Comments on: Many Happy Returns: The State Of Tax Preparation On The Mac

By: Matt Castille » Blog Archive » Many Happy Returns: The State Of Tax Preparation On The Mac

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:37:29 +0000

[...] Many Happy Returns: The State Of Tax Preparation On The Mac: “Many Happy Returns: The State Of Tax Preparation On The Mac” [...]

By: Kevin Donahue

Kevin Donahue — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:19:04 +0000

I’ve always thought that TaxAct.com was a pretty painless one. Free online prep and $10 federal return, regardless of which 1040 version you file.

By: DJFelix

DJFelix — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:05:12 +0000

I am a recent Mac switcher, and used TurboTax Mac for the first time this year. It imported my 2006 return, made in Windows, without any problems. I had a very similar experience, although I never suffered any crashes. The application looks very polished, and operated flawlessly.

I was able to save 25% as a Fidelity customer. If you have a 401k provider, most of them offer some kind of discount for TurboTax. Google is your friend if you want to find the Fidelity TurboTax discount. No verification required.

One thing I would like to add in regards to your comments about keeping a paper copy is the awesome “Make a CD Backup” feature that is in this version. After you receive your confirmation, TurboTax will offer to make a backup CD for you. What it does is it builds you a CD with the following on it:

* Full application install package
* TurboTax data file with your return on it
* Confirmation code received from IRS
* Full PDF of all tax forms

I printed out a copy of the PDF, burned the CD, and placed both in my physical tax file. I bought TurboTax as an online download, and was VERY pleased to see how thorough the backup CD was.

I too was a bit put-off when they got crazy with DRM, but it seems that they have learned from their mistake. I’m more than happy to pay for software that I can make backups of, and has no malware. In the case of TurboTax 2007, I couldn’t be happier.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:12:03 +0000

I started using TurboTax the first year it was legal to file using printed tax forms and was a loyal TT user for many years first on Windows and later on Mac. (except for those years when they failed to produce a Mac version)

I permanently switched to TaxCut a few years ago when Intuit included, IMO, spyware with their Windows package. (Since I was swearing off all Intuit I also replaced Quicken with Moneydance)

I’ve found TaxCut to be an excellent product and would recommend it to anyone looking for personal tax software.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:55:33 +0000

In The Netherlands the tax authorities provide a free download ( Mac or Win ) of dedicated tax return software. Enter the requested details, save & file ( via secure signing ) with said authorities.
Meanwhile the majority of tax returns is now done electronically …

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:42:44 +0000

Last year I used Taxcut on 10.4 without any problems, though this year was a different story. When I filed in Jan. using Taxcut on 10.5 it was a complete failure. They may have updated it since then, but at that time Taxcut would crash immediately on Leopard (I was only one of many who sadly realized this fact). I therefore had to shuffle off to the windows machine in my office, quietly cursing to myself the whole time.

I was very disappointed with H&R Block’s handling of these issues as well.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:33:29 +0000

I filed my taxes this year on a Mac for the first time.

I used Taxcut 08 for both federal and state taxes and Filing Taxes on Mac Could Not Be Easier