% of the screen. Most of the time that was fine, but sometimes you had to scroll down to see the remaining data. If you weren't careful, you could miss the fact that there was more to be seen. Not a big problem - but it does leave the possibility someone will miss a box or instructions that way. And generally, it's just not as user-friendly and obvious as it could be. So, it just needs a few tweaks. The important thing is it works and I was done in 1.5 hours.

...

Seriously buggy---may cost me big time
This software has a serious bug that may cost me a great deal of money.

My wife lived in Illinois for a year while I lived most of the year in California. In such a case, it is imperative that we file our Federal returns separately, otherwise Illinois will tax us on the money I earned in California!

TaxCut not only didn't warn us of this, it incorrectly computed the Illinois taxes using the part-year resident form. This was in spite of my having specified that my wife was in Illinois the whole year, and in spite of it being very plainly stated on the Illinois form that under such circumstances, a couple filing jointly could not use the form!

Unfortunately, I allowed TaxCut to e-file my return before I checked the state returns. Now I have to file an amendment.

I was also unable to get any help from TaxCut's customer support to stop the e-filing before it went through.

I'll never use their software again.

My first tax-prep software
I can't really compare this software to others, but I can say that it did a pretty good job for me. Just spend about 20 minutes answering questions in the beginning, and it will do most of the rest. My tax return consisted of several jobs for both my wife and I, working in two different states, mutual fund and stock purchases and sales, interest and capital gains income, and a mortgage. I thought this would make my return to complicated for a comuter software, but everything I needed was here. Nad if for some reason you don't like what it does, you can manually change any entry. However, if you manually change entries, you will not be allowed to e-file.
I installed this on my desktop, and again on my laptop to do some work when my wife was working on the desktop. This worked fine. But there is no clear way of letting one computer know what you did on another computer, so multiple installations are for the most part useless.
The one thing I don't like is that it seemed like procrastinators are rewarded for their laziness in that this software gets cheaper the nearer you get to April 15th, to the point where it become free after rebate.

Good alternative to Turbotax
I bought Taxcut this tax season because I was not interested in having Intuit's intrusive product activation features placed on my computer. I found Taxcut to be a decent alternative to Turbotax. (Is there any reason, though, why we have to put up with H&R Block putting Earthlink advertising on my computer?) ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Discover how to take full advantage of the IRS's Offer In Compromise program to save up to 90 percent on your tax bill. Tax attorney Arnold Goldstein reveals how to successfully appeal if the IRS rejects your offer, four ways to automatically gain more time to pay your tax bill, how and why you must sidestep the 10 killer mistakes every delinquent taxpayer makes, and how to assert your rights as a taxpayer. ... Read more

Features

• Accurate, fair-market values to the most commonly donated household items
• Complete donation tracker and donation reports; estimated tax savings meter
• IRS publications; FAQs and program help; record keeping alerts
• New deduction advisor and quick value check; seamless TaxCut software import
• More expansive deductible item database; import last year¿s DeductionPro data

Reviews (4)

Horrible Interface
Don't even bother...Even an excel spreadsheet is easier than this. There is no way to enter multiple different items that were given on the same date. You have to type the date for each item individually (not even a copy/paste function). When looking up the value of an item you have to go through multiple menu's that aren't arranged well. Very clunky and disappointing.

Software of Very Limited Value
I bought DeductionPro because I'd donated a lot of old clothing, furniture and books to charity last year, and I wanted some assistance organizing and valuing those contributions for my tax preparation. DeductionPro allowed me to enter all of this information, provided a table for estimating their value, and prepared the required IRS form for claiming those deductions since they were valued at over $500.

Beyond that, there's not much to this software. Its user interface is not very slick. There fields have limited space to enter information, the error messages are not helpful, there are no good instructions, and it's overall look and feel is pretty amateurish. I wasn't very impressed. However, since it comes free with TaxCut, it was clearly worth the money I (didn't) pay.

There's nothing here that you can't get by simply using tax preparation software. The only real value add is the valuation tables, and they are pretty limited. You can also use it to record cash donations, out of pocket expenses and other kinds of deductions. However, unlike TaxCut, there's limited advise available for doing so, and no obvious benefit to using this software for those things.

On the whole, using DeductionPro benefited me, but it's nothing to write home about. If you don't need the merchandise valuation tables for non-cash donations, I wouldn't spend the time or money to use this software. Your tax prep software will do it all just as well. If you do need help valuing your donations, then this might make your life a little easier, but not much.

Not worth the money
This program is basically a simple database that allows you to enter your donations. It will help you value your donations, but it's difficult to do in the program. You need to know which category your item is listed under before you can find it's value in this program. It doesn't let you search for your item to find the value. I don't see any value in this program. Entering all of your donations in this program is a hassle. It's easier to enter them directly into your tax program.

It is useless!!!
I bought the software and the first step it requires you to do is to enter organization name and address. It gives you so little space for both that I can't even enter my church name in a meaningful way. I can barely enter street address of all the organizations. I have to use the TaxCut software to modify the names once they are imported. It's useless! The only good thing is that I do get my rebate so at least it's free. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Complete your state tax return quickly and easily with TurboTax State California. This easy-to-use program works seamlessly with TurboTax 1040 programs to transfer your federal data to your TurboTax state return. The EasyStep Interview process asks you questions, places your answers directly onto state-approved forms, and automatically performs all calculations for you. There's even a built-in feature to check your return for errors and omissions to help ensure that it is accurate and complete.

Note: This is for California state taxes only. If you need to file taxes in more than one state, additional TurboTax State programs will need to be purchased for each additional state. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Mandatory C-Dilla malware/spyware. You don't want this.
Here's a quote from extremetech.com. (ExtremeTech &sister publication PC Magazine're industry leaders. You've probably heard of their most famous writer, John C. Dvorak.) (Note:Intuit-TurboTax-2002's C-Dilla wasn't different from other versions of C-Dilla. It just got lotsa attention because TurboTax *was* very popular software until C-Dilla became a part of it.)

From ET's article:
"Likely the biggest problem users have expressed, is the level at which the TurboTax licensing agreement is managed and protected with the SafeCast/C-Dilla technology. People believe C-Dilla infiltrates their system in a very insidious manner, and uses memory and resources even when TurboTax is not loaded. And some believe it has caused them serious compatibility problems with non-related CD writing operations. (PC Magazine and ExtremeTech will be conducting some tests next week to see if we can duplicate some of these problems). [....] or your customers still looking to exit TurboTax for good, the uninstaller at this link now fully removes components of SafeCast/C-Dilla that were previously mostly impossible to remove."

... If you're planning on using this product at work, forget it... your Info Technology manager will have a cow if he/she knows that you're installing destructive trojan/spyware (C-Dilla) on the company PCs. If you've already installed this software on a PC at work, let your IT manager know IMMEDIATELY, so he/she can take whatever steps are possible to remove C-Dilla.

In the 2002/2003 version of TurboTax, a great protest rose up from prominent computer-industry magazines and users, which led to Intuit/TurboTax somewhat apologizing, and offering a program that uninstalled C-Dilla after you'd uninstalled TurboTax2002. (The original uninstaller didn't remove C-Dilla.)

2004...does it have C-Dilla ? I don't know. It's not out yet. Approach with caution.

Horrible, unworkable program-AVOID
If you want MORE STRESS with your tax preparation, just try using this worthless program.

Last year I tried to download Turbo Tax for California and the program just wouldn't run correctly so this year I bought the CD. It doesn't work either and Intuit's "help" is worthless. The state program refuses to import some of the data from the federal program, and won't let me input the data either. So Turbo Tax keeps telling me I owe money when in fact the state owes me a refund. This is after I had to, once again, download interminable files because the state edition was released before it was ready.

I will avoid this product in the future. It's a waste of time and money.

Program works OK - but the hassle level is VERY high
First off, the program does what it needs to do - pulling in your federal tax info and completing your state taxes.

But the inconvenience level is high:

1> Product activation - it's not hard to do, but if you wind up buying a new computer/rebuilding your current computer and then having to refile taxes, you'll be stuck dealing with unhelpful Intuit employees who will want you to buy the product again.

2> Lots of updates required and the update download process is unreliable - took several tries to finally get all the downloads. I think it was 40+ files.

3> The big hassle of the rebates - I was pleasantly surprised to see that you could do the rebate online. But it turns out that it just prints a cover page (with a bar code, so it saves Intuit the work of entering your information). You still have to send everything in plus the cover page - you even have to fill out the regular rebate form, even though you just filled out everything online.

I've been a TurboTax user for the past 5 years, but I definitely will try another product for 2003.

seamless interface with federal TurboTax
I found the TurboTax Premier worked well, and this state software was a seamless interface. I was not sure if I should install the State software before entering all my federal data, or afterward. I installed the TurboTax Premier (federal) software first, then installed the CA state software, then entered all the data following the interview method. Then both federal and state forms print out at the end (or e-file). Easy to use, and I expect to use it again next year.

terrible
have to jump through rebates to obtain state product with deluxe. deluxe did not have necc coupon and had to waste 2 hours to finally talk to a person to figure out what to do next. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TurboTax Premier Home & Business is the perfect choice for the self-employed, including realtors, consultants, retailers, contractors, professionals, and more. It combines the power of TurboTax Premier with special resources and advice for preparing Schedule C. Also included are one free TurboTax State download and a rebate for a free electronic filing.

You get everything you'll likely need to prepare and file your personal and self-employment taxes. The tax planning strategies, expert advice, and comprehensive tax library can help you make tax-savvy decisions throughout the year. Strategic small business tools help you maximize depreciation deductions for properties, income, and expenses. Plus, discover how to make the most of home office deductions, find business-specific audit items before the IRS does, and much more.

Manage your retirement finances, too. The 401(k) Maximizer tool reveals ways to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. Plus, Retirement Tax Advisor provides tax-smart advice for long-term care insurance, employment taxes for a nurse, reverse mortgages, gifts and inheritance, contributing to a grandchild's education, two-year allowance for sale of home, and more.

All federal versions of TurboTax desktop products for Windows include product activation to better ensure customers use the product in accordance with the License Agreement. An independent test of product activation technology in Intuit Inc.'s TurboTax desktop software products confirms the technology does not negatively impact computer performance or compromise customer privacy. The findings of the tests, performed by PCTest Corporation, an independent software-testing lab can be found at http://www.pctest.com/intuit/index.htm. You can still prepare multiple returns from one computer, and install and prepare your return on multiple computers. To fully uninstall the the SafeCast/C-Dilla element of TurboTax, you m ust download the free uninstall application at the TurboTax Support website. For additional information about product activation, go to http://www.turbotaxsupport.com and refer to TurboTax Product Activation in the News and Tips section.

Note: Free download of TurboTax State is good for one return only. Additional copies are needed for additional states. One free 1040 e-filing is also included after rebate. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

wasted my money
Turbotax Premier didn't work -- was sold incomplete and update needed, although not mentioned on the box. I am not on the net, so needed to wait for it USPS. After waiting 6 weeks (and tax time imminent) I finished my taxes manually and mailed it. I returned the disc to Intuit and requested full refund. THEN they sent me the upgrade. Too late, guys. Intuit now refuses to acknowledge me... Decide for yourself if they are an honest company.

Intuit backs down
I guess Intuit got enough complaints on product activation, as they sent me the following:

Dear Valued Customer:

In response to your comments on the implementation of product activation technology in tax year 2002 TurboTax(R) software, I wanted to let you know that Intuit will discontinue product activation in next year's TurboTax desktop products purchased at retail or direct from Intuit.

We are absolutely committed to listening and learning from our customers. We clearly need to better understand all of our customers' tax preparation needs and how they use TurboTax.

While we remain committed to protecting our intellectual property, going forward, we will only introduce digital rights management technologies that maximize customer experience and preserve customer satisfaction.

Again, thanks for your feedback.

Regards,
Tom Allanson, Sr. Vice President
TurboTax

Won't be buying it ever again!
Let me first start by saying I have been using Turbo Tax for 4 years now. This year Intuit made some significant changes which, unfortunately, are a disservice to its customers. First, you need to "activate" this product before you can do things like file electronically or even print your form. Once you install this on a particular computer you can forget about installing it on another one such as your laptop since the product is now tied to ONE computer for ALL time! So much for trusting your long-time, loyal customers. I was dismayed to find I was essentially forced to register my product. Secondly, most customers will be unpleasantly surprised to find you are blasted with advertisements from financial institutions WHILE using the software! That's right, you are in the middle of answering questions regarding your financial history and when you get to topics such as investing you are besieged with "relevant" ads. This is totally unacceptable! After paying ... retail for this product the last thing a customer wants is advertisements plastered in his face, especially right in the middle of doing your calculations. I can imagine using MS Word in the the not to distant future and the "little paper clip" pops up and tells me to go buy Webster's dictionary after I run the spell checker. Yeah right, only Intuit could think their customers are this naive.
In conclusion, the quality of this product has been diminished because of Intuit's attempts to squeeze at little more revenue out of this program. It appears as though these attempts have back-fired. After speaking with several colleages of mine they informed me they switched this year to Tax Cut. Next year I will do the same.

Never Again
Whew! Just finished my taxes, no thanks to Intuit and TurboTax. The product is expensive, difficult to activate, loaded with advertising, and difficult-to-impossible to update online. I never could get the state tax update to download, so I ended up doing it by hand at the 11th hour.

With this product, Intuit has scaled the heights of poor customer service. May its slide down the mountain be as long and painful as using TurboTax.

This was a good product until this year
My computer "crashed" and I had to install my HDD and other peripherals in a new case with a P-4 motherboard.
Intuit no longer recognizes my installation as valid, I never got the State edition and the copy will not print out my forms.
Intuit's only solution is to purchase this package all over again.

No way will I purchase this again. I will copy and paste the info into the IRS.gov forms to print the final forms...or import the info into TaxAct and then ask for my mony back.

Intit has lost a faithul small business customer.

R. S. Davis, P.E. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TurboTax Deluxe for Mac includes enhanced features to help you save time and maximize tax savings. The new Tax Law Advisor shows how the new Tax Relief Act will affect you in 2001, and helps you plan smart tax strategies to prepare for future provisions as they're phased in over the next few years.

The included official IRS publications have been updated, giving you instant access to information direct from the source. Get special tax-saving tools to help you save money in the future. TurboTax Deluxe for Mac gives you a tax savings action plan filled with tips customized to your tax situation. You can print it out and refer to it all year. Plus, Life Events Planner lets you see in advance how major life event changes will affect your tax situation, and Tax Strategy Manager reveals smart tax strategies to reduce your tax burden.

The complete tax library includes more than 1,000 pages of easy-to-find onscreen references, Money magazine's Income Tax Handbook, a tax Q&A, and video tax advice from top financial experts. Instant data entry automatically retrieves W-2 wages, 1098 mortgage interest, and 1099 investment data from participating employers and financial institutions, then enters it in the right forms, eliminating manual data entry and simplifying tax preparation. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent product to do your taxes BUT...
Here's the deal with this. True, this is one excellent product to complete your taxes, and assist in finding you deductions and credits that you would not otherwise think of. However, the rebates are MAIL-IN and take about 6 to 8 weeks of waiting, if not more. Also, Intuit plays a Catch-22 when it comes to the package deal of Quicken 2002 and Turbotax 2001. You can only have a rebate on the combo offer ($30) or the upgrade offer from Quicken 2001 ($20). It would be much better if you could have BOTH rather than one. One of the best features of this program are the Quicktime movies of the tax consultants detailing the relevancy of the new tax laws to YOU. For example, if you have children, one of the tax consultants explains to you the details of the deductions. Lastly, I like the fact that you can e-file both tax returns, but the bad thing is that you have to PAY for BOTH (or if you want to file one electronically, then you have to PAY for it!). All in all, this is a good tax program -- but be sure to follow the rules of the rebates and CASH them in ASAP!

Like Aspirin For A Headache
Taxes are always a headache (unless you happen to be employed by the I.R.S.) TurboTax Deluxe/Mac is a real pain reliever. It can figure out the forms you need to use. It can figure out if you qualify for credits. It will find missed deductions and it can explain everything to you.
It will figure your taxes, fill out the forms for you and allow you to file electronically.
You need to download your state tax forms (or order a CD or diskette for an extra fee.)
Federal e-file is a breeze and, for the first time, painless.
State electronic filing varies by state. (New York is still a bit behind the times; you still have to mail in a form with your signature.)
Overall this package is worthwhile. If it saves you any money on your taxes, it pays for itself. It also provides a good starting point for future tax filing (yes, unfortunately, taxes will be with us for a long, long time.) It's ability to retrieve data from previous years' TurboTax/MacInTax is useful and if you happen to use Quicken, it can import data from there as well.
The movies are a bit boring, but sometimes contain useful tips. (Intuit, how about hiring an actor to read from a script?)
One really nice feature is audit alerts. It can determine (statistically) if your tax return is likely to trigger an audit. (You DID keep receipts for those "business" dinners, didn't you?)

Makes doing your taxes far less stressful
As we all know, the 1040EZ Short form is neither short nor easy. Even for those of us who have been doing our own taxes since we flipped burgers at the local fast food joint when we were 16, we know that taxes are no picnic.

And it seems the more you own and/or the more you make, the more complicated it becomes... especially if you want to write off the bags of clothes you donated to your church or the money you just gave to your favorite non-profit.

Installing the application just takes a couple of minutes. All you have to have with you when you start the application is:

1.) Your name (you hopefully know this one)
2.) Your social security number (your card, if you don't have this memorized)
3.) All of your end of year statements from your bank(s), places of employment, mortgage company, stockbroker, etc.
4.) All tax-deductable receipts.

Depending on how you answer certain questions, you will be taken from one screen to another, and "interviewed" by different tax professionals that explain why a certain item can be written off and why another one can't. At any time, you can click on a help button to get a context-sensitive video explaining the area in question.

They continue to update this software after January 1st, so before you start churning away, make sure you connect to the Internet and download the latest updates.

If your state has its own Income Tax, you can download one free state module from the manufacturer and the software itself can be deducted from your taxes!

In about 45 minutes, I entered all pertinent information and answered all dynamic interview questions with the click of a mouse... and had my return sent electronically to the IRS. I got my refund electronically deposited in my bank account in less than one week!

This software prevents pain... the pain of waiting until 9pm on the night of April 15 to even start fiddling with your taxes, and then the mad dash to the all-night post office to drop it off before midnight. I no longer dread doing my taxes (only paying them) and I have TurboTax to thank for that. I no longer go from one library to the next and to one post office to the next trying to find extra copies of books and forms.

Obviously, this software is not a replacement for an accountant... if you are in the 6-figure income range or higher, hire an accountant. For the rest of us who don't have yachts, race horses, farms, electric plants, etc., this is the software that makes tax preparation a breeze.

TurboTax wasn't as great this year as previous years!
Usually this software performs outstanding in tax preparation, however, this year in particular, I found it was confusing, especially when dealing with the government rebate. The IRS says to not enter the amount you received, but enter what you didn't receive (i.e. if entitled to $300 and only received $160, you should enter $140), this software has you enter what you received and early on, I believe it was affecting the tax refund amount. Online updating is great if you have a broadband connection. ..

Download troubles
TurboTax Deluxe does not actually include the state version, although you'll only find that out if you read the teeny tiny print. They have available a download version of the state software, but there are plenty of problems with that and their support services aren't able to help. After an evening of trying to make it work, I have given up. So I recommend against purchasing a download. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Satisfied Customer
About 4 years ago I came upone Tax Act by accident. However, I couldn't resist using the software package for 9.95. Ever since then I have been purchasing Tax Act and using it to prepapre my tax return.

As the other recommendations have said, Tax Act is easy to use and understand. Their may be a few quirks but that should be expected from most tax software.

However, the real test came when I had a client who had not filed a tax return in 4 years. I had tried searching for Tax software for the years 1998 to 2001 but with no luck. I tried with Intuit, Tax Cut, and others but was told that those years were unavailable.

Tax Act had all those years on their website ready for download for a price of 9.95 each. Not bad. Without Tax Act I do not think I would be able to have finished preparing my client's tax return for those years. And even if the other software companies were able to provide for those years, I do not think they could compete with the price that Tax Act offerred.

I personally recommend this software to either do your own tax return or the preparer's edition if you are a professional tax preparer.

Very easy to use and understand
I purchased this program in hopes of getting an inexpensive tax preparation program that would get me the biggest return possible. I was tired of going to tax prep places and paying an outrageous fee for something that I could do on my own. I was very pleased with this program!
The format is very straight-forward, and thorough. It takes you through an interview process that calculates your return at the top of the screen as you progress. I found no glitches or download problems with this program whatsoever. Also, being a single father, Tax Act helped me get the biggest return I have ever received! Tax Act also emails you when the IRS has received and is reviewing your return.
I will certainly be using this program to do my 2001 yr taxes. Kudos to The Learning Company for such a fine product.
It will save you a lot of money in tax preparation, and, as in my case, will help you get the best return possible.

Covers the basics
For the 1999 tax year, Microsoft came out with a fantasticfederal income tax file-on-line package. The cost [was low].

Strangely, I don't see a 2000 version. The learning company's Tax software is an adequate substitute. It is a menu driven, step by step federal filing process. It does a great job of calculating your figures whether you file 1040EZ or 1040 with multiple income, multiple W-2 and deductions.

Truth be told, the software itself rates 2 or 3 stars for functionality, but the price made me bump it to 4. The menu system is somewhat annoying, -almost- trapping you on their hamster wheel walk throughs... but hey - at 1/4 the cost of Turbo Tax, I can't complain too much. It works fine and I didn't have to use a calculator. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TurboTax Business is designed specifically for businesses in Corporation, S-Corporation, Partnership (up to 100 partners), LLC, and Estate and Trust status. TurboTax Business delivers everything you need to prepare your business taxes while maximizing tax-saving opportunities. The EasyStep Interview process guides you through your business tax return step-by-step and places your answers in IRS-approved forms. Plus, you can reference the extensive business tax library, get expert advice, discover tax-saving tips, and more.

Use Deduction Finder to take advantage of the latest tax laws to optimize savings. Audit flags point out business-specific audit items before the IRS does. The Depreciation Expert tool automatically chooses the most advantageous depreciation method for your assets. Create a tax-savings action plan and get a customized report you can print and follow throughout the year to make important decisions.

TurboTax will instantly and seamlessly import multiple QuickBooks data files (for QuickBooks 2001 or later), making tax filing even easier and reducing repetitive entry. Get access to a wealth of business extras, including video tax advice from top financial experts, Fred Daily's Tax Savvy for Small Business, an onscreen tax guide, and the most popular IRS tax publications.

All federal versions of TurboTax desktop products for Windows include product activation to better ensure customers use the product in accordance with the License Agreement. An independent test of product activation technology in Intuit Inc.'s TurboTax desktop software products confirms the technology does not negatively impact computer performance or compromise customer privacy. The findings of the tests, performed by PCTest Corporation, an independent software-testing lab can be found at http://www.pctest.com/intuit/index.htm. You can still prepare multiple returns from one computer, and install and prepare your return on multiple computers. To fully uninstall the the SafeCast/C-Dilla element of TurboTax, you m ust download the free uninstall application at the TurboTax Support website. For additional information about product activation, go to http://www.turbotaxsupport.com and refer to TurboTax Product Activation in the News and Tips section. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

They'll take any chance to screw you out of money
I've been a TurboTax user for many years for both business and personal. This year, they shipped their business CD in a case with a triple tab going through the hole in the middle of the CD. The tabs are so small, that it is nearly impossible for a person with big hands (like myself) to press all three at once and at the same time lift the CD out of the case. When I did, the CD cracked...

Mean & Nasty
I have been a loyal user of Turbotax for many years, business and deluxe. This year, after installation of both products, my hard drive crashed, and trying to get my products re-"activated", involved a lot (and I mean a lot) of useless (and I mean useless) internet chat-time, and at least three wait-on-the-phone calls (where you have to have a pin to call)(which they DON'T tell you they're banging you for $$$ each), and finally get them to send me replacement CD's - which don't work either, and I gave up...

Excellent Software, Even Saves Tax Returns as PDF File
Excellent software, had no problems installing or using the software. Sure the new version does require an activation code but so do many other packages due to unauthorized sharing of the software, and you can get the code via phone if you do not have internet access. All in all an excellent package. If you want to print on another computer just save the return as an adobe acrobat PDF (PDF format is built into software now) and print it.

Turbo Tax Business - OK
I have been a user of Inutit products since quicken version 1.0.
I have been using their tax products for several years and am fairly literate with financials and accounting.
After reading the reviews posted on Amazon and elsewhere, I initially became quite concerned. I did further research, and learned all was not that bad.
I purchased and installed Turbo Tax for Business. Installation was seemless on a P4 1.5gz running XP Professional with a Lynksys firewall, Norton Internet Security and AntiVirus enabled.
Import of 2001 tax return perfect. Minor inconvenience because I use Quickbooks 2000, could not import financial data. Printed out income statement and balance sheet and manully entered data.
Both Federal and state and K1's generated correctly.
I did not use tech suppport - no idea of response time nor level of service.
Their copy protection scheme is still a little unclear to me, although everything I read indicated no compromise or breach in security of my data.
I am comfortable recommending the product.

Intuit has lousy support....
I quite frankly can't express in 1,000 words
how poor the customer service at intuit is.
It is the lousiest, and it costs you money.
I've asked and even demanded refunds (and done
all the required paperwork) and still no satisfaction
here. Why are we buying TurboTax anyhow when
H&R Block is the biggest and best Tax Advising company
around. I'll never buy ANY Intuit Product again. ... Read more