First Look: Tax Software, Calculators, and Books

Wednesday January 11, 2006

Get ready to prepare your 2005 taxes with these important software programs and books. I have previewed several tax preparation software programs. So far, all programs need important updates to bring their tax calculations up to date with the latest tax law changes. I provide a first look in my round up of the top software programs. This year, the IRS is offering more online tax tools and calculators. These online tools help taxpayers deal with some of the most complex tax calculations such as figuring out your paycheck withholding, finding out if you qualify for the earned income credit, or understanding if you are going to be hit by the alternative minimum tax. Finally, I think this would be a good year to invest in a tax book, because of all the complex tax changes. I reviewed all the tax books and picked the top five.