After I completed my federal taxes, Turbotax insisted on checking for errors before allowing me to file for the refund Uncle Sam owes me. No problem there, I want my software to catch any possible errors. The supposed errors that Turbotax wanted me to correct, however, were so completely misguided that I have to nominate the 2009 Turbotax Web Edition for the Software Hall of Shame.
First, Turbotax insisted that I had to file a 1099-INT for my bank savings account because I had filed one last year. And it would not allow me to state that I did not receive a form; I had to provide some dollars and cents before Turbotax would let me file my 1040. Wait a second, though; my bank didn't send me a 1099-INT this year because my account earned so little interest! (It's a pathetic little savings account, really.) So Turbotax was refusing to let me file until I provided data that do not even exist.
Let's talk about software design for a minute. How on God's green earth does Turbotax know that I must have overlooked a form, just because I filed it in a previous year? Is it not possible that I might have even closed the pathetic little savings account before 2008 even began? It just so happened that I could visit my bank's web site and sum up the few pennies in interest paid on the account in 2008, so I was able to feed Turbotax's demand for data and pass on to the next hurdle. Not that I was happy about what had happened.
The second design flaw was so bad that I may not even be able to file my taxes (with Turbotax, anyway). Several years ago I worked briefly as a consultant, so I filed a Schedule C that included the analysis of vehicle mileage and expenses for business vs. personal use. In the subsequent years, I have not worked as a consultant, and I have never again filed a Schedule C. So guess what supposed error Turbotax insisted that I had to correct? That's right, Turbotax is refusing to allow me to file my taxes until I file a Schedule C that includes business and personal use of my vehicle.
I had not claimed any income from consulting for 2008.
I no longer own the vehicle that I supposedly have to file the mileage reports for.
But Turbotax will not allow me to indicate that I do not need to file the form. It's their way on Schedule C, or the highway.
So I'm about to contact Turbotax support. If it's anywhere close to the quality of the actual software design, I will no doubt have to write off the hours I spent working with their web software, hit the highway, and find a better tax software provider. But maybe not; maybe their support is world-class and will save the day. I'll report on the results as they become available.