TurboTax Live: Do-It-Yourself Taxes Plus Live Expert Help

Once you create an account or sign in with an existing one, TurboTax helps you select the correct version for your 2021 taxes. It displays several life situations that might affect taxes and recommends the best solution for you.

“When my tax expert Diana surprised me with a little lift, I was moved to tears,” says Julz. “With that little lift, I was able to establish a scholarship fund to help get other hairdressers the education they deserve.” TurboTax can import data from other Intuit’s QuickBooks, but not from its consumer-centric Mint . TurboTax Live adds live video chats with tax experts. Like other tax programs, TurboTax Turbotax Live 2020 is driven by a series of questions and answers about your household, income, and opportunities for deductionsand credits. In addition to answering these questions, you’ll need to add information from your employer, other income sources, and 1099, 1098, W-2, and other tax forms that may show up in your mailbox or inbox. For most tax situations, TurboTax does a great job of covering your needs.

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I indicated that I made student loan payments during the year, which triggered on the next screen a button where I could “start” telling TurboTax about the student loan interest I paid during the year. For kicks, I indicated that I received interest payments during the year, which triggered on the next screen a button where I could “start” telling TurboTax about the interest income earned during the year. https://turbo-tax.org/ Although sharing this kind of information, especially your social security number, over the Internet can feel a bit strange, know that this is completely normal and necessary to completing your tax return. In this TurboTax review I will give a general overview of the TurboTax software as well as the pros and cons of using it so you can decide for yourself whether TurboTax is the tax software for you.

• Further, if you want to itemize deductions or deduct mortgage interest or property taxes without paying for an online tax filing service, TurboTax likely isn’t for you.
• Customer service is one of the features that most distinguishes TurboTax from the competition.
• TurboTax’s free version is not as robust and cannot handle as many tax scenarios as those of its competitors.
• This especially comes in handy when navigating life changes like marriage, kids, and homeownership; TurboTax ensures you’re getting the most up-to-date information on deductions and tax credits.
• Now, I’m not talking about some billionaire’s tax return with hundreds of K-1s, foreign transactions, and all kinds of disclosures that need to be made.

But like any tool, it is only as good as the skill and knowledge of the person using it. So yes, TurboTax can get you the largest tax refund to which you are legally obligated — assuming you use it correctly. TurboTax offers a free version as well as three paid versions. You only qualify for the free version if your tax return is extremely simple. That said, if you have a relatively straightforward return — or even a moderately complex return — you probably don’t need this level of support to accurately prepare your tax returns. Most of the information you need for your state tax returns will be transferred over from the previous inputs you made for your federal return. If it turns out you need the more expensive edition, you can just upgrade as you prepare your returns.

Wages & Income

The interest income input screen was very self-explanatory and followed the flow of Form 1099-INT rather well. The next few screens will ask you for your personal information. Next you’ll be prompted to share your tax information with Intuit, TurboTax’s parent company. Other taxpayers, however, may not be well-served by, say, upgrading from the Free Edition to the Premium Edition. We may receive a commission if you sign up or purchase through links on this page.

We’re committed to finding every deduction and credit you qualify for and getting you your maximum refund, guaranteed. Enjoy the confidence of knowing your taxes are in the hands of an expert. Just share your documents and your tax expert will take it from there, keeping you in the loop at every step. Investor Junkie is your shortcut to financial freedom. We analyze and compare tools to help you make the best decisions for your personal financial situation. TurboTax makes it easy to directly import your ridesharing income and data directly from Uber or Lyft.

TurboTax Free Edition: $0 Fed. $0 State. $0 to File. For simple tax returns only. See if you qua …

You can use this version if you itemize deductions and if your income is too high to qualify for the free edition of the program. It’ll let you know if any information is missing, if there are any math errors, or if you might save on taxes with certain deductions, such as making an IRA contribution.

• Intuit’s mission is to power prosperity around the world.
• As you might suspect, this version is meant for those who are self-employed or work as contractors.
• Investor Junkie has advertising relationships with some of the offers listed on this website.
• Deluxe account holders have access to one-on-one customer support should any issues or questions pop up during the tax preparation process.
• You’ll be asked to provide the information for medical expenses, mortgage interest paid, state and local taxes, and charitable deductions, if you have any.

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