Tax prep software offers

[5Miler]

I did a search on TurboTax Deluxe and Schedule C...

If you are using the download version, Deluxe can be used. If you are using the Online Version, Deluxe will not work.

You may want to do your own search to verify how to handle expenses related to the travel agent hobby.

This pretty much sums up what I run into each year when I look into it. I'm used to having to manually search for and update the expenses although Premier last year actually automatically led me to the entries for a change. That's not a deal breaker as long as I can get it done somehow.

Additionally, I prefer the download or CD edition anyway as I'm not a fan of online. Quicken still causes me heartburn.

It's unfortunate that every version comparison put out by Intuit obviously points to the higher priced version to compete a Schedule C.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Not to derail the thread but I have a question on Turbotax that vexes me every year. DGF has a hobby business as a travel agent making an average profit of $3K to $4K per year via 1099 so I have to file a schedule C for her. Can I accomplish this through Turbotax Deluxe or do I need to keep purchasing Premier, the much higher priced spread.

Other than the little amount of her travel business income our taxes are pretty vanilla for our retired income so don't require an upgraded program to file.

I just hate paying $70+ dollars for a Premier program I don't need. I used HRB several years ago but it isn't my jam.

My daughter uses my Deluxe CD and it works for her small business.

 

[5Miler]

My daughter uses my Deluxe CD and it works for her small business.

That's excellent news. Thanks for that feedback. I figured someone on this board would have experience with a similar situation.

Edit - Just picked up the deal on Deluxe.

 

[RunningBum]

Has anyone figured out if this years TT be installed on 2 computers or not. I heard a few weeks ago that sharing the program was not allowed
I always buy the 5 free e-file version and then give the CD to my daughter so she can do her taxes as well on her own computer. I've also just skipped past the registration and login to my account screens and it's never been a problem.

On install you will be asked to login to your Intuit account and fill in the license key. The latter may be for the software download only. I then installed it on a second household PC and had to fill in the same info. I assume the Intuit account has to be the same. I did not try it with a different Intuit account.

I don't know if I would again be prompted for an Intuit login if I filed one return on the laptop and the other on the PC.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

TT deluxe purchased . Thank you everyone.

 

[Trooper]

Just purchased HRB Deluxe + State for $24.99 on Amazon. Probably not the best price, but now I don't have to watch for deals.

 

[tulak]

Last year I bought TT Premier for $54.99 + tax. Right now it's $72.99. Either it'll get cheaper (I hope) or Intuit has increased the price.

For now I'll wait, but I'm starting to think that I'll have to pay more this year.

 

[Midpack]

Today Amazon has TurboTax for $45.99 and will throw in a $10 Amazon gift card...I will have to wait until February to figure out how I will file state...

So I bought it for my Mac, but there was no option to select PC vs Mac that I noticed and the file it downloaded was named Windows_PC_TurboTax_Download.exe and it would not work. I chatted with customer service but it was apparent he did not have any tech knowledge. He offered to cancel and refund the full amount, so I went that route. Hopefully I will try again in a month or two and get it to work. IIRC it's been a struggle to get the download to work on a Mac every year, though it ultimately did work in 2021 and 2022.

 

[sengsational]

This is the first year I remember getting both the Mac and PC versions in the one Block Amazon download.

 

[levindb]

So I bought it for my Mac, but there was no option to select PC vs Mac that I noticed and the file it downloaded was named Windows_PC_TurboTax_Download.exe and it would not work....

On my Windows laptop, when I downloaded the file, it was compressed. Expanding the compressed file, it created 2 program files...1 for PC use and 1 for MAC.

I am not familiar enough with the MAC world to know where to look for these files, but you may have the correct TT for MAC file somewhere on your hard drive. I am guessing the person you chatted with online was just as knowledgeable of MACs as I am.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

On my Mac, the download was titled "TurboTax_Deluxe_2023_Tax_Software_Federal__State_Tax_Return_Amazon_Exclusive_PC-Mac_Download"

The folder contained both the PC .exe file and a Mac .dmg file.

 

[wmc1000]

I did the Amazon H&R Block deluxe for $24.99 and it included both PC and Mac install files in the download.

 

[JPatrick]

Free Tax Prep?

Many of us have taken advantage of the offer of free tax prep provided by FIDO
in the past. Not a word about it so far this year. Does it still exist?

 

[sengsational]

Several years ago [ 2020, 2021, 2022 ] I wrote a PC utility that helps out H&R Block users by removing the annoying draft form messages on the PDF output. I just tried it again this year, and it still works.

H&R Block plasters a "draft form" message 4 times per page, oftentimes obscuring the values on the form. I wrote a quickie for myself, and figured I'd let the folks here use it (if they trusted me to run code on their machine). All this does is read a PDF and remove any text larger than 16, writing out to a separate file.

You put the HRBlock.pdf in a folder with RemoveBigText.exe, then run it with an output file name:

RemoveBigText HRBlock.pdf HRBlockCleaned.pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10yI...ew?usp=sharing

Google will warn you that it's an exe and might harm your computer. If you code yourself, I'll give you the source code.

 

[Backpacker]

newegg.com has cyber Monday deals on Turbo tax. I need home and business version at 85.99 which was cheaper at newegg than intuit site. Intuit sale price is $120; I've used newegg before reputable site AFAIK.

 

[MichaelB]

Many of us have taken advantage of the offer of free tax prep provided by FIDO
in the past. Not a word about it so far this year. Does it still exist?

As I recall Fidelity makes the free TurboTax available to select clients around the middle of December, so we need to wait another couple of weeks before finding out if it will happen again, and with which clients.

 

[easysurfer]

Many of us have taken advantage of the offer of free tax prep provided by FIDO
in the past. Not a word about it so far this year. Does it still exist?

My first year with FIDO so curious to see how things play out like if I get picked to get TT, are there any strings attached (do I have to listen to a sales pitch for something?). If so, I'll just buy my own copy elsewhere. But if no strings attached, then a bargain is a bargain.

 

[zaqxsw]

My first year with FIDO so curious to see how things play out like if I get picked to get TT, are there any strings attached (do I have to listen to a sales pitch for something?). If so, I'll just buy my own copy elsewhere. But if no strings attached, then a bargain is a bargain.

Fidelity seems to change how to get it each year. I've gotten it for several years along with others here. No idea why, nor does my Fidelity rep. I don't see it yet in 2023, but I'm waiting.

Last year, here was the process (I started to document it in 2022). Be cautious as they steer you to the online version...

1) No longer free. The downloaded Premier version costs $5. On the Fidelity home page, search for TurboTax.
2) In the results window, click on the link: “TurboTax Discount – Fidelity”. Then click on the link: “Get started now”, then “Continue”.
3) Choose the Premier download at $0.
4) Don’t choose the next step. From the top menu bar, choose “Do it yourself”. Then “Doing your taxes with a “CD/Download”.
5) Scroll down until you see “Premier, Buy Now” for $5.
6) Delete the “TurboTax 2021 download for $110”. Finish buying TurboTax 2022 Premier for $5.
7) Click on “No Thanks” on the next screen. Enter your info. and buy for $5. Save the License Code and download the new TurboTax program.

 

[braumeister]

There are no strings attached, but it's an odd duck to be sure.

Some folks here have gotten it for years, despite having very modest portfolios with Fido. Others have never been able to get it, despite having much larger portfolios, so nobody really understands how it works under the hood.

Also, it has always been free for those who qualify, but last year they started charging $5 for it. Still a great deal if you can get it.

And the exact steps to take on the Fido website to get it (if you're eligible) vary a bit each year. Not intuitive at all.

 

[zaqxsw]

Fidelity's search results for TurboTax have been updated today. It doesn't look good... Needs a bit of study.

 

[jim584672]

Newegg has H&R Block 2023 Deluxe + State Tax Software (PC/Mac Digital Download) + $20 eGift Card Bundles (Select Stores) on sale for $37.99.
$20 gift cards from Starbucks, Home Depot, Disney, Chewy, Uber, Xbox, Adidas, Lowes, and more.

$37.99 - $20.00 gift card = $17.99

https://slickdeals.net/f/17125024-h...s-uber-home-depot-xbox-more-w-purchase-for-38

 

[Sunset]

I will have to switch to turbotax this year, to efile while carrying forward foreign tax credits.
Last year H&R block does not allow efile if you carry forward.

My Question is:
I have a rental and some brokerage accounts.

Do I need the Premier or the Deluxe version ?

 

[Jerry1]

Do I need the Premier or the Deluxe version ?

Get Deluxe and then if you need Premier, you can upgrade. The cost to upgrade is the difference in the MSRP between the two. So you can get Deluxe on sale and if you have to upgrade, you'll still be getting a reasonably good price.

 

[JoeWras]

There are no strings attached, but it's an odd duck to be sure.

Some folks here have gotten it for years, despite having very modest portfolios with Fido. Others have never been able to get it, despite having much larger portfolios, so nobody really understands how it works under the hood.

Also, it has always been free for those who qualify, but last year they started charging $5 for it. Still a great deal if you can get it.

And the exact steps to take on the Fido website to get it (if you're eligible) vary a bit each year. Not intuitive at all.

I transferred a bunch to Fido this year. I got assigned a rep. He called me up. We even had a zoom meeting. Maybe I got enough points to get it.

Doesn't matter too much since the transfer bonus will pay for Turbotax for the next decade or two.

It will be interesting to see.

Otherwise, Amazon has had a good deal the day or two after Christmas for the last 10 years or so. This is usually the best deal around for TT.

 

[Sojourner]

Newegg has H&R Block 2023 Deluxe + State Tax Software (PC/Mac Digital Download) + $20 eGift Card Bundles (Select Stores) on sale for $37.99.
$20 gift cards from Starbucks, Home Depot, Disney, Chewy, Uber, Xbox, Adidas, Lowes, and more.

$37.99 - $20.00 gift card = $17.99

https://slickdeals.net/f/17125024-h...s-uber-home-depot-xbox-more-w-purchase-for-38

This is a good deal. Definitely worth doing if you're a "gift card person", i.e., someone who will use the GC and not forget about it, lose track of it, etc. I don't think HRB Deluxe+State ever gets lower than about $17-18.