# Can you do your own taxes? Do you not trust Tax software?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 5, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883 "2007-02-05T03:52:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/41 "2007-02-07T19:06:32Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.N. Jones]  
Also, in my case, I actually have so many deductions that as I figure it, I don’t owe federal or state income tax this year.  
[/QUOTE]  
AMT?

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**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/42 "2007-02-07T19:31:17Z")

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[QUOTE=amarone]  
AMT?  
[/QUOTE]

Nope. It’s a long, boring story.

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**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/43 "2007-02-07T21:45:03Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.N. Jones]  
And no, not a tax lawyer, but just about all lawyers study some tax law in law school.  
[/QUOTE]

Yep - I write contracts for a living, but you won’t see me in a courtroom attempting to practice law. I don’t want a dermatologist to do any heart surgery on me, either - even if he studied some surgery in med school and did a surgical rotation. :dubious:

All in all, I will stick with someone who spent a few years studying the details of tax law, got an MST, and are licensed as an EA to practice by the IRS.

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**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/44 "2007-02-07T23:13:10Z")

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[QUOTE=ASAKMOTSD]  
Yep - I write contracts for a living, but you won’t see me in a courtroom attempting to practice law. I don’t want a dermatologist to do any heart surgery on me, either - even if he studied some surgery in med school and did a surgical rotation. :dubious:

All in all, I will stick with someone who spent a few years studying the details of tax law, got an MST, and are licensed as an EA to practice by the IRS.  
[/QUOTE]

If you really believe that it is impossible for a layman to learn enough about tax law to competently do their own taxes, ever, then I will waste no more of my time trying to convince you.

If I had a “real” business, and hence a more complicated tax picture, I would probably hire a tax professional. But my business isn’t really a business, exactly; it looks a lot like someone who simply pays their employee as an independent contractor. (Except that I work whenever I damned well please, and several other work condition things that make me an IC.) The tax situation is really very simple. My main point is, not all Schedule C returns are difficult. That’s why there’s even a Schedule C-EZ. **DrDeth** ’s “idiot” brush is too broad.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/45 "2007-02-08T00:57:52Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.N. Jones]  
You make the mistake of assuming my self-employment is as a lawyer. It’s not. I have a consulting business based on my non-legal talents.

And no, not a tax lawyer, but just about all lawyers study some tax law in law school.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but blanket statements like “everyone who files Schedule C and does their own taxes is an idiot” are simply ignorant.  
[/QUOTE]

Well, see you misrepresented yourself twice, and thus, sorry. But if “the man who represents himself has a fool for a client” is true, then “the dude who has a ScHD and does his own taxes is an idiot” is also.

In both cases there are rare exceptions.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/46 "2007-02-08T01:36:18Z")

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I used to do my taxes with a pencil on the back of the envelope my W2 came in. That included the 1040, A, C, E, SE, 4562, 880, etc.

Now I use one of the e-filing sites.

Takes me a couple of hours.

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**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-do-your-own-taxes-do-you-not-trust-tax-software/390883/47 "2007-02-08T18:21:40Z")

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I have done my own taxes forever, except for two years when I had some 1099 stuff to deal with and I was much younger and less wise. 😉

Since I’ve been married I’ve done taxes on my own (except for the first year when my mom helped to make sure I got all the deductions correct). And I’ve used TurboTax every year after that, about 9 years running. I get the automatic renewal including state and it costs about $45. I file electronically and it’ll cost \< $25, and I’ll get a rebate on the federal. I do get grumpy about paying to file elctronically, but it’s very fast and easy and I’m lazy.

My love for TurboTax has decreased somewhat since I was notified by the state about a deduction I claimed which turned out to be incorrect. I’m a bit miffed that TT let me get away with it, but, reading the same info this year, I wonder what the hell I was thinking taking the deduction anyway. So, I paid the back taxes and I pay better attention.

My taxes are simple, single state residence, homeowner, W2s until this year when a 1099 came in for my wife’s new job. Nothing too complicated adn the software makes it easy.

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