Get your taxes done using TurboTax

What's the difference between TurboTax Online and the TurboTax CD/Download?

TurboTax Online and the TurboTax CD/Download products are very similar and both cover most tax situations. The majority of our customers choose TurboTax Online to confidently file their taxes.

Here are the big differences between the two:

1.    If you file online, we store all of your information on our secure servers. If you use the CD/Download, you need to save and store your own tax return.

2.    With TurboTax Online, you can work on your taxes from any computer or mobile device with Internet access. With the CD/Download, you install TurboTax on your computer and you can do your taxes without the Internet.

3.    The CD/Download product is a better overall value for people who prepare tax returns for their friends and family. It allows you to prepare and print unlimited federal returns and e-file up to five at no extra cost.

There are some tax situations that TurboTax Online does not cover. If you need to file corporate, partnership, and estate/trust returns, or 2014-2016 amended returns, you'll need to use the TurboTax CD/Download products.

 

 

What are the advantages of the TurboTax CD/Download software over the Online version?

We happen to like them both, but we recommend the TurboTax CD/Download software if you want to:

·         Create multiple returns for family members (it's usually cheaper);

·         File separate state returns for married spouses, especially in community property states;

·         Play around with different tax scenarios;

·         Access Forms Mode;

·         Have complete control over the storage of your tax return and tax data file.

There are some situations that only the CD/Download software can handle, such as:

·         Preparing or amending prior-year returns;

·         Data imports from Quicken.

·         Importing more than 500 stock transactions;

·         Corporation, S-Corporation, Partnership, Estate, and Trust returns (these are handled in TurboTax Business).

Related Information:

·         How many times can I e-file using the TurboTax CD or download?