TurboTax Canada

TurboTax is the same software that has until recently been sold in Canada as QuickTax, and before that as TaxWiz. Software company Intuit renamed its Canadian tax preparation software to be in keeping with its best selling U.S. income tax application. You can purchase TurboTax online or as software. It is also available in French as Impotmatique. We rate out of 10, with 10 being the highest.

Navigation and User friendliness: 8
TurboTax is designed for ease of use for tax and internet novices. For software, you simply pop it into your computer and follow the instructions. Easy prompts guide you through the process. If you want more help yet, there are videos and other animations.

A significant complaint leveled at TurboTax is it uses too many pop-up windows and advertisements; for its own accessories such as Tax Experts (which costs extra). Still, these are easy to move past or click through.

Ease of Setup: 9
TurboTax is compatible with all Windows versions and notoriously easy to set up.

Feature Set: 10
Among the many features that users love:

• The EasyStep interview is customizable to suit your needs.
• Right for Me can create a custom set of data pertaining only to your particular situation.
• TurboTax allows you to import data from Quicken or QuickBooks.
• The RRSP Wizard helps you calculate your optimum contribution.
• The Deluxe version of TurboTax comes with many intricate features including line by line advice, "QuickRefund" (just as it says-a fast refund feature) and others.

Help: 9
This is also a big strength and another reason for the popularity of TurboTax. This year, you can chat online with a service representative right in the TurboTax Online software. Extras like this do cost more.

Effectiveness: 9
All Intuit products are regarded as quite effective in filling out your tax forms accurately.

Price:
A free trial is possible. TurboTax Online is $19.95 for an individual return and $5.00 for each additional return. There's also an $89.95 TurboTax version aimed at incorporated businesses.

Summary: 8.5
There are some annoyances, especially for those who are net and tax return savvy. It's perfect for novice online preparers. There are other products that may be cheaper and even faster. On the whole, TurboTax does the job just fine.