Monday, April 05, 2010

I hate TurboTax, 3

One of the TT screens reads:
Business and Other Property

If you're a consultant or contractor, or own a small business, we'll guide you through entering all of your income and help you find business-related deductions. We'll cover
Business profits or losses [link: more info]

[link: "What paperwork do I need?"]

Did you have any of the above items in 2009?

Back........... Yes ..............No
Let's ignore the unneeded comma in "If you're a consultant or contractor, or own a . . ." and focus instead on whether I had "any of the above items."

What items? There aren't any "items" listed above (or anywhere else) that I might have had or not had. Presumably, the program wants to ask me: "Were you or your wife a consultant, contractor, or small business owner in 2009?"

The writing on this screen and on main others is just plain sloppy.

Addendum: A challenge to the reader. Find this screen in your copy of TurboTax. If you can, you're better than me. I've looked and searched but the screen no longer appears. I thinks it's one of the many screens that TT lets you see only once. If you want to see it again, you're out of luck. If you need to see it again, you have to start a new return.

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