Tag Archives: Intuit

TurboTax Deluxe

Turbotax Deluxe vs Premier

Turbotax Deluxe vs Premier: Turbotax Deluxe is the best option for people who are not self-employed or have rental properties. It’s also a good option if you’re not eligible for the free version.

Turbotax Deluxe vs Premier
Turbotax Deluxe vs Premier

TurboTax Free Edition

Turbotax free edition is designed to allow low income families and individuals with qualifying incomes to file their taxes for free.

The qualifications for the Turbotax free edition are:

  • You must have a qualifying income
  • You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien
  • You must not be eligible to use the other Turbotax editions

1099 Income

When someone is paid as an independent contractor, they are not considered an employee. This means that they are not entitled to benefits like healthcare or retirement. The person who hires them pays their taxes instead of the government.

This type of income is called 1099 income because the IRS form for it is 1099-MISC and it’s a miscellaneous income. It’s also called contract work, and you can receive this type of payment from any number of sources including clients, customers, or employers.

The 1099 form is used to report all the money received by a business for services rendered in which the client does not withhold taxes from the payer’s wages or other compensation.

TurboTax Premier is the best option if you’re self-employed with 1099 income, have rental property income/expenses, or are eligible for the free version of TurboTax Freedom Edition.

TurboTax Comparison

TurboTax Deluxe is a software that is designed to make filing taxes easier. It includes the most popular tax forms and provides the basic features for simple tax returns. TurboTax Premier, on the other hand, includes all the features of TurboTax Deluxe and also offers more complex features like audit assistance, cost of home ownership and investment income.

Audit Assistance

Audit assistance is a service that helps with the process of auditing. This is usually done by an external professional, but it can also be done by someone inside the company who has been trained to do so. Audit assistance can be provided in many different ways:

  • Internal audit assistance: this is when the company hires someone internally to provide audit assistance. This person would work both on their own as well as in conjunction with other employees to complete audits. They might also be tasked with training new employees on how to do audits.
  • External audit assistance: this is when a company hires an external auditor to help them with their audits and ensure that they are being completed correctly.
  • Audit consulting: this is when a company hires an outside consultant who helps them find solutions for any problems they are having related to their auditing process, such as how often they should be doing them or how best to go about doing them.

Pricing

TurboTax Premier has a higher price than TurboTax Deluxe because it offers more advanced features which are not necessary for everyone. The Premier version has some additional features and benefits that make it worth the price tag. If you need to deduct investment expenses or get a refund on past-year over-payments, then you should choose this version instead of Deluxe.

Past Year Over-Payments

When a taxpayer overpays their taxes in one year, they are entitled to get that money back in the form of a refund.

Many taxpayers think of past-year over-payments as refunds, but they are not. When a taxpayer overpays their taxes in one year, they are entitled to get that money back in the form of a refund.

TurboTax Deluxe

TurboTax Deluxe Buyers To Get Free Premier Upgrades

TurboTax, a popular tax filing software recently announced that it will offer users free upgrade to the premier version of the software on 7 February, 2015. The catch: only TurboTax Deluxe users will be able to avail it.

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A spokeswoman for the company told the press that starting the coming Saturday, users will be able to click on a link in their TurboTax software to upgrade to the home or business version of the Premier version of TurboTax. The announcement has outraged devoted users of the desktop version of the TurboTax Deluxe because, for this season, the Premier version will effectively replace the older tax preparation software after the free upgrade.

TurboTax Deluxe
Photo by State Farm

Users who bought TurboTax Deluxe software this year were angered by the company’s decision to remove capital gain reporting capabilities from the new edition. Self-employed taxpayers, to whom this feature was indispensable, found themselves forced to spend 50% more than the TurboTax on buying the Premier version. TurboTax is an operation of Inuit, a company that specializes in making financial software solutions.

The Deluxe version’s hitherto loyal following protested on Amazon and tax software forums. Meanwhile, TurboTax’s H&R department tried to placate angered users with free updates for their copies of the software.

Inuit’s CEO, Brad Smith has apologized to buyers for not explicitly alerting them of the change beforehand.

The company began damage control by offering $25 refunds to all TurboTax Deluxe customers whose process of filing their 2014 Taxes was hampered by the changes in the Deluxe version of the software.
Next, the company offered free upgrades to the Premier version and has promised to restore the deducted capabilities to TurboTax Deluxe next year.

Buyers of TurboTax Deluxe receive their upgrades starting Saturday.

Intuit Apologizes To Upset Customers

Recent changes to the TurboTax Deluxe edition has caused the owners of the software, Intuit, to apologize to customers. Many customers had to spend more to upgrade to another version to get the features they needed, and they will receive a refund.

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Sasan Goodarzi is general manager and acknowledges that the company has caused customers frustration and anger.

Many loyal TurboTax 2014 customers were outraged when they found out about the downsizing of the TurboTax deluxe edition. Customers – many of them loyal for years – had to spend between $30 and $40 to upgrade to other editions to get certain features. These included the forms used to report income from rental property, self employment and investments, Schedules C D E and F.

Intuit TurboTax Apologizes To Upset Customers
Photo by jurvetson

Anyone using TurboTax 2014 to file their return and who used the company’s software last year but had to spend money to upgrade this year will receive a $25 refund. Customers will need to give their social security number and must apply for the refund after they have filed their 2014 tax return.

The online version had already had the Schedules C D E and F removed, and Intuit explained in its apologetic email to customers that the changes were implemented to ensure a consistent customer experience across different platforms. Julie Miller is VP of communications at Intuit and she pointed out to NBC news that customers were not informed of this information in a timely or an effective way and definitely deserved an apology.

Taxes Become More of A Networking Opportunity For Small Business

Every year millions of people scramble to do their taxes, and companies have been noticing a swell of people that want to go online to get things done. That’s where companies like Turbotax Online, and others have come together to connect those millions of people that have been using their line of products, with others that are like minded. From gathering in a connection setting like “QuickBooks Connect”, to other meet ups and information that is getting people together, the notion of taxes has never been more social than ever. This is a huge Networking Opportunity For Small Business.

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Decades of Connecting Small Business With Tax Help

QuickBooks - Networking Opportunity For Small Business

QuickBooks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter what the size of your company is, taxes are a big matter. This becomes obvious when you’re pushing forward as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and accountants are not alone, and that’s why more social, networking events are being held. These vents, attract a great deal of people from all sorts of industries, and the main goal is to connect everyone into a far easier tax filing ideology. It’s at these types of events, that all walks of life, backgrounds, industries, and more find news on the latest software releases, and so much more.

The Move To Online

Looking at how taxes have changed in the past 20 years, you will find that there are a variety of different changes that have come through for the better. If you haven’t used Turbotax Online just yet, you will definitely be connecting in the near future. From developers to entrepreneurs, more and more people are using online solutions and learning about the latest tax incentives, laws and more through online means and social events like “QuickBooks Connect”, and it’s going to be a mainstay year to year.

Whether you have been doing things the old way, or you have adopted a new path towards doing your taxes, there’s nothing quite like knowing that technology is right there to help you get the most out of filing quarterly, and even annual returns. As more people get together to discuss changes, and build a broader network of clients, colleagues, and more, you’ll find that greatness abounds.

TurboTax Introduces TurboTax Deluxe

Intuit has played around a bit more with TurboTax 2014, and has done things such as making fonts and graphics bigger. The TurboTax support page has also been replaced, with what is known as the TurboTax AnswerXchange.

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Users returning will find that their 2014 taxes are easier to do because the data that has moved over, and there is even a personal guide to the Affordable Care Act.

TurboTax 2014 Introduces TurboTax Deluxe

TurboTax Chat Community Overloaded On Tax Day (Photo credit: John Swords)

An Easy Walk-Through
The software searches through more than 350 deductions and credits, which can help you claim everything that is allowed according to the tax code set forth by the IRS.

TurboTax Deluxe, as well as its competitors take your information, which you provide, and then it does the required deductions. It also drops your answers into the correct fields on IRS schedules and forms. All of this goes on in the background, and all you need to do is click buttons in order to move forward and back.

Navigation That Is Top-Notch
The navigation is top-notch, and you will find that navigating TurboTax Deluxe is easy. Your federal review is divided up into three sections, with the first two being Wages & Income and Deductions and Credits. The third section is Other Tax Situations. You will find that navigating through each section is a breeze.

You will also be pleased to know that there are other ways that you can navigate the site. You will notice that four links opens when you click on the tools icon, which is located to the left side. You will be able to look for a topic in a list that is very lengthy, or you can arrange the list in alphabetical order. All you need to do is click on the topic of your choice. Once you have done this, you will be taken to that screen. Another thing you can do is create a flag for a specific page, and this will remind you that you need to go back to the page and fill some information in. The fourth link that is available for you to click on displays all of your fees.

TurboTax Deluxe allows you to move forward and backwards, which is something that H&R Block Deluxe does not allow you to do. Their software requires you to finish a screen before you can move on to the next screen. Once you think you have entered everything that you were required to enter, TurboTax, as well as its competitors, will review your return, and if there were any errors or omissions that you have made, then you will know about it, but they will be revealed one at a time. TurboTax Deluxe only shows you the relevant portion of an schedule or form, and then you will be provided with a field where you can input your answer.