QuickTax is the first of four different tax programs that we’ll be having a look at over the next 4 weeks. I entered my tax info into all four programs to get an idea of how each one works, and while they have many similarities, each one also has it’s own strengths and weaknesses.
QuickTax is the #1 selling tax software in Canada for a reason. Intuit, Quicken and QuickBooks are well-known brands and no other software includes as many additional features. I tried out the Standard version of QuickTax, which is likely the best version for the majority of Canadians. There is also a Premium version that may provide some additional benefit for investors. If your tax return is very simple, there is a Basic version, though you might be better off with one of the free tax programs available.
I found QuickTax easy to install. Just a few clicks and the software was installed and immediately looked for updates. QuickTax Standard 2009 includes an EasyStep Interview that helps you through every step of your return. The software optimizes your RRSP and searches for any deductions you may be eligible for.
A new feature within the interview process that I really liked is Life Changes Profiling, which points out tax implications based on what happened in 2009. This was especially helpful for me since last year I started a business, bought a house and had a baby.
QuickTax is my pick for paid tax preparation programs. It’s Standard version does cost $10 more than UFile, but it may be worth the additional expense if you have a complicated return and want an easy to use interface that lets you take advantage of its additional features.
There are also online versions of QuickTax, including some that may be completely free. To qualify for the free QuickTax versions, you either need to be a student, make less than $20,000, or only have T4/T4As to enter with no investments, including RRSPs.
QuickTax Standard Giveaway!
To enter to win one of two copies of QuickTax Standard, leave a comment (use valid email address so I can contact the winners) in this article before the end of next week.
After leaving a comment so that I know you’re interested in these books, you can get bonus entries by doing either (or both) of the following:
- Subscribe to Canadian Finance Blog email, where you’ll get each article, 5 days a week with no spam emails. If you’re already subscribed and leave a comment, you will automatically get this bonus entry!
- Follow Canadian Finance Blog on Twitter and re-tweet any of our tweets during the two weeks!
This contest is for one copy of QuickTax Standard and is open to anyone in Canada. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 5th at 11:59PM MST and the winners will be contacted by email on Saturday. There will be two winners, chosen with a random number generator from Random.org. If a winner does not reply within one week, a new name will be drawn. Good luck!
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Thanks for the review.
I have used QuickTax for the majority of my past returns. It seems like more than I need for my simple returns however I do like that we can complete up to 8 returns with one purchase.
Looking forward to trying out this software this year whether I win or not.
thank you, for your info. the info that you share is good and i will try the QuickTax….since , this will help my personal finance
Thanks for the review Tom. I have been trying to figure out whether Ufile or QuickTax is the right program for us.
2 Cents @ Balance Junkie´s last blog ..The Lexicon of Debt or Is Debt Evil?
thanks for the review
I haven’t tried QuickTax yet. So, I’m in for the giveaway contest.
I’d like to check it out, thanks!
Great review Tom. I would love to see your full take on Ufile too.
Max
Max and 2 Cents,
UFile is coming up on Thursday!
Great review. I would like to try QuickTax to file my taxes this year!
would love to win a copy
Great review. Thanks for the info.
I’ve been using Quick Tax since I started doing my taxes but I’ve switched to Ufile last year cause of the price.
I have always completed my and my husband’s taxes manually (the old fashioned way). However, I would welcome the opportunity to win a copy so I can try to file electronically.
Thanks for the review! Count me in, please! ^_^
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Heres to hoping for quicktax want to try it out this year. Did it on paper for the last 15 years.
Thanks for the review. Please put my hat in the ring for the chance to win a free copy.
I am a senior. Have been using Quick Tax for quite a few years. No problems until this year. After i did all my work i tried to print out my return. would not do. I tried Netfile and the same. I tried review and the same. would not do. they said windows did not accept Protocol type – intu-qt2009. have spend 5 days going back and forth on e-mail and twice had chats. downloaded numerous times. still no correct. am just about throwing by hands up and buying U-file. will see what happens over the next day.
I have had exactly the same problem. Cannot review or print my return. I continue to get a message saying “The webpage cannot be displayed” when I try to do either, even after uninstalling and reinstalling the program. I had no problems last year, but am frustrated and will use another program in the future.
I have the same problem: I can’t download the .tax file to my computer. That means I can’t file my return online. Phone help from India is a joke. I could get better answers by phoning Pizza Hut. Good by $23.00 and good by QuickTax.
I find the quicktax online version to work fine, but that they con you in to spending extra money (if you’re doing two returns together, you cant upgrade one but not the other, if one is more complicated than the other). Not only that, but the people in the call centre told me they would refund the money, and so far have not.
As retirees, we’ve used Quick Tax for a number of years. This year we ran into a problem which the helpline could not resolve. My CPP income was duplicated as Commission Income. There seems to be no way we can delete this extra entry (not entered by me) and on which we don’t plan to pay income tax. Any suggestions? We may reconsider our purchase of Quick Tax next year.
I bought the basic version and it did not allow me to file the deemed tax return for Quebec, then I upgrated to standard version and I had the same problem.
It is taking me 2 weeks to fix this problem. BSS
Nataly, all versions of QuickTax are supposed to fully support the Quebec tax forms. Have you talked to anyone at Intuit? You can get a hold of them through their contact page.
Quicktax has been good over the years but just a heads up if doing any tax returns upon death. QT cannot deal with any capital losses in the year of death. You have the option to use them against any income in the final year and QT does not allow this and has no fix for it.
I am a huge fan of using the services of a trusted and qualified accountant. Anything less and I feel that I am potentially risking a better return. Although I have in my business used many software programs to manage my clients affairs, for the general public an accountant is far more useful and will provide some broader financial advice if and when required. The software program described in this article is useful for small to medium businesses who in turn pass this data on to their accountants for refinement, assessment and review.