TurboTax Software Review North Kingstown RI

Whether you are a last minute filer, an avid stock trader or filing after your first home purchase, TurboTax Deluxe Online is the ultimate tax preparation product. TurboTax Deluxe Online earned our “TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award” with a winning combination of simple navigation, an extensive help library, a responsive online community full of knowledgeable users and overall ease of use. 

TurboTax Deluxe Online takes care of your federal filing needs for $49.95; state filing is an additional $34.95, and E-Filing is free for both.  Printing and mailing your return is also possible, for those who want a hard copy.  This takes care of the average taxpayer who wants to itemize deductions, owns a home, or has significant medical expenses and charitable contributions.  TurboTax has a free edition for those with simpler filing needs, and Premier or Home & Business for rental and business owners.

Intuitive Navigation:  

Of all the tax service options we reviewed, TurboTax Deluxe Online had the best design and navigation (see product details page). Most of the products reviewed allow you to quickly jump from section to section, but TurboTax Deluxe Online keeps everything literally at our fingertips.  We are able to easily change from filling out Federal Tax information to asking the TurboTax online community a question. The navigation is the easiest to follow, even for novice computer users. One of the features we especially liked is that it groups related items together and asks you to check the ones that apply to you. It saves you time from answering "no" question after question. 

Novice-Friendly:  

Every year it becomes easier for people without accounting experience to file their own taxes, thanks to the ever-improving online options available. TurboTax has kept their software intuitive and explanations simple. It follows a linear process so all you need to do is answer the questions in front of you and if you don't know what answer to give, check the extensive Help section. TurboTax is very good at giving you every opportunity to claim deductions, automatically checks your return for common errors or missed deductions, and checks again before you file your return. If you are still unsure of yourself, you can even get professional tax advice for an additional fee.

Ease of Sign-up:  

TurboTax accounts are easy to set up:  Create your user name, choose your password, pick a security question and answer combination, and give them your email address and you’re done!

Feature Set:  

TurboTax Deluxe offers every feature we looked for and includes some excellent compatibility options. It will upload data from previous years if you filed through TurboTax. Submitting your return is easy and the federal program can upload your data into the state program in seconds.

Beyond basic tax preparation assistance, TurboTax also offers:

•  Year-to-year Deduction Comparisons*
•  Direct Deposit of Refunds
•  Quick Entry for Investments
•  Deductions/Credits Guided Interviews
•  Error Checks
•  Tax Library
•  Medical Expenses
•  Electronic Filing with Confirmation of Receipt
•  Audit Defense**

This product reconfigures and recalculates entries instantly comparing different tax scenarios and chooses the best path for a maximum return. TurboTax can evaluate your 401K contributions and estimate how much you can contribute before it affects your take-home pay and so on. This is a useful tool that can take the stress out of the tax season—within seconds, you can evaluate all of your tax choices.

Help/Documentation/Search:  

TurboTax Deluxe Online has one of the most extensive help sections available on the market for tax preparation. There are audio and video explanations that help you understand certain concepts relating to filing your taxes and recent tax law changes.  One of the most impressive features is the online community.  Simply enter your question and TurboTax searches the community for similar questions.  More often than not, another member has already asked your question and has received an answer from one of the many helpful members.

TurboTax Deluxe Online improves every year and once again is the best do-it-yourself tax preparation product on the market. The service is easy to use and can turn a complicated, lengthy process into a breeze.

TurboTax Deluxe is also available in a software box version. The software includes federal and state filing and all of the convenient features of the online version.  Using the online service eliminates the need to install the program and maintain backups of your tax files. If your system crashes, your files are always safe on TurboTax servers.