PS Regarding that Costco coupon:

The coupon is good at Costco from Jan 14-20 (not 18 as mentioned above). It's good on Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business versions. If I recall they don't carry Basic, but they do carry a version of Deluxe that doesn't have a state (although it's only $4 less). The prices from Costco.com:

Deluxe $31.99
Deluxe w/State $35.99
Premier w/State $57.99
Home & Business w/State $70.79

So $15 off that should give you the price to compare. You need a real coupon, though, not a copy. The regular price of Deluxe w/State is $44.95 so Costco's deal with coupon at $20.99 is pretty good. Amazon charges $39.99.

Do those prices include e-file? TaxCut's do not -- at least not the prices quoted on the Staples website. So if TurboTax does include e-file, that would make it a clear winner. (I've used both TurboTax and TaxCut in the past, and either program is acceptable to me.)

Not as far as I can tell. They seem to be the same standard retail boxed editions as elsewhere, and those do not include e-file. According to the TurboTax web site, e-filing is now $17.95 for these products. That chills the value a bit, I'm sure. The $15 coupon doesn't even quite make up for it, although $15 is off an already discounted price. Wow, and if I read it correctly they rip you the fee for every state you e-file as well. I don't need to e-file state because the state has its own pretty easy web site to e-file, plus I either owe them a few bucks or it comes out even so no big rush. But for others that may cut the value even more. I don't know how the cost compares to other products. I don't use either one; I typically get my Dad a copy of Deluxe w/state with my Costco coupon because he's been using it a few years and that makes it easy for him to deal with vs him switching to something else.

Thank you All!

This is some great information. The Fidelity offer with online completion and free efiling is a bargain especially since I have to use the Deluxe edition this year. I'm an independent contractor now.

It seems the offer ports you to the Turbotax site and you do your work there. Up to now I have resisted doing my taxes online due to security concerns. Does it bother anyone else? I mean, imagine finishing your taxes then getting a letter that their database has been compromised! It happens with credit card info and social security #'s.

Jim

PS Maybe for another thread but FT has a lot of consultants and independent contractors. Should we work on a tax guide to 'the life?'

As an independent consultant as well, I also won't use any online tax services. I just prefer, for both security reasons and to avoid any possible issues with future access to my data, to have all of my tax information reside on my PC. It's also why I don't use federal e-filing, since the IRS requires you to use a third party. When the IRS finally starts allowing direct e-file, I'll likely start using it.

You've been lucky then. ;) The CD that I received in the mail this year (unsolicited, though I have used TaxCut in prior years) contains TaxCut Premium Federal + State. In the brochure inside the box, it says "Just $39.95. Install now."

It also mentions that e-file is extra, but doesn't list the fees. In the past, I believe the charge was around $16 for each return you e-filed; i.e., $16 for Federal, and another $16 for each state that you e-filed (but there are limitations on e-filing multiple states). It's probably a similar fee this year (yeah, I know I could research this and get a more definitive answer, but this'll have to do for now ;) ).

However, I did notice another interesting thing in the box. There is a $10 mail-in rebate coupon that is valid if you purchase any of the following products at any of the participating retailers:

• TaxCut Premium Federal + State
• TaxCut Premium Federal + State + e-file
• TaxCut Premium Home & Business

Participating retailers:

• [*]
• [*]
• [*]
• [*]
• [*]
• [*]
• [*]
• [*]

[QUOTE=KathyWdrf;9008000]You've been lucky then. ;) The CD that I received in the mail this year (unsolicited, though I have used TaxCut in prior years) contains TaxCut Premium Federal + State. In the brochure inside the box, it says "Just $39.95. Install now."

So sorry to hear that. Did you try actually installing the software just in case?

It is totally free to use. I received one last year too. I would have to pay to e-file but I can do all the calculations and print the federal return.

I too don't care to having to share my personal information with other sites and use the CD version on my computer and actually file a 'paper version' by mail. I still can't see paying to get what I can get for free. I don't usually get a refund as I perfer to keep my money during the year instead of getting back what was mine to begin with, once a year (a whole other subject for another thread - on another site). An since I usually pay, I wait until the last day to file.
The only thing to remember if you choose to keep the information on your computer instead of out there on someone else website in cyberspace, back up your information onto an external hard drive. Your system will eventually stop running (crash) and having that information backup will help you create your system back to what it was - at least to what it was when you back it up. Many think that 'it will never happen to me' but thing again, just like taxes, it does happen sometime later than sooner.
Those that bank with B&A, you should have seen a link on their web page for Turbo Tax, didn't look into it since I assumed that it was web based.

I've received the software in the past and had to pay.

Also, remember that the software actually sent on the disk is totally out-of-date (due in part to last-minute tax law changes). To get the up-to-date version, you always have to download from the internet.

Well, you're another one of the lucky ones.

Were you able to download the latest (i.e., correct, up-to-date) version of the software from the web without paying for it?

We're going off-topic here, but I must point out that having owned and used half a dozen or more different personal computers over the past 15+ years (including laptops carried on trips and banged around a bit), I have NEVER had a single one of them crash in such a catastrophic manner. NEVER. So your assertion that it WILL happen sooner or later, that it's somehow inevitable, is baloney.

However, I do agree that one should, ideally, ALWAYS back up critical data. I personally don't consider tax data to be critical, if one has a paper copy of all of it. There are FAR more critical and irreplaceable data items on one's computer than that -- say, for example, one's personal collection of thousands of photos. @:-)

In sum, I think your dire warning to back up your tax data because 1) you WILL have a system crash that will destroy it all, and 2) it is somehow critical and irreplaceable, is faulty on both counts. @:-)

I looked for tax software discounts on the BofA website, but all I found was this:
http://www.bankofamerica.com/deposit..._tax#question9

Kathy! Do you really believe that everyone who has a different experience than you must somehow be a moron?

Any deals at all on TurboTax Home & Business?

Have to file schedule C, want the software resident on my computer, and want to stick with TurboTax since it's the once I've always used.

Probably Costco. If you have access to that coupon and buy it the week of the 14th-20th, it'll be about $55 ($70 less $15 coupon, see upthread http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....6&postcount=30 ). You might be able to buy it at Costco.com at that price during that week without the physical coupon. List is 90 bucks, so even 70 is already a good discount.