ed wrote:
- quote -

Even a free standing computer is only completely secure if
it is never connected to the internet. So the downloading
step creates a potentially insecure situation.

--
Frederick E. Jorden http://Tax-Accounting-Payroll.com
7825 Midlothian Tpk - 207 Richmond, VA 23235-5247
EMAIL knowtax[at]bigfoot.com
(804) 320-6210 FAX (804) 320-6211

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After completing my return -- including schedules A, B, D
and E (plus worksheets) -- by hand in about two hours, I
decided to check my work via free Taxcut.

My fixed WebTV browser is not up to their standards and
after about one hour of clicking on spaces for names,
address etc,etc,etc, I finally reached the first dollar
entry space.

Realizing that I would have to navigate through every entry
space, whether or not it applied to my situation, I stopped
right there. I wasn't sure that I could finish it by April
15 <g> .

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Heather said:

- quote -

Neither is secure. Secure is downloading the program onto
your own computer, doing your taxes at home, printing and
MAILING your 1040 to the IRS with your check. Since I
ALWAYS owe (Never overpay installments) there is no
advantage (except the postage) to e-file.

ed

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Heather wrote:
- quote -

I wonder if they remember last year's data? <evil grin
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Michael wrote:

- quote -

Incorrect. The online versions through the IRS are
*absolutely free* (yes, FREE!) to both print and efile. I
filed mine last Sunday. Printed as many copies as I wanted
and efiled for free. I, too, was skeptical when I first
heard, but if you do as instructed and go through
www.irs.gov, you can prepare and efile your federal return
using the online version of many software packages for FREE.
(State filing is not free.) I used TurboTax for zero cost.
I have bought copies of TurboTax for many years, but this
year, through the IRS website it was FREE! Yippee!

Regarding security - is there a huge difference between
preparing online and preparing at home and then uploading?
Either way, the information gets transmitted via the
internet. Didn't seem to me like the risk was that much
greater to prepare online and like I said before, since it
was free (and I'm a big fan of "free!)

Heather

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- quote -

Don - I agree. The OP was specifically referring working
through www.irs.gov to obtain free software packages. TaxAct
federal has always been free from www.taxact.com as part of
their marketing plan to sell state versions and e-file
services.

--
Vic Roberts
Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

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- quote -

TaxAct still offers a free download of their federal
program. http://www.taxact.com/ You can download the
program, calculate your federal taxes on your own computer,
and print out the forms ready for mailing. What isn't free
is e-file or your state return.

--
Don EA in Upstate NY

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"Victor Roberts" <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote:
- quote -

Also they are not free to' print or efile'
Also no State which by itself costs more than the total
cost of BOTH _ after_ rebates ............

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Moderator wrote:

- quote -

I have provided that information in the past, but I "give up."
I've decided that I will no longer "complain" about off-topic
software posts in this group, and I will no longer provide
assistance to such posters. I have been told by many people that
I should simply "ignore" messages that don't interest me, so that
is what I will do.

MTW

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Heather" <HeatherRain[at]hotmail.com> wrote:

- quote -

I disagree that the tax software "packages" are available
for free. What is available for free is access to the
on-line tax preparation services provided by many of the
software vendors. These services require that you prepare
your taxes the vendors Web site.

This is certainty not the same as using tax preparation
software installed on your own computer, and some people
think it is less secure.

--
Vic Roberts
Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

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Believe it or not, (and I didn't at first) almost all of the
major tax software packages are free if you go through
http://www.irs.gov/. These are being made available for free
to encourage electronic filing. You can experiment with any
and all packages on the list, except any for which you may
be ineligible. (But many say, "No restrictions. Everyone
qualifies.") You can even prepare your taxes using two or
more applications and compare the results.

In order to get it free, you MUST go through the IRS
website, including if you stop and restart at a later time.

Special thanks to Clark Howard for spreading the word.

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================================================== ==========
Moderator:
Will someone please inform this poster of the newsgroups
and web sites to which he needs to refer.
================================================== ==========

Ooops...sorry about that. My post should read that I'm
considering Turbotax Deluxe & Taxcut Premier. I've been
using TaxACT, and am now considering another program. Sorry
about any confusion this may have caused.

Craig wrote:

- quote -

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"Craig" <caheaton[at]netzero.net> wrote:

- quote -

You may have mixed up TaxACT and TaxCut in your question.
However, both TaxCut and TurboTaxare reasonable programs to
do your taxes. Your choice also seems to hinge on which
financial program, Quicken or Money to get with the package
deal. Again, both are reasonable choices. Maybe you should
buy both deals, try them, then decide.

<< -------------------------------------------------> << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org > << ------------------------------------------------->

Hello, I'm looking to purchase some tax software. For the
past three years I've used TaxACT, and while the program did
the job, I've always wondered if a more extensive interview
process might help me to save a bit more money. Our tax
return isn't too complicated: two incomes (married),
mortgage interest, some modest capital gains from sale of
stock, no children, etc. What I would like to do are some
what if scenarios...deducting sales tax versus state income
tax and how would this change if we filed separately, etc.
Which program would best suit our needs? I'm leaning
towards either TurboTax Deluxe or TaxAct Premier. They both
run about the same price after rebates and from what I can
gather both would likely meet my needs. Is this correct?
Would a lesser version (such as TaxAct Deluxe) also meet my
requirements? I'm interested in people who have used these
products and how they compare in ease of use and depth of
interview. Also, how easy is each program to manually
change the numbers so that I can see how it affects the
bottom line? (TaxACT was great for this....I could modify a
figure on the form directly and see across a line at the top
how it affected my final tax bill or refund.)

Also, (and one of the reasons I'm considering a change) is
the free financial software I can get with each program
after rebate. Turbo offers Quicken Basic and Taxcut offers
Money Standard. I'm not looking for anything fancy....just
a basic program so my wife can automate her check book and
so that I can keep track of our mutual funds. Which of
these two is easiest to use...I tried money once in the past
and didn't care much for the interface, but that was a
couple of years ago.

Craig

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