TurboTax Basic 2004 Win/Mac

Manufacturer:	Intuit, Inc.
Release date:	23 November, 2004

TurboTax Basic 2004 Win/Mac

Average rating: Stars

Not all tax programs are equal

We used TurboTax for a couple of years then switched to TaxCut on the advice of friends. We were amazed at how much more money TaxCut saved us! TaxCut is more knowledgeable when it comes to making the most of ones deductions. We are sorry we didn't switch last year.

TurboTax Basic 2004 Win/Mac - Intuit, Inc.

I should have filled out forms by hand.

I guess TurboTax is a *little* bit better than filling out forms by hand. I've used TaxCut the last few years and found its interface fine, if not spectacular. I decided to try TurboTax this year because I got the Mac and PC version on one disc and I wasn't sure which computer I was going to do taxes on yet. While both programs cover a lot of the same ground in the same way, I keep running into extremely frustrating aspects of TurboTax. For example:

* Several times, I have been asked to calculate amounts myself. Didn't I buy software so I wouldn't have to do that?

* A few times I have been given cryptic choices on how I want my obligations computed. In TaxCut, these would always have a recommendation ("We recommend not claiming the dog as a dependent").

* To get actual advice with TurboTax, it costs a minimum of $29.99 and you must sign up on their webpage. TaxCut provides enough answers to questions with the software that I've never had to call their (free) advice line.

* Some things just aren't included with the program. For example, I donated a lot of furniture to charity this last year. I had to compute the resale value for everything myself. There's a utility for TurboTax which computes values for you. You can order it off the website for $20 (more than TurboTax costs).

None of these are show stoppers, really. But they are significant slower-downers. I definitely haven't saved any time and money this year because of purchasing TurboTax and in the past four years, I've felt that I *did* save time and money by using TaxCut. And that's the bottom line.

Intuit, Inc. - TurboTax Basic 2004 Win/Mac

Don't Let the Reviews Scare You, Turbotax is Still Great

I was reluctant to buy Turbotax again this year because of all the negative reviews. I decided taking a chance with Turbotax was still more desirable than paying someone to do my taxes for me, though, so I bought it anyway. It worked perfectly. I had no problems loading or using the software. However, I do recommend downloading the updates; they must be there for a reason.