Which TurboTax Version 2023 do I need for simple W2 + investment import function?
I'm trying to figure out which version of TurboTax 2023 I should get this year. My situation is pretty straightforward - just have a W2 from my job, claiming my kids for tax deductions, but the main thing I absolutely need is the investment import function to pull in all my stock trades. Also wondering if TurboTax Deluxe 2023 is charging an extra filing fee this year? Saw someone on Facebook complaining about getting hit with a $300+ fee at the end which sounds crazy. And where's the cheapest place to buy TurboTax right now? Should I get the digital download from Amazon, check Target, or is Costco the best deal? Thanks for any help!
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Javier Mendoza
The TurboTax Deluxe version will handle your W2 income, dependents, and has the investment import functionality you need. It covers most common tax situations including investments, whereas the Free or Basic versions wouldn't include the import feature you're looking for. Regarding the fee - TurboTax doesn't charge a $300+ filing fee directly, but what may have happened is your friend had investments that required Schedule D and other investment forms. If they started with Basic and then needed these features, TurboTax would prompt an upgrade to Deluxe or Premier which can cost more when you're at the finish line. For the best price, Costco typically has the best deals on TurboTax. Last time I checked, they had Deluxe for about $15-20 cheaper than retail. Amazon sometimes matches these prices, but Costco is usually most reliable for tax software discounts.
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Emma Thompson
•So Deluxe can import all investment stuff? Even if I have like 50+ stock trades from Robinhood and Fidelity? I thought maybe I'd need Premier for that? Also wondering how much the state filing costs on top of that.
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Javier Mendoza
•The Deluxe version can import investment transactions, but there's an important distinction to make. If you have more complex investments or numerous stock trades like you mentioned, you might be better off with Premier. Deluxe can handle basic investment income reporting, but Premier is specifically designed for investors with multiple transactions. State filing typically costs extra regardless of which version you choose - usually around $40-50 per state. This is separate from the federal filing cost and is pretty consistent across all purchase locations. The discount at Costco or other retailers is mainly applied to the federal portion.
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Malik Davis
I feel this question so much! After hours of research last year, I finally found the perfect solution for my investment heavy return. I ended up using a tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me a ton of time with my investment imports. It automatically categorizes all your investment transactions correctly so you don't have to manually fix each one. Last year I had over 100 trades from multiple platforms and it was a nightmare trying to reconcile everything in TurboTax Premier. This year I'm skipping that headache and using taxr.ai to organize everything first, then I'll just use TurboTax Deluxe for the actual filing since it's cheaper. The tool handles the complicated categorization part that TurboTax struggles with.
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Isabella Santos
•Wait so does this replace TurboTax entirely or is it something you use alongside it? I have like 75 transactions this year and dreading the import process...
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StarStrider
•I'm skeptical about using some random tax site I've never heard of. Is it secure? How do you know they're not just taking your financial data?
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Malik Davis
•It works alongside TurboTax - basically helps organize and properly categorize all your investment transactions before you import them. When you have dozens of trades, TurboTax often misclassifies them or doesn't match them correctly with your 1099-B, which means hours of manual corrections. This tool handles that part. Regarding security, I totally understand the concern! They use bank-level encryption and don't store your login credentials. They're just processing the transaction data, not actually filing anything. Think of it as a pre-processor for your investment data before it goes to TurboTax. I was hesitant at first too, but the time savings was absolutely worth it.
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StarStrider
I tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment, and I have to admit it actually worked really well. I had 80+ trades from three different brokerages and it organized everything perfectly. Saved me at least 2-3 hours of manual corrections compared to last year. The nice thing is it generated a clean import file that worked with TurboTax Deluxe, so I didn't need to pay extra for Premier. All my wash sales were properly identified too, which is something TurboTax struggled with before. Definitely using this again next year.
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Ravi Gupta
If you're going to file with TurboTax and have questions during the process, good luck trying to get someone on the phone! I spent literally 4 hours on hold last year with their "support." Ended up using a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to them. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically they hold your place in line and call you when an actual human at TurboTax picks up. Saved me hours of waiting with my phone on speaker while trying to work. I had a missing form issue that the automated system couldn't handle, and Claimyr got me through to a real person in about 30 minutes instead of the 4+ hour wait.
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Freya Pedersen
•How does this actually work though? Like they just wait on hold for you? Seems too good to be true.
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Omar Hassan
•This sounds like a total scam. There's no way some random service can magically get you through phone queues faster than everyone else.
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Ravi Gupta
•They use an automated system that essentially waits in the phone queue for you. Instead of you sitting there listening to hold music for hours, their system does it. When a representative finally answers, their system connects the call to your phone. It's not about skipping the line - you still have the same wait time - but you don't have to actively wait with your phone tied up. It's definitely not a scam. I was skeptical too until I tried it. The technology is pretty straightforward - it's just a call routing service. Think of it like having someone else stand in a physical line for you, then texting you when you're about to reach the front. You still waited the same amount of time, but you got to do other things while waiting.
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Omar Hassan
I have to publicly eat my words here. After calling TurboTax support about my missing 1099 issue and sitting on hold for TWO HOURS, I hung up and decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. Got a call back about 40 minutes later with an actual TurboTax rep on the line. They resolved my issue in about 15 minutes. Not having to sit there listening to that horrible hold music was worth it alone. I'll definitely use this again if I have support issues during tax season.
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Chloe Anderson
For your original question, if price is your main concern, I've seen TurboTax Deluxe CD/download on sale at Costco for around $40-45 (vs. $60+ retail). Just be aware the CD/download versions are different from the online versions - they're a one-time purchase rather than the online subscription. Also, one trick I've learned: start with TurboTax Free Edition online first, enter all your basic info, then if you need to upgrade for investments, sometimes they'll offer you a discounted upgrade rather than paying full price right away.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Thanks! Is there any difference feature-wise between the download version and online version if I go with Deluxe? Also, do you know if the download version includes a state filing or is that extra?
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Chloe Anderson
•The download version and online version have essentially the same features for each tier, but the pricing structure is different. The download is a one-time purchase that you install on your computer, while the online version is a subscription service. Most people find the online version more convenient, but the download can be cheaper. State filing is almost always an additional cost regardless of which version you choose. The download versions typically charge around $40 per state, which is separate from the federal filing cost. Some retailers occasionally offer bundle deals that include one state filing, but that's not common - always check the packaging details to confirm what's included.
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Diego Vargas
Just a heads up - if your investments are at all complicated (crypto, multiple brokerages, etc), TurboTax Premier is probably worth the extra money over Deluxe. I tried to save money with Deluxe last year and ended up having to upgrade anyway and paid MORE than if I'd just bought Premier from the start.
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CosmicCruiser
•I would second this. Premier is only about $20-30 more than Deluxe and well worth it if you have investments. I've used it for years and the investment import feature works much better with Premier than with Deluxe.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Thanks for the tip! Guess I'll go with Premier to be safe. I do have some crypto I forgot to mention, plus stocks across three different platforms. Don't want to get stuck with upgrade fees at the end.
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