Others say...

"Worth the money"
If you keep good accounting records and have the patients to follow all the steps, this is a very worthwhile program. The only cons are that you can't update each year - You have to buy the new version, and e-filing is extra. Although, my federal refund came in a very short time so the extra charge was worth it for me.

"TurboTax is a Rip Off"
My fiancee is a contracted employee and has to file 1099s and a schedule C every year and has struggled to finish his taxes on his own for the past few years using online services that merely charge $1-$10 to e-file for him. Overall, his taxes are simple and don't need a whole lot of help with preparation but he thought he would purchase TurboTax and it would be a simpler process and would find and calculate his deductions a little easier. Well, it still took him two days to complete the paperwork and then AFTER HE PURCHASED the program, they wanted ANOTHER $15 to e-file each State (2) and his federal taxes! What's the point in buying a program if they are charging more than the free online preparation programs for the service and more to e-file?! After he printed his forms to send them in and file regularly, I tried TurboTax along with two other online programs to see if it would benefit me. Not only did one of the online programs give me more of a refund, they wanted $20 less to file both my state and federal. Don't waste your money on this product!

"Not worth the headache, do it by hand is easier"
Every year I go out and by Turbo Tax for the convenience and that I can down load the information with ease from my quicken program. This is a big plus in the programming and it's only benefit. But I always wind up doing it by hand anyway.

In years past, turbo tax was issued and then a follow up final issue with all the information was added so if you waited until April, you would be assured to have the final version which allowed you to print and do your state taxes. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. You have to go online to get the final versions. What if you do not have online access? Well then you have you have to call them and are not guaranteed to get any help that way. The headache is not worth it..

Since the IRS puts all of its final laws into place in June, can't turbo tax and other software put out there final versions by December 1? Since we are forced to pay taxes every year, shouldn't this be as complete as possible BEFORE they release it? This way all we need is one program and not worried about getting on line or worried about new product information.

Consider other options until they fix this part of the programming.


"it wont work"
downloaded the program properly without any problems indicated but when I try to start the program I get the error window asking if I want to send the error to microsoft with no further guidance on which way to correct the problem. It has taken longer trying to get it to work than it would have taken to actually complete my taxes.

Frustrated! I want a refund.

"Turbo Tax Warranty - Not"
If ths following is your idea of good product support, then by all means, purchase Turbo Tax. While using the software, I had no idea that this limitation to Turbo Tax existed. As for me, my next purchase will be Tax Cut.

The only provision for claiming excess railroad retirement tax on Form 1040 is for tier 1 withholding. The excess can be derived from a combination of railroad employers or in connection with a railroad and non-railroad employer. The program does properly record the excess of the tier 1 tax on line 67 Form 1040 as a credit against income taxes. It does nothing with the tier 2 excess tax. This must claimed separately, as you noted in your email, on form 843 which is not supported by the Turbo Tax software.

The software's help does contain information regarding tier 1 and 2 railroad retirement withholding. The help clearly indicates that only tier 1 may be claimed as a credit against current year income taxes. It goes on to state, "You cannot claim a refund for excess tier 2 RRTA tax on Form 1040. Instead use Form 843."