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I tried Turbo Tax 2 years ago and STILL

Posted By: TurboLover on 2006-12-30
In Reply to: Turbo Tax - ER MT

am in awe at how totally cool it is, how EASY it is, even to file itemized and deductions, as well as do your state taxes as well. I used to use an accountant every year, paid him $400 to $500 just to use probably the same software, after having spent weeks compiling all the #s myself anyway. I was really afraid, but tried Turbo Tax and would NEVER switch. I think this year, though, I am going to buy it online rather than CD. It keeps your history from year to year - you will just be shocked when you see how efficient it is. And you can file using the e-form, and get your $$ back in like 10 days. Also, might I add, I never ever got $$ back in over 14 years until I used Turbo Tax - then got back $1K or so. I nearly fainted - 2 years in a row, and it was done correctly.


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Turbo Jam: Has anybody tried the Turbo Jam workout? nm
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Turbo tax

If you get the Turbo Tax with the schedule C it will take you through everything.  Basically supplies, equipment, mileage, computer programs,  reference books - sources, internet if needed for work, phone.  Don't know if you are an IC or employee so home office may and may not work for you. 


 


 


Get Turbo Tax

If this is your first year it might pay to have a CPA or tax accountant do your taxes for the first year and then from there on out use Turbo Tax.  All the forms are in there to do a Schedule C which is what you will need to do.  Turbo Tax takes you throught it step by step for home office, utliites, supplied, etc.   Or else can go onto IRS internet page and they have all the forms you would need.  But again, first year if it costs $100 to get some advice from a CPA or tax accountant it is well worth it.  I did it for 3 years and then past 15 have done my own with Turbo Tax. 


 


 


Turbo Tax
Has anyone used Turbo Tax if  you are an IC?  If so, is it easy?  I'm sick of paying my account a ton of money to do my taxes when it takes them about 15 minutes to plug info into the computer and spit the forms back out.  Seems like it could be something I could do myself. 
Used to Use Turbo Tax
When I became an IC I didn't trust myself to know all the deductions that I could take for my home office. My accountant is a friend's husband who charges $100 for our tax returns so to me it's worth it. He saved me so much money the first year, I was impressed. LOL
Turbo Tax vs Tax Cut
I have used Turbo Tax every year but one. The one year we used a tax accountant was when my husband drove truck over-the-road and weren't sure about all the tax deductions. He charged us an arm and a leg, and we did all the work for it. The only year we had to pay in too. We then went back to Turbo Tax. I have heard another MT say last year that she got a bigger tax deduction from using Tax Cut last year, and she compared it with Turbo Tax. I am going to do the same thing - since Tax Cut sent a free CD to us as a promo thing. Worth doing to see which program does it better. Turbo Tax is extremely user friendly. Even my husband, who is not terribly computer literate, was able to hop and do his tax information for his business. Very slick and easy. It totally walks you through depreciation, 401k stuff, extra properties, etc. Very easy!
I think Turbo Tax does
If you have last year's forms to go by I would try it myself.  But that is me.  If you aren't cheating or doing something wrong, why fear doing it yourself.  
Turbo Tax
I'm getting ready to do my taxes and this year will be the first time usnig Turbo Tax.  I'm an IC, single.  Can anyone tell me roughly how long it will take who has used Turbo Tax?  Thanks.
Agree with Turbo Tax (sm)
I started using Turbo Tax 3 years ago. All you do is answer normal questions and they know where to put them on the forms. Usually the first time you buy the software you get rebates so it is pretty cheap. Then you get your refund back in a week or two. They even tell you when you can expect to have it direct deposited in your account.

I highly recommend it. It is easy, you'll do your taxes that way forever more, and you don't have to pay some middleman hundreds to do your taxes or a huge percentage of your refund to get it back quick.
I've only used Turbo Tax
But I've been using it for many years and I love it.  Very easy to use, even for IC stuff. 
Turbo Tax, quarterlies
You can subscribe to Turbo Tax's quarterly program.  Calculates tax for you, gives e-mail reminders for due dates - it's a good way to help keep on top of taxes. 
Get Turbo Tax, it has a whole section for this and asks you if you have this, this, that...sm
By using this I found 2 deductions I had no idea I could take.
I used Turbo Tax last year for the first time sm
last year and loved it! Only had the tuition credit, though. Everything else was just plain old taxes. I think I'll have to go back to the accountant this year, though, because now we have a rental house to claim for 2006 and I'm not sure how to do those. We have had them before and all that depreciation, etc, would confuse me. Also, I'm an IC now so I guess our taxes will be a mess in the next year since I've only been an IC for about a month now. That won't show up until 2007 taxes are due.
I've also used Turbo Tax for yrs without any difficulty...nm
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I use Turbo Tax Small Business - sm

It will walk you through everything and prepare a schedule C for you as well.  I would recommend this if you are going to prepare your own taxes. 


Turbo Tax Home Business Edition! Tax Q's!!
OK, I know you probably are sick of taxes, but here I am just getting started, as usual. I always owe so much $$ that it makes me sick, and so I procrasinate. At any rate, I had used Turbo Tax Home Business for several years and it was GREAT until last year. Then they changed the program and it tanked for me, but I have high hopes that maybe this year its better and improved???  My problem is that I work for a company - that big one who shall remain nameless, and am an employee, but I always take the home office deduction -- have done so for 20 years, as my home is taken over by my office. At any rate, last year on Turbo Tax Home Business you could NOT enter your rent or mortgage or any utilities off of a W2 form - you had to be an IC. I also am a per diem IC, so I have a few hundred dollars in W9 forms.  But Turbo Tax last year would NOT let me use this home office deduction - it couldn't recognize it from a technical aspect with the W2 form. I'm just about to blow $100+ on the online version, and thought maybe I'd ask here first. Has anybody used Home Business edition TT this year? Is it great like it used to be? Any snags? I know I was not alone last year with this business office deduction as April 14th this board and all other MT boards were jammed up with hundreds of us trying to figure out how to manually override this snag!  With no luck.... Anybody have any experiences with TT this year? Those are my only deductions, by the way - just home office and utilities, no other itemizations.  So it should be easy.... LOL! LOL!
Turbo Tax on the internet offers all this and no software has to be bought
I have used it for years and you save your whole return at the Turbo Tax site. I love it.
5 cats - Amadeus, Flash, Turbo, Rhiannon, Lizzie
Three Maine Coons and 2 domestic shorthairs.
If I'm an idiot you're an uneducated turbo-idiot

At least I have the brains to see when it's time to change directions instead of crying about those bad, bad MTSO's and their foreign employees. Boo, hoo, hoo!



58, AHP/self-taught, trained at hospital 5 years, now with 2 of my own accounts for 10 years, employ
Also worn out 2 keyboards in 4 years. I will never retire. DH will come home some day from work and I'll be slumped over my keyboard. I put in 14 hours a day 7 days a week.
Pack years = packs smoked per day x years of smoking - sm
25 pack-years = 25 years of 1 pack a day, or 12-1/2 years of 2 packs a day.

I don't think pack-years applies to someone who smokes only cigars. But I don't know for sure.
I worked for Cbay for 3 years. I was also part of their lay off back many years ago. sm
Even though I got stuck in a lay off era, I still love the company. They paid well then. The people were nice (exception of 1 person) and if I had the opportunity I would go back again. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how u look at it), I have a great paying job right now, so I am not looking for a change. I do know that at one time, they asked management to accept late paychecks, but never sure of the reason why. My check was never late.
I know it used to be 5-10 years back, but the laws changed within the last 2 years. They can only g
x
6 years legal then switched to medical 17+ years ago. sm

I don't mind doing legal and will do it now from time to time, but be prepared to be totally bored out of your mind.


At least that's the way I feel.  I love to transcribe, learned legal in college, went on to get my paralegal degree, etc., etc., but I did temp work when the kids were younger, which was about 90% medical and I would never go back to legal except for once in a while.


Booooooring.


 


 


Only 3 years away from reaching total years for retirement
but if I had to do this and raise a family, would feel exactly like you do. The pay is terrible compared to what I used to make. I work 32 hours a week, hope to be able to continue even after full retirement age. I have worked on VR now and unless places get to where they really do not care about how their reports look, think they will need MTs. I very seldom do a report and it is 100%, just cannot remember 1 like that and most take a lot more editing. Working now because want to, not have to anymore, thank goodness!!
I dumped my ex 20 years ago, but got lucky 13 years ago

It would take me all night and pages and pages to describe what a bad person my ex-husband was.  After six years of putting up with his OCD, verbal abuse and alcohol, I left him the house, took the kids (5 and 1) and didn't look back. That was 20 years ago.


I wasn't looking to get married again, but I did.  After 13 years I only complain when hubby doesn't see things my way. :) 


My older kids, who were 5 and 1 when I left, are married and have kids of their own now.  My husband gets the Father's Day cards.  Their "real" father sits alone in the perfect little house I left behind and let him have and he drinks himself into oblivion every night because nobody is "perfect" enough, including his kids and his grandkids that he never sees. 


Sad, but true.  So glad I smartened up and got  out of there when I did.


We have been supporting other countries for years and years now.
What is the big deal.  Look at your clothes, cars, items in your house.  You will see mostly China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan etc., etc.  We have not supported our own people like we should have for years now!!!!
Only 2 in 13 years for me. First Edix for 8 and now Webmedx for nearly 5 years. nm
.
When I trained, back years and years ago
We did not have spell checking nor the internet (Google for instantaneous help). OMG, how did we do it? We used Correcting Selectrics with the lift-off tape to correct errors- you only had dictionaries, both English and medical, to look up things so yes we did have to learn to spell all those big longgggggggggg words.
MT: 24 years. Same company: 11 years same co. after buyout.
x
Grammar Question: 9 years' ago or 9 years ago? *sm*
I have a terrible time trying to remember this rule! HELP!
Worked inhouse for years and years
Inhouse transcription from 1973 to approximately 1992 and we had no downtime for answering the phones and when the physicians came into the room (or others) needing some assistance, just part of the job. I did not feel bad about doing it then and I dont see why you would either. You don’t realize that probably you are making right now more than if you are outsourced, right? You have hourly salary plus incentive. Guess how many of us have that now? Probably inevitable about outsourcing so I would say just enjoy while you can. The pay our here now sinks further and further. I make, for instance, 4 cents a line for voice recognition and 8 for straight. Now, more complaining?
19 years old...married 26 years. nm
n
they've been doing this for years and years (nm)

IMHO


People have been saying that for years and years - SM

however, I am working fewer hours and making more money. I think maybe the answer here is working as an IC for a one-owner company. MTSO was an MT for many years and she knows the secret to making lots of $ is putting your MTs doing what they do best and leaving them alone.


I don't think it is the "national" part of services that hurts. I think the low wages can be gauged by the number of suits in the company. More suits = less $.


And why pay QA? Just hire people experienced/good enough to do the work correctly the first time.


I have been doing Radiology only the last two years after several years (sm)
of acute care. I love it and find it easier although not as interesting as acute care. I was told by those who hired me that a good medical Transcriptionist will be able to do Radiology even with no experience in it. There are some specialized terms but easy to learn. I would never go back to acute care unless there were very good dictators and good sound quality.
30 (!) years; OTJ (don't think there were schools 30 years ago) nm
:)
Years ago it was 7 years. Not certain as to status now.

10 years here, too, and making 8.4....same as i was 5 years ago. nm
f
Shame on me.. Am I the only one with 4+ in 2 years, but with my last one 2 years.

Lots of little "stints" in between, just trying to keep my head above water.


24 years MT, 7.5 years with the same hospital nm.
x
22 years, same company 10 years nm
nm
32 years, longest was 28 years at same co. (nm)
*
28 years, 9 years at 1 hospital..sm

9 years at one hospital, 8 years with 2 services, then went out on my own (11 years ago) and got a bunch of surgeons and I moonlight on weekends for a national (9 years with national). 


If I knew what I know today, with how the MT business has gone down $$-wise for us over 20+ years, if I had my druthers and could start over again, I would have stayed with CODING/BILLING instead of MT work (though I love MT work) as billing/coding is still lucrative in this country....


just my 3 cents


32 years, 18 years at hospital...
7 at Medquist, 7 at Spheris. Starting at Transtech Medical tomorrow.
Do you need to have 2 years full time experience or just 2 years' experience? nm
..
49 years old/self taught/daughter 20 years old/self taught. I'm a CMT, and daughter is studying t
take the test soon.
I know I'm old - 30+ years as well
but I do remember specifically being told "double".  Maybe there is something to the reason being that they used to "talk good."
I'm going on 35 years of doing this

and I try to keep my goals realistic dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, etc.  I don't like to see a minimum of 200 lines/hour; occasionally can reach nearly 300 lph but depends on the dictators.  Seems the account I do now mostly has dictators from India, the ones I dislike the most.  I love Russians, Japanese, Germans, French, etc., etc., but for some reason I find the Indian accent very difficult!!!! 


I, like you, do not use expanders or "normals" etc., mostly because I'm from the old school and I type every word.  I'm sure if I used some of the crutches I could easily reach 275 to 350 lines/hour, maybe more who knows!  I keep telling myself one day I'll relearn how to do all that but right now, I don't care....when the time is right I'll know.  Mainly I just keep trying not to stress myself out too much.  I've put in my time and paid my dues and do a great job.  I'm not a young chick anymore and don't expct myself to produce these huge line counts, but believe me, I know I could if that was my wish!!!  Don't worry.....Be happy!


My Dad is gone now 10 years....
The last present he brought for me was an anniversary clock which I placed on my fireplace mantel in the center....Well that's Dad's spot because whenever I move that clock to any other spot it stops working, but the moment I place it in "the spot" it works immediately.  My youngest daughter was almost 2 when my Dad died.   After his death she would wake up and tell me "Grandpop was here last night"....I know my Dad comes around many times.  
18 years.
nm