Tax Time! rant
 

I've been using TurboTax since the 90's
This year I didn't buy the disk or download since it won't run on Win10 anyway.
Strike1

So I decide to use it online.... acts similarly but you can't view the different forms in progress. Also I usually get the Deluxe version , around $65 on sale IIRC, so I start using the same version online. When I start entering stock information, it says I need the premium version for $139. The deluxe that I was using was $79.
Strike 2

So now I do the state version; It won't let you print anything until you pay, and filing the state return electronically costs "only" $69 more.... it used to be $25.
Strike3

You can't print until you pay; if you don't want to pay for the state, they will delete the state return so you can't print it.

I'll do the state separately, it's pretty simple; all the data is in the federal.

I understand why they do it this way I just object to the way....first by not running on win10 and then forcing you into the high priced version when I never had to before, it surprises you once you are in it that deep. Maybe I should upgrade to Win xx if my hardware will support it, which is another question. I could have bought a cheap computer for almost what it cost me this year.

George

Same problem here. I know my computer won't upgrade to Win 11, but at least I don't have state taxes to deal with. I've been a TurboTax user since 2004.

Its a cash grab for sure.

Have you tried HR Block?

You can still upgrade to 11 if it is unsupported however your hardware is getting pretty old and insecure to use on the internet these days so not really recommended imo.

Good luck!

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/yes-you...s-incompatible

I use a tax service and have been using them for many years, I only file the short form since I don't have enough deductions to warrant the long form, I get both state and federal done for $70.00. I do not use one of the big tax services, rather a lady and her husband do all the work.Normally takes about a week to get my forms finished and filed.

Thanx for the info kingbuzzo... did the check and no TPM and no valid processor.........

not going to buy a new machine until I really need one and don't see that happening.

George

I do mine online with TurboTax. I have no issue with the up charges. You gotta do what you gotta do. Still cheaper than a moonlighting CPA and the fact that it searches and uploads your tax documents makes it a breeze.

I use TurboTax. Have for about 18 years. It's very smooth and easy. Takes less than 2 hours. Links to all my external accounts and transfers the data effortlessly. This year I had a 40% higher return than last year.

This is troubling. I was a solid TT user til about 3 years ago. My tax situation got complicated one year, so I enlisted a well-recommended CPA. Dont like the cost, but the lack of consternation of doing it myself is a great benefit. The next year, It was even more complicated. I thought "this is it, I should be good".... only for it to peak with the 2025 tax year, the death of a parent, all sorts of unpleasantness. CPA found the investment firm made a mistake that if unchecked would have cost me an additional $15,000 in federal taxes. At that point, she went to bat for me with the investment firm, got it all squared away, and i ended up with a four digit refund instead. At that point, every dollar I paid her this year and years past was an absolute bargain. I wouldnt have caught the mistake myself, and that would have been realllllly bad. I left her a google review that said she put the "YAY!" in CPA.

I am hoping to be back to doing it myself next year using TT, but the cost diff between its BS and the CPA might make it not worth the effort.

I bought the deluxe version from Costco, and then used the code in the online version since my computer is running Windows 10 still.

Doing it this way worked the way that you were wanting…..no extra fees to file both Federal and State, it was all included .

Windows 11 sucks, so I dont blame you for running 10. I'll never adopt 11, and I've already begun switching over to Linux.

I do my own on paper, as a self proprietor that means schedule C & all the other related forms like SE & sch1 & 2 for other forms of income like interest or rental income. Dont need to be a CPA or pay an online service, its pretty simple really... although my Father did get me started the first time with a great schedule C worksheet he made up that has you put in all the info first then just transfer the numbers to the forms. The hardest part is keeping or going back through the year to get all the info, but after a couple times thats pretty simple.

When I was younger in my 20s & 30s with 1 job, doing the 1040 form was super simple with no help, did my first 1040 when I was 16, I watch all my friends struggle and just pay a tax service to do theirs.

Id67goat...I didn't know you could do that!
Good info.
Certainly not getting roped into doing it the same way next year, even if I need to change vendors.

George

From day 1 I liked the way it worked, put in your info. It fills out the right forms, etc.

Most recently I feel being taken advantage of.

George

I have always done my own taxes. Seems like the number of forms and worksheets keep increasing every couple years. A couple -hour process has grown to over a day now. With all the stories of major data bases being hacked and exposed, I suppose I don't trust personal financial information being available in preparer software data bases.

Np George...if you are sticking with w10 ensure you have enrolled in the extended security updates (if you haven't already) which will buy you some time:

https://pureinfotech.com/enroll-exte...su-windows-10/

Stay safe...


lol switch to Linus...rots of ruck

Windows 11 is great, better for gaming than 10. if you use the correct method of installing it using Rufas-4. It's crazy to be still using 10 without getting backdoor scripts and other malware.
That's what screws up all other people on the internet, people running out an out dated system that become zombies.
https://gizmodo.com/download/rufus

https://www.guidingtech.com/how-to-i...out-bloatware/

I run Mint version of Linuz on an older laptop that can't run 11, its a very nice OS.
https://www.linuxmint.com/

Since my CPA retired two years ago, I have been using the free AARP tax prep service hosted at our local library.

https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp-taxaide/

The service is suppose to be for seniors (which I am!) but I've seen younger folks using the service. You do not have to have a membership to use this service!

I have been using H&R Block online for the past two years, it has been okay. I usually just print the many forms out and mail them a check with what I owe. I will normally send a check with forms and call it a day. Well this year I decide to just pay online and get it over and done with. H&R Block sends me to pay104.com to send payment electronically. Well nowhere does H&R state that paying the balance due means the taxes are filed. Then after I complete payment to pay104.com they charge a service fee of 100. Well back on H&R I was going to e-file this year but it says I have to have a government PIN to do that. I already have ID.me set up because of the VA. Well I try doing this and after I login to ID.me the website says I need to take a selfie to start the process of even more verification. I should have stuck to tried and true and just print forms mail a check and call it a day.

For the last 3-4 years Ive been using Credit Karma's free tax software. Worked great, you could be as complicated as you wanted for free, and the prompts did a pretty good job of walking you through it. While its almost a joke, I am technically a small business owner and it made that stuff fairly easy.

Yesterday I sat down to do my taxes, low and behold Credit karma had been bought by Intuit, which also owns Turbo Tax. Hit the link and it routed me to turbo tax.....So now it took me longer to do, and only the EZ form is free, they charged me $200 for the pleasure of taking twice and long as the old free software.

There arent many things I would be a single issue voter for, but dramatically simplifying the tax code would be up there. You owe the percentage you owe with no shell games for the uber rich. You are never going to completely eliminate that, when you can pay a team of people to find loopholes, they will find them, but at least make them work for it. From what I understand everytime tax simplification comes up, the lobbyists for HR block and Turbo Tax that spend the most money against them.

TurboTax messed up my state return last year.
This year I used https://www.1040.com
$34.99 for both federal and state. Much easier than TurboTax.
At this point, my taxes are very simple. I used to use a Tax guy when they were complicated.
Got both refunds very quickly too.

I won't use anything but a CPA. We have had our taxes screwed up by HR Blk and one of her friends who is a paid tax preparer. Worth every penny to use a CPA. We have 5 incomes and a house so there's that.

When I was working in my mid 20s at Kennametal I did my own. Then when I was self employed a friend was a cpa did them . Now another friend CPA but had a tire shop where I hang out does mine. He said he likes the math and keeping up with rules.

My federal paper return was stoleni n 2021 (2020) tax year. The thief had all my W2s and 1099s for both me and my wife. He filed a false return claiming 24,000 dollars in mortgage interest and 26000 in charitable contributions. This and the other deductions he took added up to well over $60000. Our total income for that year was $64000.
The IRS issued a refund in my name to a Green Dot bank account for over $10,000! As soon as it hit the account the thief withdrew it and closed the account. My CPA notified the IRS after I called her about not getting my $2,500 refund. That's when I found out I had been hacked. The IRS said I was hacked and said I would have to have a PIN for my wife and myself. From then on We filed electronically. Guess what the IRS did? They deducted portions of our refunds in 2021,22,23 and 24 to pay back the "overage" the thieves got.
I almost forgot, two weeks after the thieves got my refund the first stimulus check from the government went to the same Green Dot account so they got that money too.
My CPA midi everything she could to help us, but I finally said let it go. Thank the Good Lord we didn't need the money and thank him again because the thieves will have their judgement day.

Yep, I would think that at tax time the scumbags are thinking tax returns are easy pickings, even like washing checks from taxpayers.
How would someone get away with 26K in charitable contributions? I can't even claim a few hundred in deductions for that.

george

That story is a good reason to never give the government a free loan by overpaying and getting a refund at the end of the year. You should always owe money on your taxes. Should be hard for someone to claim your refund if you need to pay in.

Lots of people actually like doing that, they dont care or understand the "free loan" part... all that matters is they get a big refund and think theyre rich for a week. And they dont have to pay another bill they can barely afford living paycheck to paycheck & in debt.

Agreed, this way I don't have to interpret all the new laws and I had a business so I wrote it off anyway. Now I'm retired, wife still works for another 2 years. I don't see us not using a tax professional even afterwards.

In a different lifetime, I wrote all my accounting programs for my business, and I did my own taxes for about 60 years.

After my wife and I "retired", the deductions on the SS REALLY added several degrees of difficulty to my taxes.

For the last 9 years, I do the accounting, and turn over the reports to the CPA.

He is very reasonable, and generally finds money that I would not have found. The rules change more often than the post office raises postage rates ! Plus he helps me with any other necessary changes, such as a PIN for both of us; which is a great added protection against the hackers !

I will disagree about over-paying, but I NEVER get a refund. Just leave the money there. With the current interest rates, it doesn't cost that much; and it is a green flag if there is every a *&^%$#@ AI generated red flag for an audit. They figure if you are going to cheat you would take the refund.

We were forced to go through a paper audit several years ago because the company that processes credit cards for us coded us a a used car dealer rather than a parts manufacturer / retailer. Of course, 90 plus percent of our gross was paid by credit card, and the computers didn't think a used car lot would have that high a percentage of credit card sales.

The company found their mistake AFTER the audit was initiated, and informed the IRS; and the nice (she really was nice) lady that I spoke with at the IRS told me they had corrected the problem, but the IRS rules were such that once an audit was started, it has to be completed.

19 very frustrating *&^%$#@ WASTED hours ! If I "waste" a little interest each year, and it lessens the probability of an audit, it is worth it !

Jon

Is that always true as well, I am getting tired of paying every year. I have a friend who also sells on ebay. He used to pay taxes every year until he opened up a SEP IRA and he said this will help with your AGI and reduce what he owes almost dollar for dollar. I guess the only downside is you have to wait till you retire to access those funds. I guess it all depends on how much you owe but better than paying to Uncle Sam. I am sure there are other retirement accounts out there that could also help out to reduce AGI.

I wouldnt mind paying taxes if I knew it would not be wasted on ridiculous things. In order for real tax reform to take place we need to get rid of withholding and everyone needs to write a check on 4-15 for the entire amount due. I can guarantee you things would change.