Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

online tax preparation?

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    online tax preparation?

    Death Kitten suggested this thread so I don't wanna take credit for his idea

    What's worked for online tax preparation for you? What hasn't worked? What have you been afraid to try? Who supports Linux really well?

    My own experience -

    I used TurboTax online to prepare and file my federal, state and city taxes. Although TurboTax's tax preparation interface is all java TT requires IE or FF under Windows or Safari if you've got a Mac.

    I figured since it was java it'd be pretty much browser independent; FF under Linux will give you a link that says "I know this browser's unsupported - continue anyway" but accessing the site under chromium won't give you the option to continue anyway - your only choice is to use a supported browser.

    I could have changed the user agent string in chromium and the site *probably* would have worked just fine but considering I was doing financials I decided not to take the chance and used FF instead.

    Inline PDF previews of completed tax forms didn't work in FF but you could download them and view them. Until you pay them the money the tax forms are watermarked "Do Not File" but that's okay.

    My federal and state were e-filed but my city income tax has to be mailed so I printed the city return and mailed it in. Federal is still waiting since I itemize deductions and you can't file those until Feb 14 (but TT has it and will e-file it when it's time) but I've already got notification that the state has accepted my return.

    cheers -
    we see things not as they are, but as we are.
    -- anais nin

    #2
    Re: online tax preparation?

    I have to file a paper federal return this year due to some changes of taxable income not reflected on a 1099-R, and I have to supply supporting documentation. I will repeat what happened to my state return (Colorado) here:
    I am angry at my state. I have been filing my state taxes online for years without a problem using FF in Linux. This year when I went to the site to file, I get a popup that says I have to have Silverlight to use the site. I tried it with mono but I get an error message that says the feature needed is not yet implemented in mono. So I had to open Virtualbox and boot XP to file my taxes. That sucks.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: online tax preparation?

      I used Chromium to file my taxes this year. In 2008 I used CompleteTax, which was a good experience. In 2009 they raised their rates so I went to the IRS website for a recommendation. They recommended, among others, TaxSlayer, so I used it for 2009 because they offered it for free to over 65 & retired, for Federal taxes, if you file the 1040EZ, which I did. This year they offer free tax returns only to servicemen on active duty outside the country. So, I switched back to TaxComplete. Another reason why I switched back was that TaxSlayer's printout of your return had some critical information blanked out so that you couldn't use the printout to file. CompleteTax, on the other hand, gives perfect printouts of ALL the forms needed to e-file your taxes.

      I got the tax statement from my state annuity office yesterday and filled in the info in CompleteTax. Their error trapper stopped my e-file process, stating that I had failed to include the name, address, FIN and other info for the Bank 1099-INT form. Everything was on that form except the FIN. However, there was no textbox where the FIN could be entered! Now I am concerned. Didn't they QC their forms and trapping mechanisms? Obviously not. This raises the question "If they cut corners on that IMPORTANT activity, where else have they cut corners?" Looks like some manager type wanted to launch even with ice on the O-rings. Their support is open 8AM to 8PM. Wouldn't you know it? I didn't find this catch-22 until 8:03PM. I left an email. Nothing back yet. They claim they'll respond within 24 hrs, but we'll see. I would return to TaxSlayer but I like the idea of having a perfect set of tax returns WITH ALL information printed out.
      "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
      – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: online tax preparation?

        Yep, I like to have a hard copy also. TurboTax gives it to you in pdf. If you have a simple return, 1040A or 1040EZ, TurboTax is free. Including e-file. If you want them to do your state, or if you have a more complicated situation, you will have to upgrade to the paid version. I have been using TutboTax for years, and I like the idea that they remember you from last year and you find most of your information already entered when you start your return. Even the data from W-2's and 1099's except for the amounts, of course. Saves a lot of time and avoids typos.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: online tax preparation?

          CompleteTax carries everything forward from the previous yet year (I wish my fingers would type what my mind is thinking! ), too. Their site uses the "F5 Big-IP" OS and is running the Microsoft-IIS/6.0 web server. The OS is ok, the vulnerability of the IIS/6.0 is a concern.

          They also generate their printable tax forms as PDFs.
          "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
          – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: online tax preparation?

            OT, but it does irritate me a little bit that the IRS has the resources to come up with a couple of "where's my refund" smartphone apps but can't process my return until Feb 14 because I itemize deductions.
            we see things not as they are, but as we are.
            -- anais nin

            Comment


              #7
              Re: online tax preparation?

              A not so funny story about me and TurboTax. Before they had an online version, I used to buy the CD every year. I would order it online from the Intuit site. One year, about 10 years ago, I ordered the CD and they double billed my credit card. I think it was about $50. I got in touch with them and they apologized, and said they had a glitch in their system, and my credit card would be credited with the over billed amount. It took them six weeks to post the refund. Then I got to thinking, if a company needed a fast cash infusion, suppose they double billed 200,000 customers. That's $10,000,000. Many customers might never notice the charge on their credit card statement and even those that did, they got to hold your money for six weeks interest free. Interesting thought.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: online tax preparation?

                Originally posted by Detonate
                A not so funny story about me and TurboTax. Before they had an online version, I used to buy the CD every year. I would order it online from the Intuit site. One year, about 10 years ago, I ordered the CD and they double billed my credit card. I think it was about $50. I got in touch with them and they apologized, and said they had a glitch in their system, and my credit card would be credited with the over billed amount. It took them six weeks to post the refund. Then I got to thinking, if a company needed a fast cash infusion, suppose they double billed 200,000 customers. That's $10,000,000. Many customers might never notice the charge on their credit card statement and even those that did, they got to hold your money for six weeks interest free. Interesting thought.
                You mean kinda like the IRS does with the money they withhold from your paycheck?

                we see things not as they are, but as we are.
                -- anais nin

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: online tax preparation?

                  Originally posted by wizard10000
                  Death Kitten suggested this thread so I don't wanna take credit for his idea
                  Hi....

                  Actually, it was "her" idea.

                  Regards...
                  Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ loves and cares about you most of all! http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/
                  How do I know this personally? Please read here: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...hn-8-12-36442/
                  PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST! You don't have to end up here: https://soulchoiceministries.org/pod...i-see-in-hell/

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: online tax preparation?

                    Just curious, do those of you that don't live in the US have as much consternation with paying you taxes as we do?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: online tax preparation?

                      Originally posted by Detonate
                      ...
                      Many customers might never notice the charge on their credit card statement and even those that did, they got to hold your money for six weeks interest free. Interesting thought.
                      That was quite a scam in this region with fuel purchases. You'd swipe your debit card, fill up and get a paper receipt saying they had taken $X from your bank account. Later, on line, you'd notice that they actually took $X + 50 or 75 from your account, and wouldn't refund the $50 or $75 for three or four days. It's not that they don't know if you have enough in your bank account to fund the fuel because they know instantly if you do or not. I figured that for the 952 "Gas & Shop" stores in the midWest area that if every customer was kited an extra $50 for 4 days, based on an estimate of one customer every 5 minutes/24/365, that within a year they had an extra $10M in unearned income. I called my bank and they said they were "aware of the problem" but as a "third party" they could not interfere with the transaction between you and the vendor. I wrote a letter to the editor of our local newspaper, detailing my calculations. Apparently word got around. Within 3 months the practice stopped. Don't know if it was my letter or not that triggered the change.
                      "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                      – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: online tax preparation?

                        Originally posted by Detonate
                        Just curious, do those of you that don't live in the US have as much consternation with paying you taxes as we do?
                        "consternation"? For me it is frustration because it is taxation without representation when the votes of millions can be nullified by bribes (a.k.a. "campaign contributions") of a few or even one.
                        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: online tax preparation?

                          Well, If someone would hand me $10,000,000 and let me keep it for 6 months, I would be glad to return it to them.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: online tax preparation?

                            Originally posted by GreyGeek
                            "consternation"? For me it is frustration because it is taxation without representation when the votes of millions can be nullified by bribes (a.k.a. "campaign contributions") of a few or even one.
                            That's a whole different topic. I was asking about the extreme complication of merely filing your annual tax statement and all that that involves. In other countries, do they have a huge industry that profits from the fact that their tax code is so complicated they must seek the assistance of professional tax preparation software and experts as we do.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: online tax preparation?

                              The way things are going, I expect we will see a tax form like this soon.

                              Line 1: Enter the total amount you made last year from all sources.__________
                              Line 2: Write a check for the amount on line one and send it in.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X