Tax software (redux for 2015 taxes)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Last year there was a big kerfuffle when TurboTax took Schedule C* out of their “Deluxe” (lowest cost above the free version), and people started deserting them in droves, so they gave folks a “free upgrade” to the version that did have Schedule C. So I stayed with TurboTax for that year, but I could see the writing on the wall.

This year it appears TurboTax and H&R Block are both putting Schedule C into their more expensive versions. So now I’m looking at TaxAct. A lot cheaper at $20 for everything (the version with Schedule C). Anyone have experience with them?

This is going to be a complicated year for me: first year married, first full year retired, my spouse is the one who needs Schedule C (I hope for the last time, he should be retiring after this year). Can Tax Act handle all this? The only software I have ever used is TurboTax, so how different will TaxAct be?

*Schedule C: profit and loss for single proprietor business, such as a hairdresser (and probably other small businesses, that’s all I know about it).

2

I got a good price on the Turbo Tax version that worked for me, so I stuck with it. However, when I went to file online, the IRS rejected it because someone had already beaten me to the punch, which partially defeated the purpose of getting it – so that you can file electronically. Now I need a PIN to file.

3

I used TaxAct last year for the first time, the online version. My only significant complaint is that it didn’t seem like you could directly enter values on a form, at least with the online version (the desktop version may have this ability). This is very irksome to me, because I know exactly which lines on the Schedule C that I need to put certain expenses, but TaxAct forced me to use the Interview process, and the wording on some of those items don’t match the Schedule C language very well.

That aside, I’d recommend it as the best value of the bunch.