Customer Reviews

2006 TurboTax Basic Federal Win/Mac [OLDER VERSION]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This will be the 10th year that I have used TurboTax to prepare my Federal tax return. Ten years ago the user interface was a little difficult but workable. Last year the product was great and I expect it to continue to improve. Over the years, I have learned that the product is not infallable and some (but very few) mistakes were made, especially in the area of education credits and whether a "Hope" or "Lifetime" learning credit applies. I was able to successfully navigate through this problem but had to force it into the appropriate category. It remains important for the user to be aware of the tax laws so as not to be surprised by these problems.

I have always used the "Basic" version and have found that it meets all my needs. I have never used the "State" product since state tax returns can be filed in New Mexico over the internet at no cost. You should check with your state to see if it has similar programs.

The only real problem with TurboTax is that the program is released early and before any federal forms are finalized. The update process is easy enough, but if you have a dial-up connection it will take a good bit of time. With a "real" high-speed connection such as cable, it's no sweat. This year it took me about a minute.

I highly recommend TurboTax and wouldn't use any other.

I like TurboTax and have used it for years. But as every year passes it becomes more and more bloated. And unlike Taxcut, Intuit has decided to drop support for Windows 98 (which millions of people still use).
The good news is, if you only do simple returns that doesn't involve small businesses, investment property or farm income you can get TurboTax for FREE directly from Intuit online. Better yet, it also includes free federal e-filing. Just do a Google search for "TurboTax Online Free Edition".

Last year, TaxCut left Mac users out in the cold when they stopped making a version for that platform. TaxCut customer service is pathetic as well. At the same time, Turbo Tax had solved a few problems that they'd been having for a couple of years. When I switched back, the only problem I ran into was not being able import the previous year's TaxCut info into TurboTax.

The interface for the program is good. It's fairly easy to jump back-and-forth within your return. The major drawback is that if you're ready to file, the program won't let you until it gets all of it's updates. Beyond that, TurboTax earned my business back with a program that is easy to use and pays for itself.

I'd recommend getting the Deluxe version if you need both federal and state versions of the program.

Similar to what they did with the electonic filing fees, Intuit has done a bait and switch on us (i.e., lied). They claim that It's Deductible is included with this product, but it is not.

We used both TurboTax and It's Deductible (for tracking charitable contributions) for years. When they raised the price of TurboTax last year, but said that it came with I.D., we went along with it.

Imagine our surpise when we found out that it only came with I.D. Online, not the desktop version.

Well, we went along with it, although I don't like sending my personal financial info to Intuit. But we've now discovered that I.D. Online does not allow you to see the data for the contributions you've previously entered. And, it does not interface with TurboTax Desktop. We have over a year of data entry in I.D. and no way to get our data out.

All Intuit has offered is some pressure to use TurboTax Online, or failing that has provided a method to use TurboTax Online to unlock our data and then maually copy it into TurboTax Desktop.

It seems like every year or two Intuit has come up with a new way to manipulate its customers. Obviously, they don't want to continue to support the desktop products. But all that is going to happen is they are going to drive their loyal customers to their competitors!

A bug or two in the program... In the section for 401K distributions, the program doesn't ask enough questions about possible exclusions from the 10% early withdrawal penalty. I had to enter my higher education expenses manually into the correct form. If I hadn't already known about the exclusion, it would have cost me hundreds in tax dollars. Otherwise, it's the same old Turbo Tax; reliable as ever, but the exclusion problem makes me wonder what else it's missing.

TurboTax has really gone downhill. After using it for years, it is now riddled with attempts to get you to pay more for add-ons, charges rediculous amounts if you have questions or problems.
And then...
I spent two days trying to e-file, always getting a Server busy message from Intuit. This is AFTER they got my credit card number and $34. to file the fed and state tax returns. So I had to hand assemble the return and make the trip to the Post Office. Intuit lobbied the Gov to let them keep this big $$$ plum, and then screwed it up. They had this same problem last year, and it is WORSE this year. Time to call all our representatives and get E-File FREE from the IRS. It saves the IRS money, far more than it costs. Why is Intuit allowed to suck this much more from us after making big profits on the package?

Our tax situation is not complicated ... a few sources of income and standard things to deduct ... no state income tax in Texas. The Turbotax Basic was a complete fit! This is from someone who has been buying the Deluxe for years.

The program was easy to use and pretty self explanatory. But, beware, I had a problem getting the updates because my firewall was on. I called Intuit for this problem because I didn't know why the updates weren't downloading and they helped me solve the problem, but with a $20 fee!! So, if you have questions, I advise to look for troubleshooting online first before calling Intuit.

As always, TurboTax Basic makes filing federal IRS taxes easy. Great release again this year. Easy to use "guided interview" process to enter all data. Easy to jump from interview to individual forms and back. I have used TurboTax Basic for numerous years with no problems and no audits.

I use TurboTax every year and will continue to do so. It is easy to use and would be great for someone that is just learning how to do their own taxes because it will guide you step-by-step if you want. It is also made so that you can skip the step-by-step guide and enter just what you need. I especially like that aspect because it saves a lot of time for those who know what they need to enter.