MacInTax Deluxe 1999
Company: Intuit
Estimated price: $49.95
http://www.intuit.com
FIRST LOOK
I use and review MacInTax Deluxe each year. I appreciate being involved with my income tax procedure, and I applaud the improvements Intuit brings to every new annual release of the software. Intuit generously provides a thick printed guide to assist reviewers. I prefer using the software as an average person does, to determine its strengths and weaknesses myself.
Due to the timing gap between our publication deadline and the completion of my tax return, this review will give readers a flying start with MacInTax Deluxe for federal filing. I won’t be able to complete my U.S. and state returns until the beginning of April, which is why we present this “first look” approach.
If anything really bizarre occurs while I’m working on my taxes, we’ll post the information on our website: https://www.mymac.com. If previous experience holds true this year, all bugs will be fixed quickly by Intuit, and their online and phone support system will respond accordingly.
INSTALLATION
Prior to loading the application on my hard disk, I located last year’s MacInTax data file and copied it onto my desktop.
Following the QuickStart Card for Tax Year ’99, I popped the CD in, double-clicked the installer icon, and studied the Read Me file. I saw an 800-number for free software updaters, which I dialed, and ordered using an automated voice and phone keypad combination. The Read Me document contains other general information, so don’t skip it.
The MacInTax installer did its magic quickly on my 7200/120 (601 PowerPC), taking about a minute to install a new MacInTax folder on the top level of my hard disk. Additional items were installed into the system folder, including a few fonts.
I was given the option to choose an existing online account or create a new one, then the installer automatically updated a bunch of QuickTime components, which took another 30 seconds, followed by a restart. The entire installation process took around five minutes, which is much less than in prior years.
GETTING STARTED
My primary “MacInTax Deluxe 1999” folder is around 40MB, with a dozen practical and promotional components. With the CD still in my drive, I double-clicked the application icon to begin working. I watched the opening video, which runs more smoothly than in previous years. Intuit has fine-tuned their QuickTime movies for more natural voice and image presentation.
MacInTax looks different than last year’s “browser,” with a new design and several improved features. Users have instant access to Q&A sources, and the screen contains a dynamic-linked right column full of pertinent FAQ material which changes to correspond to every different screen being used by the intrepid taxpayer.
The EasyStep Navigator is similar to last year’s version, with the addition of a Progress Bar to help you keep track of your movement toward completion. The interview has been streamlined, with new worksheets for calculating capital gains, mortgage interest, individual retirement accounts, and plenty more.
My favorite feature is the one-stop HELP menu, taking me to a central Program Help window which is loaded with options and features:
ON WITH THE SHOW
Fifteen minutes after taking the CD out of its sleeve I was transferring data from last year, which required only a few seconds. I was given the opportunity to remove unneeded forms and worksheets, plus the option to import data from Quicken or other financial software. The import from my 1998 tax data ran perfectly. I do not currently use Quicken, but my guess is that transfer will also be straightforward.
I began the EasyStep interview, made sure it took me to the correct form when I clicked the Go To Forms link just below the interview panel, then verified the Easy Step -> Resume feature brought me back to home plate. All my personal information was correct, and I typed in my email address. Working through several screens, the calculations and procedures are faster than ever before, and are now exclusively PowerPC native (see below).
Time to take a break, so I File -> Saved the newly named “John Nemerovski 99” working data, and made a reliable backup copy. If you do not make a backup and you have a hard disk problem, you are in big trouble. Do what I say: MAKE A RELIABLE BACKUP, and keep this disk in a secure, offsite location. You can even attach it to an email message and leave it parked on your email server for insurance.
ON THE WEB
I quit MacInTax and went to the http://www.macintax.com website. It is much improved from previous years, and is not automatically linked to the Windows TurboTax site by default. About time! The new pages are well-organized, clearly-designed, and full of practical information. Toll free phone numbers are listed for tech support and free updaters to every version of the product.
Connected again to the Internet, I double-clicked my working desktop tax data file, which speedily launched the application and brought me to the interview spot where I had stopped. From Online -> OneClick Updates an updater immediately began downloading new forms and goodies, with a typical Mac OS progress bar displaying jumping “time remainings” which are unreliable. Ignore them and allow 5 – 30 minutes for the download, depending upon the speeds of your connection and processor.
Halfway through the update download, the procedure halted with an error message. I called tech support, spoke to Cathy, and ordered another CD updater, to compare with the snail mail efficiency of Intuit’s automatic call-in system. No hard feelings, because these online errors have occurred in previous years. I used the download time to get all my W2 and 1099 forms in order.
While waiting for Cathy to answer I browsed through the modest User’s Guide. It is packed with important material, so read it! On page 10, I learned that MacInTax Deluxe requires:
In a week the updater CDs will arrive and I will have enough year-end details to proceed deeper into MacInTax. My experience with several years’ of usage has me confident that this software + CD + web site + phone support remains the best choice for preparing your taxes. The application is not perfect, but I am happy to award it
MacMice Rating: 4
***UPDATE***
MacInTax Deluxe 1999 Federal and State
http://www.macintax.com
Please refer to the original “first look” review from our March, 2000 issue #59, for background information on MacInTax.
Since submitting a review of MacInTax Deluxe 1999, I have read several other reviews and done a complete set of income tax returns. My opinion of MITD99 remains high. The improvements over previous years’ versions of the software are substantial. If you have not already done so, consider buying and using MITD99 right now to help you with your taxes.
MacInTax Diary: 3/30/00
I had two hours available this afternoon to work on my daughter’s tax returns. From prior years I hoped this amount of time would be sufficient. Here is the sequence of events:
1. I called the tech support number (520) 902-3293, open 5 a.m. – 5 p.m. Pacific Time, which happens to be here in Tucson, Arizona. After a brief wait, I asked the rep if I had the current versions of MacInTax for federal and state filing. He said both of them have been updated, and gave me toll-free phone numbers to request the updaters.
2. Amber, the next rep, at (800) 264-5943, verified my eligibility, and ordered a new federal CD and a new Arizona state floppy disk for me, to be delivered within a week. She provided the URL http://www.intuit.com/support and procedure for downloading the software, if I didn’t want to wait.
3. Using that URL, I downloaded (35 minutes @ 28.8kbps) to my desktop the five files comprising the 99.00C updated MacInTax Deluxe. Each of these “exe” files is a separate download. Four of them are around 300k in size, and one is 1.7MB. (Don’t be frightened by the “exe” suffix; these are genuine Macintosh files, not dreaded Windows executables.)
4. ONE AT A TIME I double-clicked each of these five files and updated automatically the appropriate portion of MITD99. On my blazing fast 7200/120 this required an additional ten minutes.
5. With one each W2 and 1099 for my daughter in hand, I quickly completed her federal 1040 return (around ten minutes), then was prompted to download her FREE state tax return software (she lives in a different state than I do).
6. After logging onto the Internet, from one click within MacInTax the state application downloaded (less then five minutes), and walked me through speedy completion and review of my daughter’s return.
7. Five minutes later I had printouts of both her federal and state returns, with instructions on where to snail them. We could have chosen electronic filing, but for personal reasons we didn’t. I do suggest you use electronic filing, if you are able to do so.
My personal tax returns are more complicated than my daughter’s, so I’ll work on them next week. If I have any additional comments, they will be posted here.
It is a pleasure to be able to give such a consistent RECOMMENDATION to MacInTax Deluxe. This package is comprehensive, offering much more than I have discussed, and from personal experience, most users will be delighted with using MITD99 for federal and state filing.
John Nemerovski
nemo@mymac.com
Websites mentioned:
http://www.macintax.com
http://www.intuit.com
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