Choosing the right tax software can be tricky, but you don't need to stick with the same program you used last year. TurboTax for the Web gets your taxes done quickly and accurately for both simple and complex tax situations. TaxAct Standard is a top choice if you have a simple tax return. For more complex tax situations, the top choices are TurboTax Premier or TaxAct Deluxe. Both offer unique tax planning tools.
TaxAct used to be a distant contender in the tax software business, but Web-based TaxAct Standard beats the pants off TaxCut and TurboTax in price. In terms of speed, TaxAct and TurboTax nearly tied. TaxAct Online is highly recommended, but avoid downloading the software to use on your PC. Preparing the same simple return using the PC version took twice as long to finish. Speed, ease of use, and price makes TaxAct Standard for the Web my top pick for straightforward tax situations.More »SnapTax is a new Web-based tax preparation software program from Intuit. SnapTax is super fast, but could be faster if it eliminated repetitive data entry. Snap Tax is limited to preparing 1040EZ or 1040A forms, plus the state tax forms. Overall, SnapTax is a good value for people who want to prepare their taxes quickly.More »TurboTax for the Web offers blazingly fast tax preparation for both simple and complicated tax returns. TurboTax for the Web comes in several versions. The 1040EZ version is a super-fast program that lets you start and finish your tax return in about 10 minutes. Even the Web version of TurboTax Premier finished a complex tax return in about half the time as the PC version. TurboTax for the Web is highly recommended for all tax situations.More »TurboTax Premier, both the Web and PC versions, is the top of the line TurboTax product. Premier offers excellent financial and planning tools that far surpass TaxCut Premium and that outweigh TaxAct Deluxe. TurboTax Premier handles the toughest tax situation smoothly, even the dreaded depreciation calculations. An especially interesting feature is the fair rental value tool, which compares your rental income to county averages. TurboTax Premier is highly recommended for complex tax situations.More »Complete Tax is a Web-based tax software program. Like other tax programs, Complete Tax uses the interview format to gather information and complete the tax forms. Complete Tax does not offer a way to access a particular form, but the software overcomes this problem with its nice "where do I put?" feature, letting you quickly find the right part of the program for your tax information.More »TaxAct Deluxe comes in both PC and Web-based versions. I recommend using the software on your PC, as the Web version takes twice as long to complete. TaxAct Deluxe offers a tax planning tool not found in TurboTax Premier or TaxCut Premium, but TaxAct Deluxe lacks some of the complex tax calculations found in TurboTax Premier. The tax planning calculator in TaxAct Deluxe displays your tax situation on one computer screen and allows you to play around with different income and deduction scenarios.More »TaxCut for the Web is recommended only for straightforward tax situations. TaxCut Standard, the basic version of the program, handles tax preparation smoothly, although preparing a simple return on TaxCut takes twice as long compared to TurboTax and TaxAct. TaxCut Premium, the top of the line program, is very awkward. The worst part is how depreciation is handled. The nicest thing about TaxCut are the keyboard shortcuts.More »
