Is anyone using it to do their taxes? I finished my returns and tried to e-file them. No go. Apparently there’s a software glitch that won’t let to transmit the returns. The error message is that the software needs to be updated. It is usually updated automatically. There’s no instruction as to how to update it manually for an apple product. On line, some people are complaining that the system freezes up when they try to follow the instruction. There’s an instruction for windows. I use a downloaded desktop version. Any tips? What I can try? TIA
I used it just fine, but I filed mine in early February. I also used a downloaded version to a PC.
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Call technical support.
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Usually if you save and exit from the software it automatically checks for and installs updates when you reopen the program. If necessary reboot the computer as well to trigger that check.
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I use desktop premium version on a Mac. I finished this week. I was kicked out a couple of times and the death circle was there a few times, too. I never signed out as I was worried I could not get back in. I checked and updated my computer to be sure I was running the latest computer but it also probably did an update check on TT.
The most helpful was that I clicked on the forms tab at the top. It had some red parts that needed fixed or entered on the blank parts. Also this year I downloaded Fidelity but the rest of the accounts I entered myself as I could not get it to download other than fidelity. I called tech help and was handed over to three people who I’m sorry to say knew less than me.
The forms tab and resolving issues helped the most.
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Yes this is why the desktop version is much better than the online version. The online version doesn’t allow forms mode so can prevent you from overriding mistakes. This was the case a few years ago when they hadn’t included the expanded 529 adjustments (for private K-12 schools) in the state return for CA and I had to do my state return manually.
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You can also edit and view forms with online version, with a different method. I did so when filing taxes this year. This year I filled out Taxes with both desktop and online version of Turbotax, then compared results. Initial results did not match exactly, leading to manually viewing and comparing forms on both online and download until I figured out what was different. The differences were different basis for backdoor Roth (question phrased differently in online and download version), a typo in entered % government for one of the dividends (gov are state/local tax exempt), and a lagged change from updated W2 on download such that withholding penalties were not immediately removed.
Having filled taxes with both download and online, I preferred the online version. One of the reasons was similar to the “software needs to be updated” limitations noted in this thread. With download version, most times I open, I need to wait a few minutes to download new updates before using; and I cannot submit taxes if there are new updates pending. In contrast the online version opens immediately and does not ever have a “needs to updated” message. I presume updates happen in the background on their remote server. I also prefer the format of the online version. There are a surprising (to me) number of differences in format and features between online and download. The area that was most important to me relates to importing docs.
I filled out taxes with Turbotax this year because they offered me a $0 cost to file fed + state deal for all versions of their products. However, without such a deal, I’d choose a different service. My experience is that other alternatives to Turbotax offer similar quality for my purposes. The main Turbotax advantage is more available support. You can call Turbotax and speak to someone about tax questions in a matter of minutes, at no additional cost. However, this thread does not inspire confidence about the quality of persons responding such calls, nor does it inspire confidence about the robustness of their products.
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I was tempted to use the online version this year. But, the desktop version allows more stocks/options, etc. (5000) as opposed to (1000) online version.I certainly could be wrong about the exact numbers but it does allow more. I suspect that our stock trades were a lot and that may have inhibited the other downloads which I ended up doing by hand.
Very interesting side by side comparison above.
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They hung up on me.
@Twoin18 Perfect! It worked.
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Unrelated tax question. This year IRS didn’t send the payment coupons for estimated tax. If you pay the tax without coupons, will it be recorded properly?
I never do the coupons anymore. You can pay online. I keep a copy of the receipts.
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Can you pay online without opening an account? I would much prefer not open an account.
I do it from here. Just pay from your bank account.
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I never open an IRS payment account, I just pay online via credit card. A pain if you’re trying to use a business credit card this year, they charge a higher rate.
No issue using TurboTax online this year, except the usual constant annoying upsell that they do, and no running total of taxes due.
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There’s been quite a bit of angst in the online forums about the lack of running totals. It feels about the same volume as last year when the running totals were shown of complaints about why someone’s refund when down/tax went up as more information was added.
I’ve used the desktop version for a very long time, and I like being able to do multiple separate returns. This year, for comparison purposes, but other years to do the DC tax returns. Also to do what if’s as this year goes on. I also really like having all my information on my local disk.
Another free tool I’ve found is Glenn Reeves tax spreadsheets. I relatively recently found these, and use them as a sanity check of my data entry to TurboTax.
I really like the running total, as it has saved me from many a mistake. For example, if I put in information that should lower my taxes, but the total doesn’t change, I can immediately tell I checked the wrong box or made an error. Otherwise, you don’t get the total until the end, and then if it looks wrong, you have to go over every single thing to see what you messed up.
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The running total changed for me each time I important a new document, added a deduction, or changed relevant information. I found the running total to be a useful tool for catching errors/typos, debugging, as well as for testing the impact of different updates.
If the total does not display, you can click on “explain my taxes” or if needed click on/through the review section until the total appears. After the running total displays at top, you can enter information in the income and deduction section.
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I don’t work for them, but I’ve used Turbo Tax and TaxAct and I vastly prefer TaxAct. It doesn’t have as big a market share but I’ve encountered several situations where TaxAct handled things correctly that Turbo Tax did not. Just my humble opinion.
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I agree. It really helps me as well. In contrast to some users on the online TurboTax forums, I also have some experience that helps to understand the inaccuracy of the displayed values before completion.
I understand, however, why Intuit would choose to make this change. It does make an appearance after some subset of the total information has been input.
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Turbo tax was a complete fail for my mom this year.
She had 2 commercial annuities, which she got 1099 for. I entered the I for action, at the end it asked me if it was a 403B IRA ( or something like that) or another IRA. Neither one applied to my mom. I was on the phone with them for over an hour and they finally admitted to me that they had a bug.
I had to redo my mom’s taxes on the H&R website. Sure enough, at the end they asked if it was a commercial annuity or insurance. It was 5 hours of my time that I would never get back.
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