Turbo Tax and Professional,which one is the best?

With the coming of the tax filing season consumers turn to various free tax filing software programs to easily file their taxes online. Turbo Tax is capitalizing on this consumer trend by introducing Get Help from a Pro free tax filing Q&A.

There are lots of problems that arise when we start calculating our taxes. One little mistake can lead to a disastrous result, creating panic and leading to other problems. Because of this we should try to find something that can make our lives easier from this point of view.

This is where Turbo Tax comes is. The widespread of using a computer and an internet connection makes it very easy for just about anyone to have access to this amazing software and all of its benefits. Let me try to explain why it can change your life.

Any tax calculator can provide a helping hand to your financial problems. But not any software can pride itself with solution that can cover both federal and state taxes, like Turbo Tax. This software has provided great benefits to customers all over the US ever since 1993, when it was first introduced to the market. The fact that it remained on the market for so long is a statement for the quality of its returns.

There have been many versions of Turbo Tax released to the market over the years, each of them with improvements over its predecessor. The latest version released in 2008 is one of the most comprehensive versions until now.

However, by now you might be wondering what makes TurboTax the best software solution to calculate your taxes. As we all know tax laws are changed more often than a person changes their socks. Because of this, any software should be updated constantly with whatever changes occur in the financial system in order to provide the most accurate results.

The cost of the Turbo Tax software program was intended to be a little high, but due do the contrary opinion of the public, the prices were dropped.

How about Tax professional service?

Tax professionals say if you do it yourself online, the websites are only as good as your knowledge of taxes. Everyone's situation is different and if you are looking for fast cash, you could be sacrificing your money.

We put the websites versus the tax expect to the test.

The moment you rip open your W-2, some of us jump online to free tax filing websites. It only takes a few minutes to punch in all the numbers, especially if you used it before and your information is saved.

Within minutes, you know how much you are getting back. Or do you?

"If you have no tax knowledge, I suggest you don't use it,We've gone from paper to computer and e-file and everything has gotten easier," Kathleen Collins told WTOC.

Collins has been an enrolled tax agent since 1970. She's seen the evolution of tax filing.

She says online may be easy, but folks looking for a rapid refund could be missing out on a bigger refund.

"They may be eligible for extra earned income credit. We have a new real estate tax deduction that can be added to the standard deduction if you do not itemize,You may pass it by and not get it." she said.

I took the tax information I used to calculate a refund, $1,711 for federal and $159 from the Georgia. Collins then took the information and found some missed items she's seen many times before.

"Parents miss their child's tuition and don't deduct it,We've amended those tax returns and gotten more money" she said.

Collins says says teachers and single parents to boat and RV owners all have deductions commonly missed. A simple oversight or lack of tax knowledge, could cost you a sweeter refund.

I forgot to add in interest paid on college loans and the refund went up more than $100 on federal and $25 on state.

"Once you hit that key and it's submitted, it's gone. Any changes you make you have to make with an amended return," Collins said. "People need to be careful. If you are not sure, get the advice of a professional."

Collins is an enrolled agent, which is a tax specialist who can represent you before the IRS in case of an audit. She says if the government has issues with your tax return and you went to a tax place, you may have to represent yourself.

A couple other things you might miss. You can write off ad velorum tax on your automobile. Also this is the first year you can amend returns online, even for past returns.

April 15, 2009 is the deadline, not only to get your taxes in for 2008, but to make amends to 2005 returns as well.