I continue to be amazed by the ease of doing taxes each year by using the Turbo Tax software. I can remember the days when it was a manual calculation and I had to request in the Mail each and every form and explanation sheets. Not to mention all the time to spent erasing! The step by step guidance is great because it makes you think about each category and whether you had something in it or not.
This makes it about as pleasant as the filing process can be. When you make a change it rolls through the whole return and plugs in where necessary. I would recommend this to anyone.
We have been standard deduction for several years after paying off the house. To be careful, I laboriously go through entering all of the deductions, even though we end up at the standard deduction, not itemized. I am never sure if I MIGHT qualify for the itemized deductions stage.
I recommend you add a step, which asks basic questions about changes from the previous year, and if none take me directly to the standard deductions. If I have a major loss, or major medical payments, I could then go through the process to see if it helps. But as we are empty nesters, house paid off, and have excellent medical insurance, I don't see our status changing. But, to play it safe, I spend the extra time to enter all the data. Gotta be a better way when there is no change in basic filing status
Pros: My job status changed this year (switched jobs, lost a job, got a raise or promotion)
Overall, Turbo Tax has been a godsend. I have used it to do my taxes since 2000. Mind you, I am not financially complicated. However, like many of my fellow americans I have a family and a home. This is a solid product that helps us make sense of what is considered " making taxes easier " by those in congress!