The Computer Club Newsletter

January 2003

By Ron Uncapher

The TVCUC is growing by leaps and bounds. By now it is one of the largest clubs in the Village. This was no more evident than at the January meeting where over 125 members and guests were on hand to hear a presentation on CD burning. John Avery did a fine job of introducing the most popular CD burner software to the group. With so many people interested in burning, it would be good if someone stepped forward to lead a CD burning SIG. If anyone is interested in leading a SIG on CD burning or any other subject, please get in touch with our club president, Howard Jones, or the SIG coordinator, Dean Miller.

Now that we all know how to burn CDs, we need something to put on our CDs. At the next TVCUC meeting on Feb. 4th, Harold Ek, Director of Channel 3, will give a presentation on video editing. Harold is the man behind many of the video features you see on Channel 3.

You should have most of your 1099s by now, so it seems appropriate this month to survey the computer resources that are available to us for paying Uncle Sam and Uncle Phil (Bredesen that is) their due. I’m talking about income tax filing.

If you are considering filling out your own state and federal income tax returns this year, you have plenty of help. If you were not thinking about it, then maybe you should. Some investigation of what is available to you through your computer may convince you to try it and save plenty of money. In addition to software that you can purchase at most electronics and office supply stores, there are a great many Internet sites devoted to tax preparation that are only a click away.

Many software packages are available, both at electronics and office supply stores, as well as on the Internet. TaxCut by H&R Block and TurboTax by Intuit are the most popular. These packages are competitively priced and available everywhere. Watch the Sunday flyers and you can probably find a deal that will get you free (after rebates) anti-virus or personal financial software. There is not much to choose from between TurboTax and TaxCut. Both are very easy to use and have all the features needed for the most complex returns. You can do it form by form or by using their interview process whereby you are led step by step from the first line to either printing completed forms or electronic filing. Most reviewers rate the two programs even. Another tax preparation package I ran across is TaxAct. It is available online and the Basic version is free. TaxAct doesn’t have as many features, but the price is right.

Before you buy, look up their respective Internet sites for a comparison of features, not only between brands, but also among versions of the same brand. Each has a basic, deluxe and premier version. The Deluxe and Premier versions cost a little more but offer more help and advice features. I would suggest at least purchasing the Deluxe version. The extra cost is partially returned in the form of a free (after rebate) online filing and one state prep package. The benefit of the premier versions is in the easy access to the company’s Internet help (some for a fee) and tax planning features. The sites are: TaxCut - www.turbotax.com , TaxCut - www.taxcut.com , TaxAct - www.taxact.com . Find the best fit for your situation.

Whether you use a tax prep program or not you will want to avail yourself of the excellent information to be found on the Internet. On various sites, commercial and government supported, there are state and federal forms, latest tax law information, advise, instructions, tax tips, tax guides, rules, calculators, more. As I mentioned, you can start with the tax prep software sites above. Intuit’s TurboTax site is the best. But don’t stop there. The Federal IRS at http://www.irs.gov/  has all the forms, bulletins, and instructions you will need for your federal return. Each state has a site with forms and other tax information pertinent to that state. Your state home sites can be found at www.state.xx.us , where xx is the two character postal ID (tn, mi,il, oh, etc.). From there, you must navigate to the state’s treasury or department of revenue site to find forms and other state data. I found it very difficult to navigate to the tax pages on most state sites.

A much easier way is to go the Yahoo Tax Page at http://taxes.yahoo.com/  (no www). Most important, perhaps, there is a direct link to each state and to federal tax forms. To download most forms, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don’t already have it, there is a link at the top of each Yahoo Tax Form Page to Adobe or you can go directly to www.adobe.com . It is free, just look for the Adobe Acrobat Reader symbol. At 3.9MB the download takes about twenty-three minutes on dial-up or one and one half minutes on Pipeline.

The Yahoo site is probably one of the most complete and easiest to navigate, but there are others. Try the H&R Block taxes page at http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tools/ . The page contains tax tips, Q&As, and much more on managing your money. There is also an on line tax prep feature as there is on other sites. You can fill out your forms but do not pay until you either want to print your completed forms or e-file your return.

Other good sites are CNBCs Money Taxes page (just type in the URL http://moneycentral.msn.com/tax/home.asp .) and KIPLINGER has a plethora of info at http://www.kiplinger.com/managing/taxes/ .

Finally, a word about electronic filing, or e-file. The federal government is encouraging electronic filing by making it free to taxpayers who qualify. Electronic filing is quicker and more accurate than the Postal Service route. Go to www.irs.gov  for details on e-file.

All of the tax packages have the capability to file your federal forms electronically. Also, most States accept it. The process is explained within the software. You can elect to receive your refund by check or have it deposited directly into your bank account. I have done it both ways. It saves time. You usually have your refund in two weeks, or sooner by direct deposit.

Don’t forget to check out the TVCUC Website at www.TVCUC.org