Review by Harold G. Meeks Jr.

I have been a user of TurboTax for several years. This release does not offer any ground-breaking changes in functionality. It has the same, familiar interface and guided instruction that has been honed over the years. My needs are relatively simple, no complicated multi-rental properties or other investments. The user has the option of simplifying the process by having Turbotax only present options that it feels are relevant to the preparation of the return, or the user can opt for a more thorough tour of all options (which is what I do). When there is a question about a particular deduction, the software’s help is often clear and unambiguous. Installing and updating the software from one year to the next is simple, it easily imports data from the previous year to speed the process of preparation. The software will periodically update itself, which it did when I first installed the software. The updating process went without a hitch.

Last year I prepared a return for a friend using their copy of Turbotax, and when I received the final amount owed, it seemed wrong. We took all the pertinent documentation to a tax preparer, and had them do the return. In the end, they came back with the same numbers, save for one very obscure deduction which was only available for one year, and would have been easy to miss. It did little to change the overall amount though, so it further reinforced my confidence in the software. Old releases (back to 2007) continue to work on the Mac, if it is necessary to go back that far, which is impressive. I am looking forward to using it to prepare this year’s (2015) return.