The Future of Tax Software on Linux?

mengel asks: "So this last week, I repeated my annual ritual of trashing my scratch partition, making a FAT filesystem on it, booting Microsoft Windows(tm), and installing tax software to do my taxes. I had hoped, with the advent of Xandros, and of Linspire (formerly Lindows), that one of these increasingly important commercial companies would have talked someone like Intuit, or the Tax Cut guys, into developing this years tax software against Wine, so that it would also run on Linux under Wine as well as on MSWindows. So what has to happen before the companies who write Tax Cut and TurboTax will do versions that least run under Wine, much less native Linux versions? What can we do to help make that happen?"

"Tax Preparation is the only reason I boot MSWindows anymore, and each year it gets more arduous, as soon I'm going to be forced to upgrade the MSWindows partition to XP, just as a few years ago I had to upgrade from MSWindows 3.1 to MSWindows 98 -- so in effect my tax software costs me double, because I keep getting forced to buy a newer MSWindows upgrade every 3 years or so as well as the tax software."

Comments

TurboTax Online

[Reducer2001]

I ran the online version of TurboTax just fine on my Gentoo box running Firebird/fox.

Re:TurboTax Online

[PerlGuru]

The online version of TurboTax doesn't support W2's from multiple states. I tried H&R block and although they can do it, they want $100 to file my federal and $60 for my state.

That's funny sure seemed to handle my multiple W-2's just fine this year, same as last year.

No need....

[woobieman29]

You can do this on the web, using either the Tax Cut software on the web provided by H&R Block, or go to Yahoo and use their TurboTax service. There are probably others too.

Re:No need....

[Jahf]

Agreed. For the last 3 years I've used HRblock.com's online preparation services and e-filed through them.

It doesn't save any money over using the software locally that I've found so far but it has 3 distinct advantages:

1) Runs Mozilla (though you need to turn on pop-ups for that site since the entire application is in a pop-up)

2) Access from anywhere ... twice I've needed to refer to my past year's taxes while out of the house and HRBlock keeps up to 3 years online at a time in PDF format

3) I don't have to worry about trashing my drive without a backup of the data

And yes, it does contain some sensitive info but I don't have anything in my taxes that I really care if anyone sees beyond my SS# and HRblock.com seems to be no worse at security than anyone else. The only people I wish didn't have access to my tax info is the IRS and I don't get a choice there :)

If you want they will provide all the same analyses of your taxes as going into their office and they have online support (all for a fee of course), but I've found the information in the program enough to get my taxes done and itemize my mortgage, home office, etc.

Re:No need....

[DeadSea]

For two years I have used TaxAct online. This year it cost my $17.00 to file both my federal and state taxes.

Advantages:

• Works on linux (I used firefox web browser)
• Cheap (as I said $17.00) - less than I have found in downloadable software or other online services.
• Fast - the website is very responsive and unlike turbo tax online, I have never been frustrated by the server speed.
• Stores last years return for you and auto fills in that data.
• Has tax advice, good instructions, a nice wizard interface, and checks on your return.
• Gives your PDFs to print and save when you are done.

Disadvantages:

• It is online - you are giving your financial data to a third party.
• The first year you must enter tax data from the previous year. There is no way to import turbo tax files or the like.
• You must manually enter all your w2 data. Unlike other software, it does not allow you to download it.

TaxCut for the Web

[yelvington]

Tax Cut for the Web lists Netscape 6+7 as supported browsers, so it should work fine with Mozilla/Firebird.

I am in almost the same boat.

[Captain Rotundo]

Each year I use Windows for one thing, taxes. and each year I print out way more just in case I need to check a document, I wont have to go through the windows trouble. I've been lucky enough that I have had access to windows systems so far. But this year was probably the last that will be the case. Every year I also tell Intuit (via there registration and/or other feedback) that I would prefer a Linux solution.

I am as much a free software zealot as the next guy, as a matter of fact this is one of the few areas I would probably disagree with RMS on, I will be the first in line to purchase a tax solution for linux. - It is probably one of the last areas where there is literally NOTHING to compete with the windows platform, not even a substandard work in progress.

I understand the web based solutions, but would really prefer a standalone app if only for illogical person preference reasons.

Actual tax software on your PC?

[Inoshiro]

I just went to the CCRA website and went through an online efiling. I found out about this cool site. Since I made less than $25,000 CDN last year (being a student and all), it was even free.

Works quite well in Mozilla.

Re:Financial Incentive

[b-baggins]

I'm a big fan of Taxcut. They'll refund your efilling fees, give you a rebate on the software and refund the cost of the state package. And it's about $20 cheaper than turbotax right off the shelf.