Turbotax - for free Home & Business version

[Howard 538]

To start out with if this violates any board rules - well please delete.  Obviously if you are going to use the software you should probably pay for it, but I like to try software before I buy it as there is so much crap out there.

Found these sources elsewhere to download (illegal of course) Turbotax for this year for free:

 

Edited January 2, 2018 by Krdshrk
Removed illegal links

[maintenanceguy 510]

I'm sure you can't file using a pirated copy.   That said, I use TurboTax.  We have regular employment income, two businesses, a mortgage, royalty income, and more.  Our taxes are more complicated than most and TurboTax works for us.

[Howard 538]

2 minutes ago, maintenanceguy said:

I'm sure you can't file using a pirated copy.   That said, I use TurboTax.  We have regular employment income, two businesses, a mortgage, royalty income, and more.  Our taxes are more complicated than most and TurboTax works for us.

Actually you can.

[leahcim 678]

I would be leery (a) installing software of unknown origin on my computer--especially the computer I use for my financial information and (2) entering all my personal data and tax information into software of unknown origin.

But that's just me, and maybe I am paranoid--what could possibly go wrong?

[JohnnyB 4,321]

Don't ask how I know but, it works just fine! A little birdie told me so!

Somehow I think the discussion is fine here but the links are probably pushing it too far.

[Howard 538]

Don't ask how I know but, it works just fine! A little birdie told me so!
Somehow I think the discussion is fine here but the links are probably pushing it too far.

I did not post that stuff online, just sharing info I found on the Interwebs.

[JohnnyB 4,321]

Just now, Howard said:

 

I did not post that stuff online, just sharing info I found on the Interwebs.

I did not mean to suggest you posted it online.....I was referring to your statement about board rules. I also like to try before I buy but posting the links here and pointing out they are illegal I am certain would violate most every boards rules. I would delete them and rephrase your OP or you can wait for a Mod or Admin to do it for you. I do appreciate the thought behind it though!

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Removed the illegal links.  We do not condone that sort of thing here.  While yeah you can save $40 bucks on the software, do you really want to risk it vs getting infected or PII stolen?

If turbotax is too expensive, look at H&R Block Taxcut.... I use it, myself.

[WP22 1,558]

Also if your income is below a certain amount, thee re legit sites that will let you do your tax for free.

I use turbo tax.

 

[10X 3,296]

3 hours ago, leahcim said:

I would be leery (a) installing software of unknown origin on my computer--especially the computer I use for my financial information and (2) entering all my personal data and tax information into software of unknown origin.

But that's just me, and maybe I am paranoid--what could possibly go wrong?

Exactly right.    The dust hasn't settled from the Equifax and Yahoo breaches, or even the Target and Home Depot breaches that preceded them.   2017 also gave us the Wannacry and NotPetya malware outbreaks, some of the most destructive ever.  

So why, why, why would anyone go on a hacker website and download software of unknown origin that wants you to enter ALL of your financial information...SSN, spouse's SSN, kids SSN's, birthdates, address, your W2's, 1099's, etc. etc.

[M1152 713]

Another vote for Taxcut. I doubt if anyone here even remembers but TurboTax got in trouble back in 2003 with that C-dilla copy protection debacle, and many people then switched to TaxCut as a result of that mess.  see link here

I use to buy TT every year than after that I said screw them and have been using TaxCut ever since. once in a while you could get a deal on the downloadable version from the hrblock.com website with a coupon or from Amazon downloads. If I was offered a FREE legit copy of TT I still wouldn't take it.

 

 

 

[Krdshrk 3,877]

3 hours ago, FXDX said:

Another vote for Taxcut. I doubt if anyone here even remembers but TurboTax got in trouble back in 2003 with that C-dilla copy protection debacle, and many people then switched to TaxCut as a result of that mess.  see link here

I use to buy TT every year than after that I said screw them and have been using TaxCut ever since. once in a while you could get a deal on the downloadable version from the hrblock.com website with a coupon or from Amazon downloads. If I was offered a FREE legit copy of TT I still wouldn't take it.

 

Not only that one - TurboTax started charging extra for filing Schedule C, D, and E with the Deluxe edition.  They backpedaled and started including it again but who knows if they'll do it again.

[Sota 1,191]

1 hour ago, Krdshrk said:

Not only that one - TurboTax started charging extra for filing Schedule C, D, and E with the Deluxe edition.  They backpedaled and started including it again but who knows if they'll do it again.

was that if you efiled?  there's a reason I efile the fed but snail mail the state; it's cheaper.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Just now, sota said:

what that if you efiled?  there's a reason I efile the fed but snail mail the state; it's cheaper.

You get one free federal e-file, I believe.  Still have to pay for state.  Printing/mailing is still eh though - I just efile and pay a little.

H&R Block TaxCut has a nice thing though - you can convert your refund to Amazon Credit and get an extra 10% bonus on top of it.  We buy from Amazon so much it was a nice bonus.

 

[leahcim 678]

I have always used the NJ state website to do state taxes. It takes more time- I don't think you can import anything, so it's all manual entry. And not a great UI, but it's free and it does the job.

[M1152 713]

10 hours ago, Krdshrk said:

Not only that one - TurboTax started charging extra for filing Schedule C, D, and E with the Deluxe edition.  They backpedaled and started including it again but who knows if they'll do it again.

After they pulled the C-dilla nonsense I was done with them. One of the upsides of the TaxCut transition was I was able to import the previous year’s TT file into Taxcut. That in itself wouldn’t have been a deal breaker but it sure saved me from typing the same stuff over and over….

It’s a shame really because TT & Quicken were both under the Intuit family and if you were a Q user you could export out your tax data into TT. Quicken recently went off on their own and are now going to do “subscription based upgrades” going forward which  means instead of forcing us to upgrade every three years with something even more bloated than the prior version it looks like we will be paying every 2 years for patches and an occasional upgrade.  I wish Quicken had some competition..I've been using Q since their software was on floppies. Microsoft had MS Money and it looked decent but never took off.  I seem to remember that Microsoft wanted to buy Quicken but that never happened. Oh well, as long as the math is right and get something back and don't receive an IRS audit letter that's the endgame right..