TurboTax Premier Federal + State + eFile 2008 [OLD VERSION]

by Intuit

Product Features

• Everything you need to easily do your simple tax return--designed to help you make the most of your investments and rental property deductions, so you get the biggest tax refund possible
• Gets your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions; transfers info from last year's TurboTax return to this year's
• Searches for more than 350 deductions, including mortgage interest, education, and medical expenses, to get you the biggest refund--guaranteed
• Provides extra guidance for investment sales such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and employee stock plans

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001GL8USQ
• Item model number: 408090
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (409 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,739 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #76 in Software > Tax Preparation

Product Description

Amazon.com

TurboTax Premier guides taxpayers step-by-step through investment and rental property income. The software includes everything in TurboTax Deluxe, plus extra assistance for stocks, bonds and mutual funds. TurboTax Premier also includes tax-saving advice for 401(k)s and IRAs. TurboTax Premier makes it easy to report rental property income and maximize rental property deductions. Plus, it offers help for refinancing rental property.

Asks easy questions We customize questions to your unique situation, import your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Click to enlarge.

Maximizes personal and business deductions We search for more than 350 personal and self-employment deductions to get you the biggest tax refund possible--guaranteed. Click to enlarge.

Efile for a fast refund Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Federal efile included.

Helps You Get the Most from Your Investments

Exclusive--Imports Your Investment Info
Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution.

Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales
Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns.

Determines Your Cost Basis
Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps.

Helps with Employee Stock Plans
Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices.

Speeds Up Multiple Investment Entry
Short-cut interview lets you quickly enter multiple investments and provides extra help and guidance if you need it.

401(k) Maximizer
Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay.

Exclusive--Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction
Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance.

Exclusive--Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method
Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction.

Simplifies Reporting Multiple Properties
Short-cut interview speeds you through entering multiple rental properties and provides extra help and guidance if you need it.

Maximizes Refinancing Deductions
Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don't miss a single chance to save.

Handles Supplemental Partnership Expenses
Guides you through deducting your out-of-pocket partnership expenses.

Helps with New Rental Properties
Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties.

Filing Multiple Returns? It's Easy with TurboTax
You can prepare and print unlimited federal and state returns and e-file up to five federal returns (per IRS guidelines) with TurboTax at no additional charge. You get all the features and benefits of TurboTax, like year-over-year transfer and audit support tools.

Federal e-filing is easy, fast and more accurate than paper filing and eliminates paperwork hassles. You'll receive IRS confirmation your return has been received and best of all, you'll get a faster refund—in as little as 8 days.* And you can start and work on as many returns as you like and still use all the tax planning features (scenario and alternative planning) you've come to value without having to pay extra.

*IRS typically estimates 8-15 days for efile with direct deposit.

Finds All the Deductions You Deserve

Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest tax refundÑguaranteed.

Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go
Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save.

Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations
ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity--no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to.

Improved--Handles Your Life Changes
Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct.

Helps with Medical Expenses
Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings.

Helps You Reduce Audit Risk

New--Tracks Your Audit Risk
Audit Risk Meter checks your tax return for common audit triggers. Shows whether your risk is high or low. And provides tips to help you reduce your chance of an audit.

Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Gives you step-by-step guidance on everything you need to know and do if the IRS contacts you.

Alerts You to Audit Red Flags
Compares your deductions to national averages for your income bracket so you can quickly see if your deductions fall outside the norm and could possibly trigger an audit.

Also Available: Audit Defense
Provides full-service representation by a trained tax professional. You will never have to meet with the IRS, unless you want to.

Why TurboTax Premier is the easiest choice for you... TurboTax Premier was designed to help you make the most of your investments and rental property deductions, so you get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Premier if any of the following apply to you: You sold stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or options for an employee stock plan You own rental property You are the beneficiary of an estate or trust (received a K-1 form) If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Home & Business. It has everything in Premier, PLUS expanded guidance to help you maximize home office, vehicle, and other business deductions. If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business.

Does the Hard Work for You

Asks Easy Questions, Tailored to You
Guides you step by step through your tax return and puts your answers on the right tax forms for you. Skips interview questions that don't apply to you, so you can finish your return faster.

Improved--Automatically Fills in W-2 and 1099 Info
Gets your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions and automatically puts it in the right tax forms. A brief summary lets you review and edit downloaded information if necessary.

Transfers Last Year's Tax Info
No retyping necessary. Fills in information from your previous year's return to save time and increase accuracy. Shows you what you're importing and where it goes in your return. You can also import from other tax software including TaxACT and H&R Block's TaxCut.

Imports Your Financial Data
Imports information from your financial software (including Quicken, QuickBooks 2007 and higher, and Microsoft Money) so you can skip the cut and paste this year.

Provides Help and Advice When You Need It

Live Tax Answers
Get live answers online from TurboTax experts and other TurboTax users in our Live Community. Plus you'll have instant access to answers to commonly asked tax questions on every screen.

Straightforward Guidance & Advice
Find help on any tax topic from anywhere within TurboTax. Get plain-English explanations of specific tax areas and helpful examples when you need them.

New--Guide Me
Not sure how to answer a tax question? We'll guide you to the right answer, making your taxes even easier.

New--Explains Your Return
Shows you a summary of your return, including income, tax, credits and payments so you know your taxes are accurate. Provides recommendations to help you get an even bigger refund next year.

FREE Technical Support
Got a software question? No problem! Get answers from a TurboTax expert via e-mail, phone, or live chat.

Spots Errors and Shows How to Fix Them

Checks for Mistakes
Double-checks your return for errors, so you can be confident your taxes are done right.

Guaranteed Accurate Calculations
If you should get hit with an IRS or state penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest.

Keeps You Up-to-Date with the Latest Tax Laws
With a single click you can check for updates each time you start to ensure your return includes the latest IRS and state tax forms. No more disruptions while you work on your return.

Get Your Refund Faster with Included Federal Efile

Improved--Shows Your Tax Refund in Real Time
Watch your refund add up as you complete your return. Our improved Dual Refund Monitor constantly displays and updates both your federal and state refunds (or taxes due) as you complete your federal return.

New--Federal Efile Included
Get your refund in as few as 8 days with efile and direct deposit. Five federal efiles are included with TurboTax at no extra charge. If you're a returning user, we'll automatically transfer your efile information from your previous year's return to save you even more time.

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Product Description

Guides you step-by-step through investments and rental property.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TurboTax Bargain Hunter, December 21, 2008

By 

D. Reese (Western PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TurboTax Premier Federal + State + eFile 2008 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I was shopping for TurboTax Premier 2008 and noticed a lot of negative reviews for a usually outstanding product. Based on negative reviews I read, people are upset with the price increase and license limits for 2008, not the quality of the software. I've been using tax preparation software for about 10 years and I've used both TurboTax and TaxCut. Although more expensive, I believe TurboTax is a better product than TaxCut and probably worth paying a little more (just a little). Not discouraged by the reviews, I shopped around Amazon.com and within minutes I found TurboTax Premier + State 2008 for less than $40 ($79.99 retail). The comparable product from TaxCut is $49.99 and I would recommend that to people preparing multiple returns. As much as I would like to send the message to Intuit by NOT buying their software this year, I don't feel like I'm being ripped off at all. In fact, I've been buying TurboTax products from online re-sellers for years at less than half the retail price. There are bargains out there if you're willing to spend a little time researching and comparing.

I'll keep using TurboTax as long as I can buy it from online re-sellers at reasonable prices. I'll switch to something else if my tax situation changes and I need to file multiple returns.

By the way... If you're looking for TurboTax Premier 2008 + State + E-File, I found it for $39.99 plus $3.99 s/h on Amazon.com from seller: "Arcadevideo".

384 of 420 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't fall for TurboTax's deceptive price increase on e-file and multiple returns!, November 21, 2008

By 

Collin K. Ong (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TurboTax Premier Federal + State + eFile 2008 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

UPDATE: Intuit has tried to correct for this year's price-grab (as detailed below in my original post) by reversing themselves and including 5 free e-files and removing restrictions on the number of returns that can be created and printed with a single copy of TurboTax. For that, I am raising my rating to two stars. However, as smart consumers, we should note when they did this and infer what motivated them. During the period while the controversy of their restrictions and extra charges was raging, Intuit and its representatives did nothing but try to justify their position, but this did nothing but inflame their (former) customers more.

However, the controversy did catch the attention of Intuit TurboTax's primary competitor, the Tax Cut product from H&R Block, who then moved to take advantage by first pointing out that they did not raise their price this year (even when including e-file as TurboTax did) and were not restricting the number of returns that could be done with a single copy of TaxCut. Then, more importantly, decided to offer 5 free e-files with the TaxCut product.

Only then did Intuit realize that they were not going to sneak this price-grab by consumers, because if the two products were side by side and only one of them (TaxCut) was advertising 5 free e-files and no limits on printing, they were going to lose sales big time. They then reversed their decision and have now matched TaxCut's offer.

So what does that mean for us consumers? In one sense, it is a victory, because we are getting what we wanted in the first place: to pay a reasonable price for a product that we can use to meet our family's needs. However, while I applaud Intuit's decision to reverse a bad decision, I can also see that it wasn't because they were listening and responding to their customers, but only countering their competition (who was listening to consumers and responded to take advantage).

More importantly, H&R Block's actions with TaxCut demonstrated a certain corporate character: first, they did not try to price-gouge customers this year by raising prices when they included "free" e-file. Free equals free. Second, they did not try to get extra money for printed returns (software as service) when the customer has already paid for the product. Third, they could have just trumpeted the fact that they do not charge for extra printed returns, but they raised the bar by including more free e-files. This is compared to Intuit's corporate character of greed and selfishness, which has been demonstrated this year by price increases, user restrictions, and extra charges. A few years ago, they also showed their true colors by including damaging Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) in TurboTax to prevent it from being installed on more than one computer, preventing legitimate customers from working on their return on a work computer and finishing it on their home computer, and then preventing them from uninstalling it. Then, as with this year, they only listened and gave in when it was already clear they are going to lose. Intuit needs to learn how to balance their profit expectations with respect for their customers and it will take time before they earn our respect back.

So for me, I will give credit where it is due and purchase TaxCut instead of TurboTax this year.

ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW:

Intuit is trying to pull a fast one on consumers this year by including e-filing "at no extra charge."

Intuit is promoting that they are including one free e-file with its software for tax year 2008, but has also increased the price of its products by about $15. In previous years, they would charge $15 extra to e-file, but you could send in a rebate to get that $15 back, which made it effectively free. This year, they charge you $15 upfront, whether you use the e-file or not, which means EVERYBODY PAYS MORE.

In addition, they have changed their product's license from allowing a purchaser of TurboTax to prepare up to five tax returns within the household in the 2007 version to allowing only one tax return (with included e-file) and then charging $9.95 for each additional return prepared, WHETHER THOSE ADDITIONAL RETURNS ARE PRINTED OR E-FILED in the 2008 version. The additional charges for additional e-file submissions would be fair, but not for additional preparations and printed returns. So what this means is that, under the guise of providing free e-file, Intuit will charge up to $54.80 ($15 + 4 * 9.95) MORE to consumers to receive the equivalent of what was provided with the 2007 version. Keep in mind, they are charging even if you prepare and print more than one return without e-filing, which means there is NO COST TO THEM, but they want to charge you for it anyway.

This doesn't sound free to me.

This will affect many users who prepare one main return, and then a few more simple ones for children or parents, etc. Even if you only do one return, you should avoid this year's TurboTax on principle. The core issue is that Intuit is trying to change TurboTax from a tool-based product model to a service-based model. However, they have not changed the pricing to reflect this change. The problem is, they want to continue pricing the product like they did before, when it was a tool that could be used multiple times, yet restrict it like a service where you pay for every use.

If you object to the one return policy, Intuit will just say, "Use TurboTax Online, it's free for simple returns!", but this suggestion is just a distraction in this discussion. What they are saying is like this: Suppose I bought a nice brand-name toolset for full price and used it on one project. I've now setup all the tools in the box just like I like it and become totally familiar with the tools and how they can be used, so much that I can just reach in the box without looking and find the tool I need and once I get it out I know just how hard to hit with that hammer. I finish the project and close up my toolbox for the day. The next day, my mom wants me to fix something so I get the toolbox but I now find that it is locked and has a security sticker on it saying that I'll have to pay $10 extra to open the toolbox for each additional project. Or, I can pack up my mom's item and drive it to the hardware store where they will let me borrow some simple tools to try and fix the item but if it gets too complicated over there, they'll start charging me to rent additional tools. Not to mention that I have to throw away all the learning that I've already developed with the great toolset that I already bought and learn another whole set of rental tools at the hardware store. If I wanted to rent tools, then I wouldn't have bought the toolbox in the first place (which was probably what the hardware store really wanted when they came up with this scheme).

Here is the problem people have with this scenario:

Last year, the toolbox included 5 uses. This year the toolbox costs $15 more but only allows a single use. Ok, it adds a "free" service that used to cost $15 but we may or may not want to use that service and if we did, we could send in a rebate for to get the $15 back, making it effectively free. But "Free service" aside, what happened to the value of those unlimited uses? The price of the toolbox stayed the same, but the functionality went down because we can only use it once. Maybe it would be more ok if there was a big sign at the store that said: "SAVE ON THIS TOOLBOX! YOU CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE BUT IT'S CHEAPER!" Or at have the decency to post a very big warning: "THIS TOOLBOX COSTS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, BUT YOU CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE!"

Don't let them get away this price increase that has no basis in common sense. Avoid TurboTax this year until they change this ridiculous policy, even if you only prepare a single return with it. If you buy it, they'll use your sales data to justify this unreasonable change, then who knows what else they will try to charge us for next for doing nothing on their part.

Looking at the big picture, what Intuit probably wants in the long term is to move people away from the boxed product and over onto the online product and then kill off the boxed product. This would eliminate the costs of physical production and distribution and the bandwidth costs of distributing software updates. It would also eliminate the slice of the profits given to retailers that sell their boxed product and kill off any promotional pricing or freebies. With no retailer competition, Intuit could charge whatever they want for their online service. It would also increase customer lock-in since their data would be purely stored on their own company servers.

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Changed Price Structure!!!, December 12, 2008

By 

S. J. Cavallaro (CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + eFile 2008 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I just went to the TurboTax site and they advise that they have dropped the $9.95 addition charge for each additional return. They claim an update to the program will come out on Dec. 20 to remove the screen that advised of the charge.