Which version of TurboTax to buy?

[SzS]

I want to know which version of TurboTax will work best for me, but I can't find a side-by-side comparison that will answer that question. There is a fairly comprehensive comparison at https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/deluxe.jsp (Tax Forms tab), but it falls way short of telling me what I want to know.

Some things are self-explanatory, such as "auto import of investment income" One version supports it, another doesn't. But other categories are vague. For example, what does it mean that Deluxe Schedule D isn't a feature of Deluxe, but is a feature of Premier? Does that mean you can't file Schedule D with Deluxe? It's not clear. And what does imply about Intuit's "Get your maximum tax refund - guaranteed" if one version can't file Schedule D (or any other Schedule or Form)?

[VolvoGirl]

Right, you can't file schedule D with the Online Deluxe version.  You need Premier or higher.  The Online versions are limited.  You might need a higher version to enter some kinds of income or deductions.  It means you have to upgrade to the higher version to enter certain items.  

In the Desktop CD/Download program, all version have all the same same forms.  You  just get more help and guidance in the higher versions.  But you can use Deluxe to enter everything.   You can see the Desktop programs here,  https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download/ 

[rjs]

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@SzS wrote:

And what does imply about Intuit's "Get your maximum tax refund - guaranteed" if one version can't file Schedule D (or any other Schedule or Form)?

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The Maximum Refund Guarantee is a guarantee that you will not get a larger refund by using other tax software, if you enter the same input. It certainly does not guarantee that you will get the largest possible refund if you use a version of TurboTax that does not support all the forms you need to file an accurate tax return. Here is a link to information about the Maximum Refund Guarantee.

What is your "Maximum Refund (or Tax Savings) Guarantee or Your Money Back" all about?