People who use QuickTax may ask themselves how we decide to make changes to the product year over year.  You may be surprised to hear it’s from feedback from people like you.

Every year, we visit homes of people using QuickTax and actually watch them prepare their tax return.  Yes, we sit through the entire process of entering the information, going through the final review process and submitting their returns.  We’ve found that by doing this we see things that people might not remember when they complete a survey at the end.  If people spend longer on a screen than they should be, we make note of it and ask them specifics about why they re-read the paragraph or why they clicked the Help button.  When we decide what to include in the following years product we review this data to ensure we understand the problem areas.

What this means to you:  if a survey appears in product or we give you a call, give us your honest opinion.  We want to know what you hate and don’t forget to tell us what you like – so we don’t change it.

If you run a small business and are considered self-employed, you might be wondering about how to file your income tax return. Entrepreneurs might appreciate QuickTax for Unincorporated Business – a product specifically made to help the self-employed with tax returns.

The tax tool offers guidance in a step-by-step process, allowing you to enter your income and expenses with all of the information you’ll need. Even when it comes to some of the mundane aspects of taxes, like industry codes, QuickTax will walk you through it. It can find the right code for you by asking you specific questions about your business.

QuickTax for Unincorporated Business offers a number of helpful features – like the Business Expense tracker. This valuable tool lets you keep track of business costs throughout the year. Then at tax time all you have to do is import this information into QuickTax – you won’t even have to spend time entering it into the file.

Maybe you’re a self-employed individual who is thinking of incorporating your business to receive different tax benefits. QuickTax even has a tool that can help you see if it’s in your best interest.

Instead of stressing about how to account for your income this tax season, entrepreneurs can try QuickTax for Unincorporated Business to get every penny they deserve from their self-motivated business endeavors.

Self-employed taxpayers have until June 15 to file their income tax return.

Canadian taxpayers likely know that the annual income tax return deadline is fast approaching. But they might not know about all of the tax credits and deductions they are eligible to receive or the best filing methods to maximize refunds.

According to a report from Canadian Business Online, a number of Canadians miss out on small tax deductions that can really add up. For instance, the source says Canadian taxpayers often miss out on the public transit amount that can be claimed by anyone with monthly public transit passes, and the children’s fitness amount offers credits for parents of children enrolled in eligible sports programs.

But taxpayers who use QuickTax won’t miss out on the savings they deserve.  QuickTax reminds Canadians about the myriad credits from which they could benefit.

Moreover, QuickTax double-checks tax returns before you file them and points out any missed deductions or money-saving opportunities you might have overlooked.

This double-check feature includes optimizing charitable donations and RRSP contributions between spouses as well as carrying forward medical expenses. QuickTax guarantees you will get the biggest refund you deserve.

We’re is so confident in its product that if you receive a larger refund or owe less taxes using any other tax preparation method, you’ll be refunded the applicable paid price for QuickTax.

So don’t delay – get started on claiming every cent that you earned in tax credits in 2009 today.

Sometimes taxes can seem overwhelming – costly to file, costly to pay and costly to your overall energy. But other times taxes are simple, even straightforward. Simple taxes get even easier with QuickTax Online Free Edition.

If you have a very uncomplicated tax return, you can use this tool for $0 – yes, as the name indicates, QuickTax Online Free Edition is free.

If you receive T-slips such as T4s and T4As, this product might be right for you. The filing option is also good for people who only receive standardized federal and provincial deductions. Or maybe you just have tip income or pension income to claim? QuickTax Online Free Edition will cover your filing needs.

All Canadian taxpayers can use any QuickTax Online product free of charge as long as their simple taxes fit into the criteria above.

The QuickTax Online Free Edition is available at quicktax.ca.

A new survey conducted for Intuit found that more than a quarter of Canadians experienced significant life changes in 2009. These changes could mean there will be some differences in your tax filing this year, but that doesn’t have to be difficult.

New QuickTax EasyStep asks you a dozen questions about what happened in your life in 2009 and identifies what’s relevant to your taxes.

QuickTax makes it easy to complete your taxes, even if your tax situation got more complex last year. To make the process even simpler, EasyStep takes out the tax legislation lingo so you can answer uncomplicated questions to complete your tax return.

For instance, EasyStep might ask if you have dependents this year. This is a simple question, but maybe you’re not sure who qualifies as a dependant for tax purposes. EasyStep makes it even simpler with linked definitions on phrases like “dependants” that you can reach with the click of a mouse.

QuickTax EasyStep lets you capitalize on changes in your life in 2009 to make sure you get all of the tax credits you deserve. Maybe you bought a home this year. EasyStep will ask you about this, and then tell you about the first-time homebuyers’ credit that could entitle you to cash savings.

Or maybe you added money to your RRSP this year. You’ll be asked about this, and it will give you answers about deductions you deserve. As clicking the RRSP link on EasyStep could tell you, any money contributed to your RRSP won’t be taxable until you retire.

The new feature can find tax deductions in places you might not have even thought to look. For instance, EasyStep will ask you if you incurred moving expenses. Did you even know you might receive some tax credits for that?

Even better, EasyStep is personalized for every QuickTax user, guaranteeing easy use. The answers you provide ensure that you will only be asked relevant questions later on. You’ll never be confused by information that doesn’t apply to your tax return.

Even if you miss tax saving opportunities related to life changes, QuickTax will point them out to you before you submit your return via NETFILE.

Take advantage of EasyStep now and learn about all the savings you deserve before filing your tax returns on April 30.

Did you make some savvy investments this year? Or maybe you made a few mistakes and lost some money on misguided investments. Either way, QuickTax can give you insight on what capital gains and losses mean when it comes to taxes.

If you made some great financial gains through stocks, bonds, mutual funds or other investments, you should know that just 50 percent is taxable. This means if you earned $1,000 in 2009 investments, $500 is yours free and clear.

You may receive a slip for your capital gains and losses. For instance, if you invested in a trust, you’ll receive your capital gains on a T3 slip. Maybe you invested in a partnership – this means you’ll receive a T5013 slip. Or, capital gains or losses might be received on a T5008 slip.

All of these slips mean reporting capital gains or losses can be tricky if you don’t keep track of everything during the year.

This is why sitting down with QuickTax Online might make it easier to calculate your capital gains and losses. You simply provide your adjusted cost base, proceeds of disposition and any outlays or expenses incurred and QuickTax takes care of the rest.

Intuit, the maker of QuickTax, knows that Canadian taxpayers were hoping for more t-slip boxes on their online tax software.

Intuit listened to customer feedback last year, and now users will find many more of the boxes that appear on t-slips are available in QuickTax. This includes T5 box 25, 26 and T3 box 42, 49, 51.

In the past, QuickTax has only asked for information that affected your tax return. But there were many other boxes on your slips, and maybe you didn’t know what to do with them.

Now you can simply enter all of the information that appears on your slips in QuickTax without worrying about what they mean QuickTax figures out everything for you. This way, you can feel confident that you’ve entered all of your necessary tax information.

If a box doesn’t actually affect your tax return, QuickTax will store this information anyway so you can review it whenever you want.

Is this your first year using QuickTax? Or maybe you’re thinking about making the switch to QuickTax from other tax software but you are concerned about re-entering all of your data. If either of these is the case, you are in luck.

New for 2009, Intuit is making tax filing with QuickTax even simpler for new users.

If you used UFile or H&R Block software to prepare your 2008 tax return, you can easily transfer your 2008 files into QuickTax for your 2009 tax return.

This simple switch to QuickTax will save you time in entering your personal information and any other tax information that can be carried forward.

Don’t worry about missing out saving from your unused charitable donations – QuickTax will recognize these when you switch. Worried about losing business information? No need – you’re covered.

When you start your tax return with QuickTax, you’ll be asked if you would like to carry forward 2008 data. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to transfer your Ufile or H&R Block files. Then, get started on your 2009 returns.  It’s that simple.

Filing your tax returns can seem like a hassle – but it doesn’t have to be. QuickTax Online makes tax preparation easy.

You don’t even need to have a QuickTax account to get started on your tax return online. Just go to quicktax.ca and click the Sign In button, choosing to start or continue your 2009 taxes. You can wait to create an account until you file your return if you want to begin your tax return right away.

When it gets to the point where you have to create an account, you’ll find that’s easy too. You simply enter a user ID and password, and choose a security question. Then you input your email address, and you’re all set.

If you’ve already used QuickTax for your 2008 return, you can use the same user ID and password, and your file will be carried forward to the 2009 application.

Maybe you have a QuickTax account, but you forgot your access info. Fear not. There are plenty of “Forgot” links available to help you recover what you need. There are also simple ways to update your information if you’ve recently changed your email address or if you want a new password.

Don’t forget that 2009 tax returns are due April 30.

Maybe you made some savvy investments this year… or maybe a few misguided investments meant you lost some cash. Whether you saw capital gains or losses in 2009, QuickTax makes tax filing a sure thing for risk-taking investors with QuickTax Platinum.

QuickTax Platinum offers step-by-step guidance on entering your capital gain and loss information to learn about the credits you deserve.

It can be tricky to keep track of capital losses and gains throughout the year – from keeping track of various T-slips to determining your adjusted cost base. To make this easier, QuickTax Platinum gives you information on calculating your adjusted cost base and proceeds of disposition at every step where you need to enter this information.

More tools are also available in QuickTax Platinum that can help investors throughout the year. For instance, the Stock Trade Tracker allows you to enter information about your stock buys, trades and sales. Once this information is entered, you can easily import it into QuickTax Platinum at tax time without having to calculate anything.

Canadian investors who take advantage of QuickTax Platinum can figure out how 2009 gains and losses will impact their tax returns in time for the April 30 deadline.