Looking for Better Tax Software Alternative to TurboTax

That sounds promising! Can you actually skip ahead to just the forms you need? And how's their support if you do have a question about something specific?

Yes, you can definitely jump directly to specific forms instead of going through every interview question! There's a menu that lets you navigate to exactly what you need. Their support is pretty good in my experience. They have a help section with explanations for most fields, and email support that usually gets back within a day. It's not instant like TurboTax's chat, but I've found I rarely need it since the interface is more intuitive if you already understand tax concepts.

Does it handle more complicated situations like rental properties or investment sales with basis calculations? That's where I always get stuck with the wizard interfaces.

Sounds interesting but I'm always nervous about uploading financial docs to newer services. How's their security and privacy policy? Do they keep copies of your docs after filing?

Yes, it handles rental properties and investment sales really well! The document scanning is particularly helpful with investment forms because it captures all those tiny details from 1099-B forms without you having to manually enter everything. You can also enter adjustments for basis that wasn't reported correctly. Their security is bank-level with end-to-end encryption. They're very transparent that they don't store your documents after processing - they extract the data and then delete the originals. They have a pretty detailed privacy policy that specifies they don't sell any personal info to third parties.

Wait, how does this work? They just wait on hold for you? I've literally never been able to get through to the IRS on my own.

This sounds too good to be true. I've tried calling the IRS multiple times and gave up. Are you sure they can actually get through? And do they listen to your conversation with the IRS?

They have a system that autodials and waits on hold so you don't have to. When an IRS agent answers, their system calls your phone and connects you directly to the agent. It's basically like having someone else wait in line for you. No, they don't listen to your conversation at all. Once you're connected with the IRS agent, it's just you and the agent talking - completely private. The service just handles the hold time part, which is why it's so helpful. The IRS wait times have been ridiculous lately - sometimes 2-3 hours - so this saves you from being stuck by the phone all day.

I haven't tried TaxAct. How's the pricing compared to TurboTax? And does it let you jump directly to Schedule C without going through personal info you've already entered a million times before?

The pricing is definitely better - usually about half what TurboTax charges for the same features. For 2023 tax year I paid $65 total for federal and state with business income, compared to around $140 with TurboTax. Yes, you can jump directly to Schedule C and other forms! They have a forms-based navigation option where you can select exactly what you want to work on. You still need to complete basic personal info once, but after that you can move freely between different sections without following their sequence. It's much more efficient if you know what you're doing.

I tried the PDF forms route but got nervous about math errors. Don't the software programs check calculations and look for red flags? I'm always worried I'll miss something and get audited.