If you were hoping for some computer-aided help when filing your taxes this year, you’re in luck. Today Quicken maker Intuit announced new TurboTax products for the 2001 tax year: TurboTax Deluxe, TurboTax Home & Business, and TurboTax State. The federal tax prep packages are expected to hit stores in mid-December, with state versions to follow in January and February.
Newly added features for this year’s crop of TurboTax offerings include the Tax Law Advisor, which shows you how your individual tax situation will be affected by recent changes to the tax code. A Live Tax Advice feature can put you in touch with a tax advisor of your choice, and the Review My Return feature enables you to send your return to that advisor electronically for analysis before you submit it to the government. A complete tax library with more than 1,000 pages of onscreen references has been updated, and access to official IRS publications has also been updated.
Macintosh versions of TurboTax come in three flavors: TurboTax Deluxe, TurboTax Home & Business, and TurboTax State. Both TurboTax Deluxe and TurboTax Home & Business come with a free TurboTax State product download (you also have the option of purchasing a TurboTax State disc for $5.95 if you prefer).
TurboTax Deluxe is a general purpose tax planning and preparation package, while TurboTax Home & Business has been developed specifically for sole proprietors, to help simplify Schedule C and Schedule E preparation. TurboTax State is, as the name implies, the state tax version. TurboTax Deluxe for Mac is available for $49.95, while TurboTax Home & Business is available for $69.95. TurboTax State is $29.95 if purchased separately. More details and comparisons of each product are available from Intuit’s Web site.