When doing your taxes with software such as, you have two options for how you can use the software: You can install the full software on your desktop or laptop computer, or you can use the software through the tax software manufacturer's website without installing the software on your computer (it does, however, require an internet connection). Which method should you use: the online version or the version installed on your computer? Here are six differences to consider when. Whether you use desktop or online tax software, always keep a copy of your. Getty Images/Tempura Online Method Online tax software like TurboTax doesn't require a software installation and does not change anything on your computer because it runs through an internet browser like Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or Firefox. Many online tax software options will also allow you to start your taxes for free. TurboTax, for example, allows you to do this, charging you only when you are ready to.

Mar 09, 2017 TaxAct Online Premium provides affordable, reliable personal tax preparation tools that support all major tax scenarios. This, combined with its excellent. 12 Promo Codes for TaxAct.com Today's best offer is: 15% off TaxAct Online Products. Verified Today. Start your tax return for free with TaxAct Online, plus save 15% if you upgrade to Plus or Premium for additional features. TaxAct Free: best for. Software download includes TaxAct Deluxe + State + free e-files.

Desktop/Laptop Install Method You can install the tax software on your computer from a purchased software CD or from a downloaded file if you purchased it online. With this method, the software runs completely on your computer and does not require an internet connection while using it. When choosing this method, make sure the tax software is compatible with the operating system you're using. For example, you don't want to purchase the Mac version of the tax software if your computer is a Windows system. There is also a small chance the version of your operating system (OS) is incompatible with the tax software. Though the chance of this happening is small, troubleshooting tax software installation problems can be a challenge because everyone's system is different.

Find your computer's operating system version number (on Windows or on ) and check it against the tax software manufacturer's compatibilities. With online tax software, you can work on your income tax return on any computer wherever there is an internet connection. If you use tax software installed on your computer hard drive, you can only work on your taxes when using the computer on which the software is installed.

This isn't an issue if you plan to only work on your taxes on your desktop computer, or if you install your tax software on your laptop. Online tax software is convenient if you need the ability to work on your tax return from different locations.

An important note: Online tax software users should avoid public computers, such as those found in libraries, internet cafes or coffee shops. If you must use a public computer to complete your tax return, be sure to log out of your tax software account and close the browser window before leaving the computer so people who use the computer after you won't have access to your financial data.

Desktop tax software either automatically checks for updates or prompts you to check regularly—often doing so every time you open the software application—especially if tax laws are being negotiated late in the year. Updates are necessary because income tax software is available each year before the has ironed out all new income tax codes. Releasing the software early lets you get started on your return early.

While tax software updates generally go smoothly, there is a chance that an update will conflict with something installed on your computer, prompting a call to tech support. Online tax software, on the other hand, is updated automatically on the software maker's servers, so when you open the software in your browser, updates are already installed, and there's no extra effort necessary on your part.

Desktop tax software provides ultimate control over your income ax data because your data is stored locally on your personal computer. However, if you don't use good quality and firewall software and keep it updated, there is still a risk that your computer, along with your tax data, can be hacked. Online tax software is very secure, with the trusted popular titles having the same security used by financial institutions to protect and encrypt tax data files. Check the privacy and security policies of online tax software to be sure it provides the.

Tax software installed on your computer saves a data file locally until it is deleted. If you use the same brand of tax software for next year's taxes, some data from the previous year's file can be imported into the new tax year's software, saving you time by filling in some information (such as name, address, etc.). Hold onto past years' software versions if you want to do what-if scenarios or otherwise access your past returns. Online tax software typically saves a tax return for three years. Online tax software lets you save a return as a PDF document, but the raw data is not stored on your computer.

If you want to keep copies for more than three years, save the PDF onto your computer hard drive, in an online storage or like Dropbox or on removable media such as a USB drive. Online tax software saves data while you work in the software and when you log out. It maintains secure, encrypted copies of tax data in at least two separate physical locations to ensure that your data is not destroyed due to a disaster. If you use tax software on your computer, it is incumbent upon you to protect your data from disasters.

You can set the software to automatically and frequently while it is in use, as well as when the software closes. Beyond this, you will need to backup tax software data to a location other than your computer hard drive.

Do not use your hard drive as the only place tax data files are backed up. If the drive fails, you'll have to start your return from scratch. Alternative locations for saving your tax software data file include a USB drive, a network attached server (NAS) or to an online backup service.

Cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Apple's iCloud or Microsoft's OneDrive offer enough free space to save these files outside of your physical location.

Avr Studio Serial Communication Library. Kathy Yakal The Best Tax Software of 2017 Doing your own taxes doesn't have to be as intimidating as it sounds. These top-rated online tax services get the job done without the fuss. Personal tax preparation applications have been around for about a quarter of a century, first as desktop software and then as online solutions.

They developed rapidly in their early years, adding forms, schedules, and state support until everyone was covered, and. They also became unwieldy as they grew in complexity. In later years, the tax prep applications benefited from user interface tweaks that made them easier to use, and streamlined all-important taxpayer help systems. Today, all major IRS forms and schedules are supported, and preparing your taxes using the best of these services is no more difficult than working your way through any giant software wizard—except for the part where you have a strict legal obligation to be sure that all of your answers are accurate, of course. Every screen contains a statement or question in understandable English (usually). You supply answers by clicking buttons or entering your response in blank fields or selecting an option from drop-down lists. Thankfully, you usually don't have to view any official IRS forms as you work your way through your return online.

Once you, that should be just about the last time you need to look at an official document. The developers of these tax preparation services have taken apart Form 1040—and all of its supporting forms and schedules—and turned them into lengthy interview sessions. You provide responses, and they work in the background, taking those answers and dropping them onto the correct document lines. Help Along the Way Even if a query is clearly worded, you may still be unsure whether you're supposed to supply information, and what that information might be. Tax websites help you understand those confusing elements in a variety of ways. They might turn a word or phrase into a hyperlink that opens a small window containing a more detailed explanation.

Likewise, they might anticipate your questions and post links to related Q&As, right on the pages that might spur you to ask the question. This kind of context-sensitive help is extremely important. Dylan Dog 300 Cbr Download For Mac. If you need to consult any of the other methods of help detailed below, it means that the service has failed to anticipate your needs, your time has been wasted, and your blood pressure has probably gone up, too.

Sites that lack good context-sensitive help are heavily penalized in our reviews. Still, no service can anticipate every contingency or question. Most tax preparation applications offer as a second tier of help giant databases of tax information that you can search if you're really stuck. Some offer glossaries, too. You may be directed occasionally to read IRS instructions or peruse an IRS publication, but that should be vanishingly rare in a good service. After all, IRS documents are free, and, unless you're using Credit Karma Tax, you're largely paying for the convenience of not reading IRS documents.

The IRS is, of course, the last word on taxes, but creating lucid, reassuring guides is not one of its notable strengths. If all that isn't enough, you might want to interact with a real human being. These sites offer connections to tax professionals that might occur via chat, email, or phone. Jackson Hewitt and TaxSlayer are the only two services we've reviewed to offer all three methods, this year. TurboTax provides the most innovative and potentially the fastest way to get human help. Its SmartLook creates a connection between you and a tax expert.

You see them talking to you live on your screen. At the same time, they can see where you're having trouble by viewing your screen and troubleshooting your problem. If you're wondering how TurboTax can be so expensive and yet win an Editors' Choice award, features like this that are part of the answer. One note: if you think you're likely to need to rely on this kind of direct contact with your tax service, you're much better off doing your taxes early. Otherwise they might be overwhelmed. When you've gone through all the screens that pertain to your financial situation, these sites review your work and point out possible errors and omissions. They also transfer applicable data to your state return if you have to file one.

When all questions are answered and your return is cleaned up, they ask for payment before they help you print your actual IRS forms and schedules or e-file them. File Your Schedule C Last year, we reviewed the deluxe versions of the major tax preparation websites because they tend to be the most popular. This year, however we looked at top-of-the-line sites that support the Schedule C, given the growing freelance and independent contractor market. All but one of sites we evaluated come in multiple versions with different price points—Credit Karma Tax being the one (free) exception. Every application in a given family looks and works like the others, but the more expensive they are, the more IRS forms and schedules they support.

High-level editions also come with special features that are usually enhanced support options. You'll need to check to make sure any particular features you're interested in are included in a less expensive version, if you don't need the top-tier software, but the ratings should reasonably well to the entire families of products, as they tend to share help systems, interfaces, support, and so on. This Year's Tax-Prep Lineup Most of the names of this year's offerings will be familiar if you've used tax applications before, but there's a new one this year. Credit Karma Tax is from parent company Credit Karma, a service that monitors your credit reports and gives you weekly updates. It's the only tax site that supports federal and state filing of complex returns at no cost, but it's new enough that it still needs to grow a lot to compete with the other sites reviewed here.

TaxAct stopped offering free filing years ago, but it's still the most affordable option among the paid sites: $30 for federal and $25 for state if you buy TaxAct Online Premium. Prices have been creeping up on this Iowa company's offerings in recent years, but the site offers something that no one else does: a price lock guarantee. Everyone else charges one price until usually sometime in March, when they raise it by $20 or more. TaxAct Online Premium is not just affordable.

It's an exceptional personal tax preparation website, and we recommend it for taxpayers on a budget that just can't swing TurboTax Self-Employed's high price. Both win Editors' Choice awards this year. TurboTax costs $114.99 for federal returns and $39.99 for state. TaxSlayer Premium is not far behind TaxAct in price: It's $35 for federal returns and $22 for state. And it's improved since last year, edging up a half-point in our star rankings.

H&R Block Premium ($54.99 federal, $36.99 state) and Jackson Hewitt Premium $79.95 federal, $36.95 state) are our two midrange offerings, price-wise. H&R Block Premium is an all-around excellent offering, but Jackson Hewitt Premium suffers from spotty and a mediocre user experience. It looks quite overpriced in roundup that includes TaxAct and Credit Karma Tax. Who Should File Taxes Online? Keep in mind that the only people who need to purchase the most expense personal tax preparation solutions are those who have self-employment income and expenses (either full- or part-time) that must be reported on a Schedule C. If not, you can go one step down, save money, and still have access to the forms and schedules you need to report income, deductions, and credits.

In fact, for e-filers with very simple returns (the 1040EZ in particular) most of these service offer free mobile apps that can get the job done in a snap.of your smartphone's camera, which is often the way you get the data into the app. We're busy reviewing those apps right now and will update this roundup once we've finished. If you've never reported self-employment income but want to try tax prep on your own, I'd recommend that you create an account at the site of your choice (my favorites are obviously TurboTax Self-Employed and TaxAct Online Premium) and run through it far enough to see what Schedule C reporting is like, especially if you're going to try to claim business use of your home and/or vehicle expenses. You can do this without paying anything. Are you confident about your ability to complete those sections accurately?

Do-it-yourself personal tax preparation isn't for everyone. And there's no magic formula that dictates which taxpayers are likely to succeed on their own. Beyond gauging your confidence in your ability to complete this complex task, consider the time you'll spend doing it. Price professional tax preparers. And then balance your ability and the value of your time with that cost.

That said, keep in mind that millions of people, from 1040EZ filers to full-blown, full-time freelancers, use these sites every year to prepare their taxes. What About Business Taxes? All the sites reviewed here support sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs because they include Schedule C preparation and filing. But what if your small business was organized as a multimember LLC, S Corporation, C Corporation or partnership? You'll need tax preparation software or a website that supports different forms, primarily the 1065, 1120, and the 1120S. You will also probably need payroll forms (940 and 941) and employer forms (W-2 and 1099) for each of your employees. Depending on your business structure, you may need to file additional IRS documents.

There are software and online solutions available for these business types. They cost a bit more than the sites reviewed here, but they offer similar usability features, data entry methods, and help tools.

That said, the taxes in question may be much more complicated, depending on your business. You may be able to import reports and other income and expense data from existing files. And you can transfer related information to the appropriate state returns (for an additional fee) and file your return electronically. The process of preparing business returns is understandably more complex than completing a 1040, but there are options if you want to tackle it yourself. Of course, you may also opt to go with an accountant, too. Can You File Your Taxes from Your Phone?

Yes, you can. Both Intuit and H&R Block have produced mobile versions of their top-of-the-line personal tax preparation solutions for a couple of years now. You can complete the same complex return on both your desktop browser and your smartphone or tablet.

In fact, you can start your return on one platform and pick up where you left off on another. But it your return is simple enough, you can do so at no charge. For tax year 2016, I have reviewed from the four leading tax software producers. TaxAct Express and TaxSlayer Simply Free offer free preparation and filing of both federal and state returns if you only need to use the 1040EZ. Also supports the 1040A. And H&R Block More Zero lets you itemize deductions found on the Schedule A in addition.

You could use these free versions on your desktop browser, or switch back and forth between browser and smartphone by entering your user name and password. Or you can complete your entire return start to finish on your phone. The app's creators have done a good job of creating step-by-step interviews. They ask questions and provide ways for you to supply responses, similar to the way the browser-based versions work, only optimized for iPhone and Android. When you're finished, they review your return looking for problems, then go on to help you file. Wins our Editors' Choice for free mobile tax preparation software this year, and not only because it covers the most tax territory. It's a little more businesslike and straightforward than TurboTax Absolute Zero, which is breezier and offers what I think is the best, most interactive user experience.

H&R Block, though, wins for both substance and support. Its help content is both in-depth and voluminous. You probably don't need a lot of guidance to get through the 1040EZ/A, but you may have questions when grappling with some Schedule A topics. H&R Block More Zero has answers. E-File Your Taxes Today Assuming, however, that you have a reasonably complex return this year, good old-fashioned browser-based premium tax preparation services like the ones rounded up here are your best bet. Check out the table above, read the capsule review below, and click through the links to the full reviews. Do you have a suggestion for e-filers or an opinion (good or bad) about these services?

Let us know in the comments. Kathy Yakal has been annoying computer magazine editors since 1983, when she got her first technology writing job because she tagged along with her ex-husband on a job interview. She started freelancing and specializing in financial applications when PCs became financial tools for consumers and small businesses (after a stint at a high-end accounting software company). She?s written for numerous publications over the years, and about the only one that?s survived her besides PC Magazine (where she started writing in 1993) is Barron?s.