Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've tried both major tax software packages (this and H&R Block's) as well as the TurboTax Online version. While none of them is perfect, I think this is the best of the three. What sets this apart is that you have the option to do your taxes via a very simple interactive step-by-step "interview" or, if you know what you're doing, you can actually just jump from topic to topic. You even have the ability to just go to specific forms and fill them out directly. This flexibility means you can quickly fill out an area you're familiar with, but have the software lead you slowly through unfamiliar topics. I find that I generally go direct to things I've done several years in a row, but will do the step-by-step interview for areas that are new to me (e.g. when I first got married, or had kids, or got a small royalty check from a patent). If you get a form in the mail you don't recognize (1099-G, for example) you just do a search for it in the software and it tells you where to go. I can also tell you, however, that Premier probably isn't worth it for the vast majority of people, even if they have investments. The basic version will still allow you to fill out capital gains sheets. The only thing this really gives you is the ability to better handle rental property and gives you tools to value and maximize deductions. If you have a home business that doesn't have employees (and thus no payroll taxes) you can also get by with Deluxe, instead of Home Business. They don't tell you this, for obvious reasons, but there is really very little extra you get with Premier and Home Business. It's mostly little bonuses that you get, like online databases for valuing deductions. They can't actually remove the ability for you to file your required personal taxes and so all versions have all the forms available. The main difference is in how much help you'll get filling them out. My recommendation is that you save some money and start with Deluxe or Basic. If you actually come across anything that you really need a higher version for, or that would be nice to have, you can upgrade the software online and pay a bit extra, keeping all the work you've already done. The software makes it very easy to upgrade in-place in the middle of filling out your returns. My guess is that you won't ever have to, however.