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  • - Tax time is upon us, and though it can be

  • painful for many, it doesn't have to be.

  • Online tax services make the process

  • of figuring out what you owe Uncle Sam

  • easier, faster, and more accurate than ever.

  • If your income situation is simple,

  • there's a good chance you won't need

  • to pay anything to use an online service

  • such as H&R Block, TurboTax, or TaxAct.

  • The key differentiator is whether you need

  • to itemize deductions or take the standard deduction.

  • If you have to itemize, you generally

  • need to pay for the service.

  • If you have investments, self-employment,

  • or rental income, you may have to pay even more.

  • Our Editors' Choice H&R Block starts free,

  • goes to $29.99 if you need to itemize, and then to $49.99

  • if you're a freelancer, contractor, or investor.

  • It then goes to $79.99 if you're self-employed.

  • TurboTax, which had the most stylish interface

  • costs a bit more, starting at $59.99

  • and going up to $119.99 for self-employed.

  • Cheaper options include TaxSlayer, starting at $17,

  • and TaxAct, which starts at $9.95,

  • with itemized deductions you pay $30.95.

  • But even for complex tax situations,

  • a completely free option is Credit Karma Tax.

  • It does make you sign up for its credit-monitoring service

  • and doesn't offer the handholding that can be critical

  • while figuring out your taxes.

  • FreeTaxUSA is free for federal returns

  • though you'll pay $12.95 for a state return,

  • far below what most services charge for state.

  • Don't forget state tax returns,

  • these usually cost significantly more than Federal.

  • That's because the company has to make

  • one Federal software system for everyone

  • but multiple state systems.

  • It also pays not to wait till the last minute.

  • Most services don't charge you until you actually e-file,

  • and may raise the fee as you get closer to the tax deadline.

  • Tax software works by simulating the interview

  • you might have with a human tax professional.

  • There are large topic categories

  • like Income, Deductions, Investments, and so on,

  • and major life events like moving, home purchase,

  • or marriage that the software asks to determine

  • what questions it needs to ask you during the interview.

  • After it knows about what topics you need to address,

  • the software takes you through a page-by-page questionnaire,

  • all the while filling out the official tax return forms

  • in the background with information you supply.

  • One of the most important aspects of tax software

  • is the amount and quality of help and support it offers.

  • It may be the number one differentiator,

  • and it's the biggest reason why H&R Block

  • won our Editors' Choice, along with being

  • priced lower than runner-up TurboTax.

  • The better products translate

  • government mumbo jumbo into understandable English.

  • They also offer context-sensitive help panels

  • as you go through preparing your return.

  • Links to deeper tax help are included

  • in the better products, too.

  • For some real hand holding, H&R Block offers

  • live tax experts, and TurboTax offers TurboTax Live,

  • which video conferences you in with tax experts.

  • Both offer screen sharing so that the expert

  • can see where you are in the process.

  • For a full rundown of this year's

  • tax-preparation sites, visit PCMag.com.

- Tax time is upon us, and though it can be

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