TurboTax Preparation Software Vs. TaxCut Tax Filing Software

2008 is quickly coming to an end. This means, as soon as the holidays are over, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty and prepare to file our taxes. I suppose there are many reasons why people use computer software to help prepare their taxes, but I can give you three reasons why I do. Computer software makes doing taxes easier, faster and it's a lot cheaper than paying someone else to do our taxes. The two 'big-boys' on the market right now, are TurboTax by Intuit, and TaxCut put out by H&R Block, and both are excellent tools for helping people prepare their taxes. Both TurboTax and TaxCut offer free federal filing. State taxes and e-file costs a little more with both.

The cost for TurboTax is between $70-$75, where the cost for TaxCut is between $60-$65; making TaxCut a better buy, if you are just looking at the cost.

You can buy TurboTax and TaxCut at just about any store that sells computer software. I used to buy mine at Staples, but after Walmart came to our area, I have always bought it there. I found that I could save a few dollars.

My sister-in-law started using TaxCut last year, and she really liked it. She said it was very easy to use. It was just a matter of entering her data into the computer, and the software did the rest. She was very happy with it, and plans on using it again this year.

I have used only TurboTax and Intuit products ever since I got my first computer, and I am so happy with it that I wouldn't even consider changing, even though TurboTax tends to run about $12 more than TaxCut. I happen to be one of those people that thinks, "If something works good, why change?"

I actually have another reason why TurboTax works so well for me. As I said earlier, I use other Intuit products. I use QuickBooks Pro for our personal finances, and when it comes time to do my taxes, I just transfer data over from GuickBooks to TurboTax, saving me an awful lot of data entry. I love it.

The decision as to which program to use would depend on the user, and what he/she needs. If the need is just tax preparation software, I suppose I would suggest TaxCut. It is cheaper. If it is ease of use you need, go with TurboTax.