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Turbo Tax for Business
by Jim Karsjens, NOCCC - March 14, 1998 at 16:03:31:
"Turbo Tax", the #1 Best-selling and #1 Rated has finally improved the quality of their "Turbo Tax for Business" to equal that of their main product. "Turbo Tax Deluxe" now even mentions the Business Products on their box. For several years it seemed that their Business products were a poor step-child with their entry screens entirely different from "Turbo Tax" as though the business tax programmers were in a different city from "Turbo Tax" and they never talked.But they finally are becoming integrated and have all the successful attributes of the better known Turbo Tax Deluxe.
They now use the same Easy Step which interviews you in plain English, then places your answers into IRS approved tax forms, performs all calculations automatically, and then leads you through a Final Review to double check for missing information, overlooked deductions and entries that could trigger an audit. The programs then print ready-to-file IRS approved forms on plain paper. As complex as the IRS regulations have become, I would hate to file a business return without the use of "Turbo Tax for Business".
The programs include step-by-step depreciation information, however I could not find the answer I was after, even checking both the large amount of tax advice on the CD, and checking the additional information available on their Web-site. And the Video clips with advice from top tax and financial experts seem kind of gimmicky.
The business products all come on one CD--1040 (with additional Schedule C forms), 1120 for Corporations, 1120S for S Corporations, and 1065 for partnerships. However, if you have more than one type of business, you have to call Intuit directly to purchase an unlock code for the additional product.
The special offers we received for User Groups are Turbo Tax Deluxe $39.95, & Turbo Tax for Business $59.95, and when you call in for an additional business code it is $54.95. I would hope that the volume increases on the business products so they can lower the price.
"TurboTax for Business" also includes a free online update. When I received my copy from Intuit on March 2nd, I installed the Partnership portion, signed onto the WEB at Intuit.com to get an update. The instructions did not adequately point out that you must first sign onto your ISP or Service
Provider (AOL), minimize that program, alt-tab back to "TTax", and then request an update. With a 28.8 modem, the update took over 45 minutes. There must have been a lot of changes.
Tamara E. Holmes, in an USA TODAY article titled "Time transforms role of user groups" points out that "many user groups are now expected to provide the type of guidance that was once the exclusive domain of manufacturers' support lines." On a personal note, I have run a Turbo Tax SIG for the last four years to provide that support. Although Turbo Tax has provided an over-view demonstration of the product for our January main meetings, and is willing to provide a copy of Turbo Tax Deluxe to be reviewed in our newsletter, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain product from them for the use of the SIG.
In spite of the few negatives I have mentioned, I strongly recommend the product.
"Turbo Tax for Business" can be obtained over the Internet www.turbotax.com or directly from Intuit at 1-800-4-INTUIT.
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