Quicktax Software - Sneaky new charges.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Just an FYI to Quicktax users - Edmonton based Intuit has really raised the prices of Quicktax this year. Not in purchase price, but by neutering the software.

- only 2 returns per purchased CD/download.
- additional returns are $15 each for Standard / Platinum Versions.
- Installs on 2 PCs still.
- It appears that to process Investment Income (ie capital gains) and Rental Income, the Platinum version ($60) is required. I did this last year on Standard no problem.
- You do get a $10 credit per copy (not per return) if you efile.

Unfortuntately there doesn't seem to be a lot of alternatives unless you go to web based stuff like Ufile. I'm not a fan of the Web based solutions as I like to contain that info to my desktop, rather than have it remain on some company's server for who knows how long.

As if paying taxes wasn't bad enough....

[Yroc]

There are many alternatives available. Ufile comes as a software package or as a web application. Look here for your choices:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadia...r_personal_use

Although I cannot disagree that the government should provide, there are already several free options available (even one that allows Netfile and has 2D bar coding).

I recommend Studiotax.

Free.

There are reviews at the bottom of the wiki page as well that you can read.

[BlackArcher101]

I have used StudioTax for the past 3 years. Works like a charm and totally free. Why do people buy the other software anyways? Complex taxes that StudioTax cannot do?

[Nufy]

Link for Studio tax....

[Nufy]

Thats too easy.....

I prefer to click instead of search. Like I do for my porn....

[SarichFan]

I've used Studiotax the past two years

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I'm soooo ditching Quicktax this year after reading up on ufile. Happy to hear they have a non web based version. For what I need, Quicktax would cost me $90. UFile would be $30 - love the 8 returns per copy. I don't mind paying $10 or less for a return as I have a return that's more than just T-slips, and that goes way down with the number of returns ufile will handle.

I can appreciate the complexity of returns and and somewhat reluctant to use software that looks a bit...amateurish in such situations.

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by fotze

I fully believe the government could provide a version of this for the more basic returns. Why do I do my taxes when the government just does them for me after I submit stuff anyway? They have all my slips and whatnot anyway.

Also of note, Taxwixz is owned by Quicktax and is no longer available.

I might try that genutax or cantax.

we don't just do it for you... if you miss stuff we do it. If you submit just your T4's and a blank tax return you get a nasty ass letter back, oh and all your info for you to do it yourself :P

[MJK]

It doesnt look like studiotax will work on a mac...anyone have any ideas what is available for us mac users?

[RW99]

I'm on my third year of ufile online. Quick entry, send Netfile and then get a PDF of my return. Painless, but it's one return with 1 or 2 T4's and nothing else. I got my T4's by end of last week and I have to wait till Feb 11th for Netfile That's the only bad part

[MJK]

Originally Posted by fotze

Click that wiki link it has a great matrix with all the packages and their pros and cons.

Well it looks like Mac users will have to pay for one of those....thats it I have had it, I am buying a PC.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Thanks for the heads up about this and the link to Studio Tax, I'm going to try using it this year. No importing my Quicktax info from last year it looks like, but that's no biggie.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I bought my Ufile Standard for the low price of $19.99 (regular price at FS, not $30 as I mentioned above). Depending on how many returns you're doing, and the money at stake, I think it's worth the extra few bucks to make sure a return is accurate. Ultimately I'm still not sure how robust the opensource effort is at StudioTax.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Yroc

There are many alternatives available. Ufile comes as a software package or as a web application. Look here for your choices:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadia...r_personal_use

Although I cannot disagree that the government should provide, there are already several free options available (even one that allows Netfile and has 2D bar coding).

I recommend Studiotax.

Free.

There are reviews at the bottom of the wiki page as well that you can read.

The government already provides an option.
It's a bunch of paper with written instructions.
It' worked for decades before the interweb was around, why isn't it good enough now?
That all being said, I do mine using quicktax because it is easier, and that convenience is something I'm willing to pay for, not something I expect the government to provide, because it isn't their responsibility.

[ken0042]

My thinking BBS is that it likely costs the gov't more to employ people every year to data entry millions of paper forms than it would to develop a free web based version of the tax entry software. Said software would just need to be tweeked each year; instead hiring people all over again to do the data entry.

Over the last decade I've spent 100's of dollars just to be able to simplify how I fork over 10's of thousands of dollars. It's like a carjacker also taking all the change in your pockets so you also can't call a cab to take you home.

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by ken0042

My thinking BBS is that it likely costs the gov't more to employ people every year to data entry millions of paper forms than it would to develop a free web based version of the tax entry software. Said software would just need to be tweeked each year; instead hiring people all over again to do the data entry.

Over the last decade I've spent 100's of dollars just to be able to simplify how I fork over 10's of thousands of dollars. It's like a carjacker also taking all the change in your pockets so you also can't call a cab to take you home.

but then you have what happened last year with the database reading SINs are DOBs and then the system has to go down for 2 weeks...

[llama64]

Originally Posted by MJK

Well it looks like Mac users will have to pay for one of those....thats it I have had it, I am buying a PC.

Parallels?

[llama64]

Originally Posted by ken0042

My thinking BBS is that it likely costs the gov't more to employ people every year to data entry millions of paper forms than it would to develop a free web based version of the tax entry software. Said software would just need to be tweeked each year; instead hiring people all over again to do the data entry.

Trouble with that solution is that it's anti-competative. Better to let the Government set the standard protocols and leave the software development to competing entities.

Trust me, I've used Government developed software before. We don't want that

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I bought my Ufile Standard for the low price of $19.99 (regular price at FS, not $30 as I mentioned above). Depending on how many returns you're doing, and the money at stake, I think it's worth the extra few bucks to make sure a return is accurate. Ultimately I'm still not sure how robust the opensource effort is at StudioTax.

The last few years I have used StudioTax, I have done a paper form as well to verify the electronic calculations. It has been exact to the cent each time.

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by fotze

It looks like there is some sort of tax deduction/credit just for having a kid? I don't seem to remember that being there before. Is that new?

yes the child tax credit is brand now. It is a $2000 non-refundable tax credit for each child you have under the age of 18.