TaxACT 2009 Ultimate Bundle for Desktop

I have been using taxact for 3 years now and I found it very easy to use and cheap. Ultimate bundle comes with one state and a free efile, $8 for additional state efile. The help features exceed expectations. User interface has option of going by forms or questionnaire. The software has all the possible forms/features for most complex returns, unlike other tax softwares. On a side note, softwares dont maximize or minimize your tax returns they just do the calculations, dont pay extra money to be duped.

I started off doing taxes by hand with the help of an Excel spreadsheet, moved to TurboTax for a few years and have been using TaxAct for the past 5 or 6 years. Overall TaxAct has worked ok for me, but only because I'm pretty familiar with the process, including the standard forms, and I'm double-checking everything.

Several years ago I had to file an unusual form that TaxAct didn't handle correctly; I would have overpaid by hundreds of dollars if I hadn't caught the problem myself. This year it kept wanting to treat my vehicle tax deduction from the federal form as a foreign tax payment on the state form (Calif). It kept giving a yellow alert until I finally had to zero-out the entry directly on the state form. After I expressed interest in making estimated tax payments for 2010 it kept wanting to help me do that - even after I realized I didn't need to. There was no way to go back and say "No" and have it remember. If I had printed my returns without going into the custom print options I would have gotten many pages of irrelevant forms that I didn't need to file.

TaxAct is inexpensive and does the job if you stay on top of it. If your taxes are at all complex and you're not familiar with IRS forms and instructions - and don't want to take the time to read them - I would recommend trying another program or hiring someone like an enrolled agent to do your taxes for you.

Taxact is a waste of money. This overly simplistic software is dificult to navigate and not intuitive. I purchased this thinking I would save money, but you get what you pay for and they are deceptive about what you get with your purchase. After spending twice as long as I ever have with other tax programs trying to navigate through this crappy software, I find out I need to spend more money to file. A week later after checking with the IRS, I find out they never received my taxes. I e-mailed their customer no service about how their web site is deceptive and not upfront about additional charges (after purchasing their most expensive package!) and basically was told tough luck and there would be no refund.