Anyone used Chime/Column Tax instead of TurboTax? Need reviews before switching

Thanks! Did you notice any difference in processing time between these and turbotax?

Processing time is basically the same - its all about how quickly the IRS moves, not which service you use tbh

How accurate is it? Can it actually predict when ill get my refund?

Its scary accurate! It looks at all your transcript codes and tells you exactly whats happening and when to expect your money. Way better than the where's my refund tool

Just tried it and WOW 🤯 finally know whats actually happening with my refund!

facts. was on hold for 2 hours last week smh

fr they tried charging me $89 this year like bye 👋

how long u been waiting?

bout 3 weeks now. WMR still says processing

That's weird! Could be a difference in how they calculate deductions or handle certain tax situations. Maybe one is missing a form or credit that the other caught? I'd double check that both are importing all your W-2s and 1099s correctly

@Connor Gallagher is right - definitely check that both are pulling in all your forms correctly. Also make sure you re'claiming the same filing status and dependents on both. Sometimes different software handles things like the earned income credit or child tax credit slightly differently too. You might want to go line by line on the 1040 comparison to see exactly where the difference is coming from.

Also worth checking if one software is applying different tax law interpretations or if there are any fees being deducted automatically from your refund that might make it appear smaller. Sometimes the "refund amount" shown includes or excludes filing fees depending on the platform. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples!

That's really helpful @Finnegan Gunn! 10 days is way faster than what I got with TurboTax last year. I'm just doing W-2 and standard deduction so sounds like Column might be perfect. Did you have any issues with customer support if you needed help, or was the process pretty self-explanatory?

This is exactly what I needed to hear! The upselling from TurboTax was driving me crazy last year - felt like every screen was trying to get me to upgrade to some premium version I didn't need. 8 days for your refund is amazing too! Did you notice any difference in the accuracy or did Column catch all the same deductions that TurboTax would have found? I'm pretty straightforward tax-wise but want to make sure I'm not leaving money on the table by switching.

@GalacticGuru that's such a relief to hear! I'm definitely leaning towards Column now. Quick question - when you say it doesn't hold your hand as much, do you mean it's less guided through the deduction process? Like does it still ask you the standard questions about charitable donations, student loan interest, that kind of stuff? I'm worried I might miss something obvious since I'm not super tax-savvy.

@GalacticGuru Yes it still asks all the standard deduction questions! It walks you through charitable donations, student loan interest, medical expenses, all that stuff. When I say it doesn't hold your hand I mean it doesn't have those annoying popup explanations for every single field or try to upsell you on "audit protection" every other screen lol. It's actually more streamlined - asks what it needs to ask and moves on. I actually caught a deduction I missed the year before with TurboTax (home office expenses) so the accuracy is definitely there. You won't miss anything obvious, promise!

@Paolo Moretti That s'awesome to hear! I m'definitely convinced to make the switch now. Two weeks turnaround is exactly what I m'hoping for. Quick question - did you have to manually input all your tax info or does Column Tax import from previous years/other software like TurboTax does? I m'wondering if I ll'need to dig up all my old documents or if there s'an easier way to transfer everything over from my TurboTax account.

@Paolo Moretti @Ben Cooper From what I ve experienced,'Column Tax can import some basic info from previous years if you upload your prior year return PDF , (but)it s not'as seamless as TurboTax s year-to-year'transfer. You ll likely'need to manually input your current year documents like W-2s and 1099s, but honestly it only takes a few extra minutes and the interface makes it pretty painless. I d recommend'gathering your docs beforehand - W-2s, any 1099s, student loan interest statements, etc. The trade-off of a few minutes of manual entry for the cost savings and better experience is totally worth it imo!