Author Topic: Turbotax 2014 changes  (Read 16937 times)

Spork

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Turbotax 2014 changes
« on: January 10, 2015, 12:19:46 PM »

Someone broke the news to me in another thread (and thank you for that!).  But I thought this deserved it's own topic/warning.

http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2015/01/09/turbotax-has-bad-news-for-investors/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2015/01/09/irate-turbotax-users-can-get-free-upgrades-or-block-substitute/

Turbotax has revamped their product lines in a way that will probably affect a large chunk of us.  The Deluxe product will no longer do schedule C, D, E,  & F.   I suspect there are other changes if you run a small business.  You'll have to minimally have Premiere and possibly Home/Business.

If you've already bought Turbotax, they will (begrudgingly) upgrade you for free.... but you have to talk to them quite a while to make that happen.  I had to paste them a link that said they'd provide a refund for the product if you were not satisfied even if you bought it from a retail outlet.  (Most retail outlets are not going to take back an opened piece of time sensitive software!)

I'll also mention that if you have purchased TT and are bothered by this, H&R block will give you a free copy of their software if you just mail them at SwitchToBlock@hrblock.com and give them proof of TT purchase.

Their Amazon rating for this product has dropped to 1.5 stars and the reviews are pretty comical to read.  A VP (probably about to lose his job) is working really hard to tell everyone how this is an awesome thing and it only affects 2-4% of their customers.  You can see the Streisand Effect happening before your eyes.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2015, 12:35:25 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

[MOD NOTE: Please read the forum rules regarding promoting illegal activity.  And pay for things you use.  There is a difference between frugal and cheap.  Thanks.]
« Last Edit: January 11, 2015, 08:45:27 PM by arebelspy »

Yankuba

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2015, 01:07:59 PM »

Someone broke the news to me in another thread (and thank you for that!).  But I thought this deserved it's own topic/warning.

http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2015/01/09/turbotax-has-bad-news-for-investors/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2015/01/09/irate-turbotax-users-can-get-free-upgrades-or-block-substitute/

Turbotax has revamped their product lines in a way that will probably affect a large chunk of us.  The Deluxe product will no longer do schedule C, D, E,  & F.   I suspect there are other changes if you run a small business.  You'll have to minimally have Premiere and possibly Home/Business.

If you've already bought Turbotax, they will (begrudgingly) upgrade you for free.... but you have to talk to them quite a while to make that happen.  I had to paste them a link that said they'd provide a refund for the product if you were not satisfied even if you bought it from a retail outlet.  (Most retail outlets are not going to take back an opened piece of time sensitive software!)

I'll also mention that if you have purchased TT and are bothered by this, H&R block will give you a free copy of their software if you just mail them at SwitchToBlock@hrblock.com and give them proof of TT purchase.

Their Amazon rating for this product has dropped to 1.5 stars and the reviews are pretty comical to read.  A VP (probably about to lose his job) is working really hard to tell everyone how this is an awesome thing and it only affects 2-4% of their customers.  You can see the Streisand Effect happening before your eyes.

Thanks for sharing. It sounds like you need the more expensive version if you have capital gains to report. If there weren't so many software pirates it's possible that TT would not have made this change. Why people think it's okay to steal intellectual property is beyond me - it's no different than shoplifting or tearing up your check at a restaurant.

Tabaxus

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2015, 01:10:07 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

There is a difference between "being frugal" and "stealing."  I could cut down on my food costs by stealing from grocery stands, too.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2015, 01:42:06 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

There is a difference between "being frugal" and "stealing."  I could cut down on my food costs by stealing from grocery stands, too.

Sharing is not stealing.

If I bought a box of cookies and decided to share them with you would that be considered "stealing"?

The same logic could apply to a neighbor who borrowed my wrench I purchased from Harbor Freight.

Sharing is a good thing.

Tabaxus

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2015, 01:48:58 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

There is a difference between "being frugal" and "stealing."  I could cut down on my food costs by stealing from grocery stands, too.

Sharing is not stealing.

If I bought a box of cookies and decided to share them with you would that be considered "stealing"?

The same logic could apply to a neighbor who borrowed my wrench I purchased from Harbor Freight.

Sharing is a good thing.

Yeah, ok guy.  There is obviously no difference between the things you just described (sharing stuff that has a finite useful life) and "sharing" intellectual property in a way that, taken to its very possible end (in the absence of, you know, laws), everyone in the world with internet access (which, in this case, covers the vast majority of the people who would use the product at issue) would be able to use a piece of software after a single person purchases it. 

If you honestly can't see the difference between torrents and sharing consumable stuff (even the wrench can only be used a certain number of times and, in any event, can't feasibly be shared with everyone who wants a wrench), you're a moron.  If your post was just trying to be cute, then so be it.  Either way, you're a thief. 
« Last Edit: January 10, 2015, 01:50:37 PM by Tabaxus »

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2015, 02:01:35 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

There is a difference between "being frugal" and "stealing."  I could cut down on my food costs by stealing from grocery stands, too.

Sharing is not stealing.

If I bought a box of cookies and decided to share them with you would that be considered "stealing"?

The same logic could apply to a neighbor who borrowed my wrench I purchased from Harbor Freight.

Sharing is a good thing.


If you honestly can't see the difference between torrents and sharing consumable stuff (even the wrench can only be used a certain number of times and, in any event, can't feasibly be shared with everyone who wants a wrench), you're a moron.  If your post was just trying to be cute, then so be it.  Either way, you're a thief.

My wrench has a longer shelf life than TurboTax 2014.

I'll probably being using the wrench in 2016. TurboTax 2014 not so much.

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2015, 02:21:30 PM »
I downloaded TurboTax Home and Business from a torrent site.

It didn't cost me a cent.

There is a difference between "being frugal" and "stealing."  I could cut down on my food costs by stealing from grocery stands, too.

Sharing is not stealing.

If I bought a box of cookies and decided to share them with you would that be considered "stealing"?

The same logic could apply to a neighbor who borrowed my wrench I purchased from Harbor Freight.

Sharing is a good thing.

see the difference there is you bought the cookies, then asked folks if they wanted some.

If you took the cookies without permission then tried to justify it by sharing... that would be different.

It takes a crapload of time and money to write a large software package.  Even if the software company is douchey... doesn't mean I want to take it from them without permission.  If they're douchey, I buy the competition or go without.    And I'd say in the future, I will buy the competition when it comes to Intuit.

Tabaxus

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2015, 02:24:37 PM »
Yep.  And if you have a problem paying for something that you'll only use for one year, you should do your taxes by hand rather than stealing tax preparation software.  If you have a problem with their pricing model, you should use different software or, again, do it by hand.  The only difference between you and someone who torrents hundreds of thousands of dollars in pirated software/music/movies is degree, not kind.  You're a thief.  In a just world with unlimited resources, you would be prosecuted accordingly.  Misdemeanor it may be, but it will serve as an appropriate signal for anyone considering hiring you in the future.

With that, I'll stop derailing the thread that highlights legitimate concerns about the changes to TT's pricing model for this year, because it's a really obnoxious change that has me considering alternatives.

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2015, 02:25:42 PM »


Thanks for sharing. It sounds like you need the more expensive version if you have capital gains to report. If there weren't so many software pirates it's possible that TT would not have made this change. Why people think it's okay to steal intellectual property is beyond me - it's no different than shoplifting or tearing up your check at a restaurant.

It seems that both HRblock and Taxact are way cheaper anyway.  I'll be running both TT and HRB this year since I'll have both (to get a feel for how they are different).

I think some folks around here will actually need the high Home/Business tier of TT starting this year, depending on what forms are required.  This seems like a good year to switch.

MayDay

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2015, 06:21:57 PM »
Shoot, this will effect us. We've used TT for years. My H will not do the efile, we send the paper forms.

If anyone has advice on good alternatives, I'm interested.

ETA: I read the Amazon reviews and poked around, looks like the h&r block deluxe for 30$ will do the job.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2015, 06:51:53 PM by MayDay »

MayDay

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2015, 06:53:00 PM »
The alternative is prepare and file your taxes on paper, using the forms available on the IRS website. Tax software is uniformly poor.

I've not heard that, why? If nothing else it should prevent simple arithmetic mistakes, transposing numbers, etc.

senecando

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2015, 06:56:52 PM »
Quote
"X is in a category whose archetypal member gives us a certain emotional reaction. Therefore, we should apply that emotional reaction to X, even though it is not a central category member."

Hadilly

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2015, 07:30:17 PM »
Spork: thank you for the head's up. I'll be curious how people like HR vs TaxAct.

Serve&Volley88

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2015, 10:06:48 PM »
I used TaxAct last year and found it to be simple, effective, and affordable. No complaints.

Everyone is complaining about TurboTax this year. They really screwed up.

StashDaddy

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2015, 10:10:15 PM »
I have a rental property.  From the website, it looks like Turbotax will cost $55 vs $50 for H&R block...  I have used turbo tax for the past couple of years, and have been pretty satisfied.  Most expensive, but probably the best...?

Dodge

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2015, 10:38:53 PM »
Was all set to buy TurbiTax until I heard the news. Switched to TaxAct, looks good so far, and significantly cheaper!

Scandium

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #17 on: January 11, 2015, 06:32:35 AM »
I ditched TT for Taxact years ago and have no complaints (or audits..). At last when I switched it was way cheaper too.

You don't pay until you file so if you really want to you can do your taxes twice, using both programs and compare.

Edit; regular TT is $60?! That's nuts! taxact is $18. I didn't know the difference was still that much. Everyone stop giving these people money right now
« Last Edit: January 11, 2015, 06:41:40 AM by Scandium »

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #18 on: January 11, 2015, 08:28:42 AM »
I ditched TT for Taxact years ago and have no complaints (or audits..). At last when I switched it was way cheaper too.

You don't pay until you file so if you really want to you can do your taxes twice, using both programs and compare.

Edit; regular TT is $60?! That's nuts! taxact is $18. I didn't know the difference was still that much. Everyone stop giving these people money right now

TT is $84-100 (depending on where you buy it) if you need to do business deductions.

I'll try Taxact next year.  Everyone seems to like it.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #19 on: January 11, 2015, 08:38:39 AM »
I just got an e-mail notification from TT claiming everything is free to do now. Federal, State (NA), and e-fire. Have not read the fine print though. I previously have used H&R Block at home and this was completely free the past few years.

Yankuba

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2015, 09:14:54 AM »
I just switched over to H&R Block - Deluxe edition. It was $30 at Amazon and includes 5 federal e-files. However, you have to pay $20 to submit a state efile. For what it's worth, some people on Amazon said they can file their state taxes electronically for free via their state's website and some people said they can upload H&R Block data to their state's website - also for free.

So it looks like if you have capital gains and want to efile you need to spend $30 plus $20 for H&R Block (Deluxe) or you need to spend $75 for Turbo Tax Premier. And I believe there are additional products.

Davin

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2015, 10:06:49 AM »
There are free versions of Turbo Tax, Tax Act , and H&R Block. You don't have to pay, or risk "sharing" via torrent. All you have to do is manually input your W2s.

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2015, 10:15:42 AM »
There are free versions of Turbo Tax, Tax Act , and H&R Block. You don't have to pay, or risk "sharing" via torrent. All you have to do is manually input your W2s.

I don't know about Taxact or H/R Block free versions... but the free version of Turbotax doesn't handle anything other than 1040, 1040EZ, Sched B and EIC.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #23 on: January 11, 2015, 11:15:05 AM »
I ditched TT for Taxact years ago and have no complaints (or audits..). At last when I switched it was way cheaper too.

You don't pay until you file so if you really want to you can do your taxes twice, using both programs and compare.

Edit; regular TT is $60?! That's nuts! taxact is $18. I didn't know the difference was still that much. Everyone stop giving these people money right now

TT is $84-100 (depending on where you buy it) if you need to do business deductions.

I'll try Taxact next year.  Everyone seems to like it.
I had to check; the small business version of taxact is $50. Of course I have no idea if TT is better and may be worth it.

Davin

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #24 on: January 11, 2015, 11:59:36 AM »
There are free versions of Turbo Tax, Tax Act , and H&R Block. You don't have to pay, or risk "sharing" via torrent. All you have to do is manually input your W2s.

I don't know about Taxact or H/R Block free versions... but the free version of Turbotax doesn't handle anything other than 1040, 1040EZ, Sched B and EIC.

That is all most people need. I can see that your needs are different, Spork, but it always blows me away how many people I know who pay for this type of software year after year needlessly. My comment was directed at those who just assume they need to pay because there is a strong chance it isn't necessary at all.

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #25 on: January 11, 2015, 12:10:03 PM »
There are free versions of Turbo Tax, Tax Act , and H&R Block. You don't have to pay, or risk "sharing" via torrent. All you have to do is manually input your W2s.

I don't know about Taxact or H/R Block free versions... but the free version of Turbotax doesn't handle anything other than 1040, 1040EZ, Sched B and EIC.

That is all most people need. I can see that your needs are different, Spork, but it always blows me away how many people I know who pay for this type of software year after year needlessly. My comment was directed at those who just assume they need to pay because there is a strong chance it isn't necessary at all.

I would think a large number of folks in this audience might have investment income, small business income and/or rental income -- hence the warning.

Monkey Uncle

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #26 on: January 11, 2015, 03:57:36 PM »
If your income is 60K or less, you can use IRS free file.  It lets you choose from several leading tax programs.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #27 on: January 11, 2015, 05:47:04 PM »
Beware of the state e-filing fees for TT. Many users don't realize they'll be asked to pay per state, if they want to e-file.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #28 on: January 11, 2015, 06:01:03 PM »

I don't know about Taxact or H/R Block free versions... but the free version of Turbotax doesn't handle anything other than 1040, 1040EZ, Sched B and EIC.

Last year's review of Taxact Free (from PC Magazine) was very positive - they basically said it was like the Deluxe version without the guidance (or state tax filing). Not sure if that will translate to this year, but it's a good sign.

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #29 on: January 11, 2015, 09:19:24 PM »
We bought a fixer upper that is a rental now.  keeping track of the depreciation is a total PITA...but TurboTax keeps track of it from year to year.  We have 20 year, 7 year, 5 year and 3 year depreciable items, spread out over the 15 years we have beeon working on the house.  It is non-trivial to use the correct depreciation category for each item.  So that makes Turbotax totally worth it for us, it is easier and cheaper than going to an accountant.   So not everyone who uses it could do it manually. 

Spork

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #30 on: January 12, 2015, 08:32:56 AM »
We bought a fixer upper that is a rental now.  keeping track of the depreciation is a total PITA...but TurboTax keeps track of it from year to year.  We have 20 year, 7 year, 5 year and 3 year depreciable items, spread out over the 15 years we have beeon working on the house.  It is non-trivial to use the correct depreciation category for each item.  So that makes Turbotax totally worth it for us, it is easier and cheaper than going to an accountant.   So not everyone who uses it could do it manually.

I am told (but haven't tested yet) that H&R block software can just read your last year's TT file and run with it (and it costs much less).  This may be true of Taxact, too... I don't honestly know.

Since H&R is making a free offer to people that buy TT for a replacement... this is a good year to test it to see if it would work for you.

geekette

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #31 on: January 12, 2015, 09:52:50 AM »
Here's the link on how to get H&R Block's software free if you've already purchased TTax - link.


James

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #33 on: January 30, 2015, 11:13:46 AM »
I have used Turbo Tax since the 90s, though recently I keep thinking of changing. I do like how my whole tax history is right there in one place, I am familiar with the way it works, and it's easy to just keep using the same company. But at some point I might change, just keep waiting for a clear reason, like finding out a certain company does things a lot better or has some feature I really like. But using It's Deductible has saved me a lot of money over the years and integrates tightly with Turbo Tax, so that alone is worth something to me. And taxes are already a bit annoying, don't want to mess with switching companies on top of that.

LibrarIan

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #34 on: January 30, 2015, 12:52:40 PM »
I guess I'm confused. Why is anyone paying for TurboTax? I use their Federal Free Edition and it only costs like $30 to file state taxes (although this year it's free for some reason as well).

Grande

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #35 on: January 30, 2015, 02:43:40 PM »
I guess I'm confused. Why is anyone paying for TurboTax? I use their Federal Free Edition and it only costs like $30 to file state taxes (although this year it's free for some reason as well).

Because the tax situation of others may differ from yours.

MoneyCat

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #36 on: January 30, 2015, 03:16:18 PM »
I have used TurboTax for years and since they have all my tax history in one place I will stick with them this year as well.  I know I'm paying a premium for the convenience of it, but honestly, I have so much on my plate right now that a little technology is welcome.

MrMoogle

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #37 on: January 30, 2015, 07:23:31 PM »
If you use Vanguard, you can get TurboTax at a reduced rate.  If you're a flagship member at Vanguard, it's free for the lower levels.

If you log onto vanguard.com, go under your accounts, then tax center.  Click on the TurboTax icon (might have to do it twice).  If you've already started, you'll still get the discount by logging on once this way. 

James

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #38 on: January 30, 2015, 07:59:32 PM »
If you use Vanguard, you can get TurboTax at a reduced rate.  If you're a flagship member at Vanguard, it's free for the lower levels.

If you log onto vanguard.com, go under your accounts, then tax center.  Click on the TurboTax icon (might have to do it twice).  If you've already started, you'll still get the discount by logging on once this way.


Thanks for the info, I'll use that!

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Re: Turbotax 2014 changes
« Reply #39 on: January 30, 2015, 11:57:45 PM »
Costco sells Turbotax Premier (which covers investments and rental properties) for $55.  I was annoyed that I had to switch from Deluxe to Premier but the price wasn't too different.  I think I paid $50 for Deluxe last year on Amazon. 




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