Can I trust TurboTax with complex tax returns (marriage, new home, dependents)?

Tax software like TurboTax is generally reliable for most tax situations, including yours. The software is designed to handle marriages, home purchases, and various tax credits. That said, a $17,500 refund does sound unusually high and it's smart to be cautious. This large refund could be legitimate for several reasons. First, marriage can significantly change your tax situation, especially if there's a large income disparity between spouses. Second, first-time homebuyer credits or mortgage interest deductions can boost refunds substantially. Third, child tax credits, education credits, and childcare credits add up quickly - the Child Tax Credit alone is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child. I'd recommend reviewing your entries carefully. Check that you've entered all W-2 information correctly, verified income amounts, and accurately answered all questions about dependents and credits. Sometimes a single misplaced decimal point or incorrectly checked box can dramatically change your results.

I was skeptical about tax software handling my complicated situation last year too! After getting a surprisingly large refund estimate from another program, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed my tax filing experience. What makes it different is how it analyzes all your documents and explains exactly why you're getting certain credits or deductions. When I got a larger-than-expected refund, it showed me precisely which new tax benefits I qualified for and why. The peace of mind from understanding exactly where my refund was coming from was incredible. In your case, with marriage, a new home, and dependent credits all happening in one year, having something double-check your work and explain the calculations would be super helpful.

I have to apologize for being skeptical about taxr.ai in my earlier comment. I decided to give it a shot with my complicated return (self-employed plus rental property) and I'm seriously impressed. The system caught a home office deduction I'd been missing for years and explained exactly why I qualified. It also identified that I'd been calculating my rental property depreciation incorrectly. Between those two things alone, it found an additional $3,200 in deductions I would have missed. What I appreciated most was getting clear explanations about why certain deductions were valid rather than just being told to take them. Makes me feel much more confident if I ever get questioned about anything on my return.

For what it's worth, I had a similar experience with an unexpectedly large refund last year. After trying to call the IRS for THREE DAYS straight and never getting through, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under an hour when I couldn't get through on my own for days. The agent confirmed that my large refund was legitimate - turned out the combination of getting married, buying a house, and having my first child all in the same year created a perfect storm of tax benefits. Honestly, speaking directly with the IRS gave me the confidence to file my return as-is. Sometimes multiple major life changes happening at once can dramatically impact your tax situation in ways that are hard to believe until an official confirms it.

I need to eat crow about my comment on Claimyr. After spending FIVE HOURS trying to get through to the IRS myself about a notice I received, I broke down and tried the service. Within 40 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS representative who resolved my issue. The rep explained that my notice was actually sent in error due to a processing delay on their end, and confirmed I didn't owe anything additional. I'm still shocked it worked. Saved me countless hours of frustration and probably a day off work. For anyone dealing with tax questions that only the IRS can answer, this is legitimately worth it.

To answer your original question more directly - I'm a fan of TurboTax for most situations, but when you have multiple major life changes in one year (marriage, house, dependents), it might be worth paying for a professional review. What I typically do is complete everything in TurboTax first, then take it to a CPA for review. This costs way less than having them prepare it from scratch, but gives you the peace of mind that everything is correct. My CPA charges about $150 for a review versus $400+ to prepare everything. Also, double check that you entered everything correctly. The most common mistakes I've seen friends make: - Entering the same income twice - Claiming credits they don't qualify for by misunderstanding a question - Incorrectly entering mortgage interest or property tax information

I used to work at a tax preparation company, and honestly, TurboTax is very reliable for most situations. That said, $17,500 does sound high, but not impossible with all your life changes. One thing nobody has mentioned yet - check how much you and your spouse had withheld from your paychecks throughout the year. If you both were withholding at higher single rates while actually being married (which often has better tax advantages), that alone could explain a big chunk of the refund. Also double check you didn't accidentally enter something twice. The most common mistake I saw was people entering the same W-2 twice or entering both the W-2 and a duplicate 1099 for the same job.