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TaxBrain
Review of

Best Free Tax Calculators: Online Tax Tools and Worksheets
Find the best tax calculators and tax tools to help you prepare your tax return, understand your paycheck, or plan for next year. Top picks for free online tax calculators, tools, and worksheets.

Best Tax Software: Top Picks for Income Tax Software
Find objective reviews of income tax software based on thorough testing. Plus top picks and links to the best free tax software for preparing your 2005 taxes.

Free Tax Software - Best IRS Free File Web Sites
The IRS "Free File" offers free tax preparation software to prepare and e-file your 1040. Find the best free-file service for you with reviews and links to the IRS Free File program.

TaxACT Deluxe
Review of the TaxACT Deluxe tax preparation software program. TaxACT Deluxe is recommended for its interactive tax calculator, a feature missing in other tax programs.

CCH CompleteTax
Review of the web-based tax software program CCH Complete Tax. Recommended for most tax situations. Barebones user interface doesn't feature unnecessary bells-and-whistles.

TurboTax Premier (Software Review)
Review of the TurboTax Premier tax preparation software program. TurboTax is recommended for its easy to understand interview that keeps you moving through the tax return.

TaxCut Premium (Software Review)
Review of TaxCut Premium tax preparation software. Quick and easy tax preparation, with just a few drawbacks for complex tax issues. For simple tax returns, I rate TaxCut very highly.

Tax Software Testing Scenarios
The following tax scenarios were used when I test tax preparation software for the year 2006.

TaxAct Online Standard 2004 (Software Review)
Review of TaxAct Online Standard 2004 tax preparation Web-based software program. TaxAct Online is highly recommended for people with straightforward tax situations who want to prepare their tax return quickly and accurately. Web and download versions of TaxAct are compared.

TaxCut 2004 for the Web (Software Review)
Review of TaxCut 2004 for the Web tax preparation software. Quick and easy tax preparation, with just a few drawbacks for complex tax issues. For simple tax returns, I rate TaxCut very highly. If you have to depreciate any assets at all, don't bother with TaxCut unless you know depreciation inside and out.

TaxCut Free File (Software Review) - Free Version of H&R Block TaxCut
H&R Block TaxCut (Free File version) provides free access to the TaxCut Premium software, which is a top-rated tax prep software package. With the Free File version, users have access to all of TaxCut Premium's tools, forms, and tips. The software did not, however, detect a typo when entering my W2 (a common tax prep mistake). Overall, TaxCut is one of the very best free file software programs available. Highly recommended.

TurboTax for the Web 2004 (Software Review)
Review of the TurboTax for the Web 2004 tax preparation software program. Overall: TurboTax for the Web is highly recommended for both simple and complicated tax returns because of its easy to understand interview questions and skillful handling of more complicated tax issues.

TurboTax Free File (Software Review) - Free Version of Intuit TurboTax
TurboTax (Free File version) provides free access to the Intuit's TurboTax, which is a top-rated tax prep software package. With the Free File version, users have access to TurboTax's tools, forms, and tips. TurboTax (Free File Edition) caught a typo I made when entering my W2. This is a common tax prep mistake, and TurboTax was one of two Free File software programs that caught the error. Very highly recommended.

TurboTax Premier 2005 Software Review
Review of the TurboTax Premier 2005 tax preparation software program. Overall TurboTax is recommended for its easy to understand interview that keeps you moving through the tax return.

Quicken Rental Property Manager (Software Review)
Quicken Rental Property Manager is recommended for rental property owners who need a quick and easy application to keep track of rental income and expenses. In particular, Quicken Rental Property Manager is highly recommended for landlords who are currently tracking rental income and expenses using paper reports or Excel spreadsheets.

Tax Software: Top Picks and Which One is Right for You
After having reviewed all the top PC-based and Web-based software programs, I think picking the right tax software comes down to two things: how complex your tax situation is, and how much you want to spend on the software program. Here's top picks for various situations.

2003 Tax Software
Find software to prepare your 2003 tax return.

2004 Tax Software (Reviews and Top Picks)
The top picks for tax software to help you prepare your 2004 tax return.

SnapTax (Software Review)
SnapTax per fast Web-based tax preparation software program from Intuit, the makers of TurboTax and Quicken. SnapTax was a good value for people who want to prepare their taxes quickly and accurately. Unfortunately, Intuit has discontinued this software program.

Complete Tax (Software Review)
Review of the web-based tax software program Complete Tax. Highly recommended for professional-style tax preparation.

TaxAct Deluxe 2004 (Software Review)
Review of the TaxAct Deluxe 2004 downloadable tax preparation software program. TaxAct Deluxe is recommended for its interactive tax calculator, a feature missing in other programs. TaxAct isn't for everyone though.

TaxACT Free File (Software Review) - Free Version of 2nd Story Software TaxACT
TaxACT Free File version provides free access to the TaxACT from 2nd Story Software, which is a top-rated tax prep software package. With the Free File version, users have access to TaxACT's tax preparation software, but not access to tips and tools available only in the paid Deluxe version. TaxACT Free File caught a typo I made when entering my W2. This is a common tax prep mistake, and TurboTax was one of two Free File software programs that caught the error. Very highly recommended.

TaxAct Deluxe 2005 (Software Review)
Review of the TaxAct Deluxe 2005 tax preparation software program. TaxAct Deluxe is recommended for its interactive tax calculator, a feature missing in other programs. TaxAct isn't for everyone though.