TurboTax Review (& Giveaway 2 Winners Ends 1/27)

ABOUT:

Whether you are 16-yr. old filing taxes for the first time, an individual, a family, a business owner or someone with both a home and business, Turbo Tax has you covered.  There are five different versions available both online and via software you can buy:  Free Edition, Deluxe, Premier, Home & Business, and Business.  Each version walks you through from start to finish on completing and filing your taxes, both Federal and State.

Top 6 Reasons to Choose Turbo Tax Software:

1. Your never alone
2. Biggest refund
3. Reduce Risk
4. Number #1 Rated
5. Safe and secure

Features:

• Special Guidance for First-Time Users
• Life Change Expert (buy/sell home? Had a baby? Change jobs? Got married?)
• Collects your tax information directly from over 100,000 companies and investment information
• Answers your tax questions (live community help included for Free with TurboTax Basic and so forth)
• Speed up your tax refund by having refund deposited directly to prepaid VISA card, or to your bank account, or wait for a paper check

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been using TurboTax software since I was in college and I have used it every year since.  From using it for the one job I had in college to using it now with a house, kids, and investments, there is a TurboTax for everyone.

I use TurboTax now so I can get my refund on my own time, get a better understanding of where my money is going and because it is something I can do rather than pay a professional to do it.  Believe me there are tons of jobs I leave to professionals (car maintenance, plumbing…) but taxes are not.

Using TurboTax really is simple and idiot-proof.  Once you open the program, you many have some updates to download since forms change since the software release, but then you are ready to go.  Your first time using TurboTax you will have to enter in all your basic information and if you are lucky you can even import in your W-2’s from your employer.

Then it starts guiding you step by step by asking you questions about your life.  If you answer yes about having a baby, then it will take you to those available deductions and such, if you answer yes about school, those deductions come up and so forth.  It is really hard to miss something, I never have.

What is awesome about TurboTax is that when you answer a question, it automatically fills in the appropriate form and box for you.  Then as you complete the program (and have no more tax documents in front of you that need to be inputted) it checks your audit risk, checks for errors, and shows you your complete Federal tax return.  It looks exactly like if you were going to go to a tax professional or do it yourself with a pencil and paper – everything neatly filled in for you.  Next, it asks you about your State return that already has most of the information filled in from your Federal return and is ready to be filed in a few minutes!

You have two ways to file then – E-file or print out and mail.  I have always E-filed which usually has an additional cost for State (Federal usually included) but you get your return in a week or so automatically to your bank account or a pre-paid credit card!  If you mail it you have to wait for it to be physically processed.  You also don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, just use TurboTax to see what your return would be and then save it – maybe you want to do it yourself or have it professionally done but want Turbo Tax as a backup.  You can also check your status online if you E-file to see when your refund is coming!  After I file both my Federal and State I save and print a copy for my records.  Then next year since usually people have the same address and jobs, it pre-fills a lot of that information in for you, but of course it is easy to correct it if you do need to make a change.

Overall, I recommend TurboTax to anyone.  TurboTax really does all the work and asks all the right questions.  I have even recommended TurboTax to friends and family as a way to check to see if they or their tax professional did their taxes right – and so far TurboTax generated a bigger return!  It is easy to miss questions or maybe you don’t know there is a deduction for something so you miss it – but not with TurboTax.  It is really something nice to do especially every year since it loads your previous return for you and can pre-fill information for you.  I actually look forward to tax time just because I love using TurboTax and seeing my return amount go up!

BUY IT: Check out TurboTax online or find it at your local mass retailer!  The boxes explain too which is the right version for you but for average consumers, TurboTax Deluxe is usually perfect!

WIN IT: (2) US winners will receive a code redeemable for TurboTax.com which is good for one free Federal and State preparation and e-file with Turbo Tax Deluxe 2011.  This code can only be redeemed once and is only valid through the 2011 tax season.

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Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent a product in exchange for sharing my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.