I just tried using Turbo Tax, but they would not let me use their free version because I have some 1099 income. Now I’m looking for something else.
Pretty sure 1099 income is going to mean you pay for it, whatever you get.
I’m planning to switch to the H&R Block software, because of the the fraud frufurah and surprise cost increase from TurboTax – Schedule Cs have been moved from Deluxe to Home & Business at twice the price.
I looked at TaxAct but the reviews I saw said it was pretty user-unfriendly.
I use an honest-to-god human accountant. Worth every penny between the W-2’s, the 1099’s, and that court award from small claims.
If your tax situation is uncomplicated (and just receiving a 1099 doesn’t necessarily make it complicated), you can always just download the forms and do it yourself. Free!
Used to do it myself…until I learned that I was doing it wrong. Ouch.
Went to H&R Block, and found an accountant I really liked.
She went solo, and I’m sticking with her. There is some mild conflict of interest here, I guess, as she’s poaching customers from H&R. I’m not really sure what the ethics are. But I like her, her rates are lower than H&R, and she seems to know what she’s doing.
I wish to hell it was as easy as I used to think it was!
I value my time pretty highly, but completing the return on my own takes so little time, and I don’t have to talk to anyone. The one time it took me a while was when I had to reconstruct the basis of old shares with poor records. I’m not sure what a professional would have charged me.
I have a CPA back in the States whom I use (he’s already filed for me) – $450 to fill out forms that say I don’t have to pay US taxes every year :mad:
And also a new form where I have to show I have ‘a comparable form of insurance from my employer’ so that I don’t get zapped with hellacious fines for not having Obamacare.
I don’t have to file in the UK as I’m not self-employed; my employer does it automatically (since taxes are deducted from my wage and I get only the net, there’s no reason to have to file them. Mr Boods, on the other hand, is an independent contractor and has to go through the hell of filing on his ownsome every January.)
I use H&R Block’s web site and it works for me. Federal is free for most and I pay them to file my State so I don’t have to reenter everything. In my experience it doesn’t pay to actually go to H&R Block since you are basically paying a premium for a temp employee to enter the info into the web site for you.
I’ve used TaxAct for at least 5 or 6 years now, and I’ve been very happy with it. Doing my state and federal this year cost $20, I think. It was worth it for me not to fret over the math myself. Plus all of last year’s info was till in their database, so I didn’t have to re-enter a lot of data. I think by the time I’d assembled all the correct forms, it took me less than an hour.
I has my Fed refund in a week, but the state refund took 3 weeks, for some reason. However, all the money is in the bank now. 
I just use TurboTax. My stuff is incredibly simple; one W-2 and a couple 1098-INTs.
AARP tax volunteers. It’s free for anybody over 50, they file electronically, and do both federal and state.
Oooo! Do you have to be an AARP member or just over 50 for that?
Turbo Tax Premiere. Been using it for about 10 years. Yes, I had been using the Deluxe version, and had to upgrade to the Premiere because we have investment income. But I found it at Costco for $55.
United Way will also do it for you if you qualify for the EITC.
I use Tax Act, have for two years now. It’s much better this year but was fine last year.
TurboTax, for about 6 years now. Just W2s and some 1099s of various flavors. I pay for Deluxe, worth the $30. I do my state on the state website for free.
I use Tax Act. It’s free – no restrictions (the paid version has some bells and whistles that you’re not likely to need). It found an extra $400 this year that I never would have thought I qualified for. It has state forms for $15.
That seems insane. Why on earth do you do this?
FreeTaxUSA.com. No charge for Federal, $12.95 for State, I have a bunch of 1099’s and it’s never been a problem, and everything is done online without having to purchase anything. I’ve been using them since 2003, and since they save all my information, it only takes me about 30 minutes to do my taxes. My only problem is that this year I owed money for the first time in about 5 years. 
CPA. My income/investment set up is pretty complicated.
Reluctantly.
I always owe.
I’ve been using TaxAct for years.
I’m self employed and have 1099s as well.
I’ve never had a problem with it and they save my data from year to year.
The federal is free, the state is something like $16.99.