Which Edition Should I Use ?

TurboTax has both online and desktop products. TurboTax also has several editions for each platform, which vary significantly in price.

Always choose the desktop platform. The rest of this article does not apply to the inferior online platform, and completely ignores it.

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Which is better, online or desktop ?

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Each desktop edition includes all the same forms. What you're really paying for with more expensive desktop editions is the amount of extra help you want.

For years, TurboTax has fooled people with misleading advertising into purchasing the more expensive editions. TurboTax chooses its advertising words carefully, to stay legal. Phrases like "we recommend" or "you should use" attempt to push you toward overpriced products, but the extra cost is usually unnecessary.

The truth is that desktop Basic can be used to prepare almost any personal tax return, including complicated tax situations. However, you can only file a single federal return with Basic, and the state return program costs extra.

Deluxe and higher allow you to file up to 5 personal tax returns, and the state program is included free.

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There is no filing fee for federal returns for any of the desktop editions. The state return filing fee is $20 for all desktop editions.

So, when you only have one federal return to file and don't have a state income tax, choose desktop Basic. When you have more than one federal return or need to file a state return, choose desktop Deluxe.

If you really need extra help, it's easy to upgrade from either the Basic or Deluxe edition, but it's unlikely that you'll need to.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to downgrade from the more expensive product. You would have to contact customer service, get the refund, make the new purchase, remove the old software, install the downgrade, and re-enter your data.

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