Turbotax/CO/pension deduction

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Did you see my post above? I'm still not convinced that Turbotax doesn't do it automatically if you enter the info correctly. Did you enter a 1099-R (or maybe it's a diff form for various other retirement distributions besides an IRA?) in the Federal section?

I did my taxes three times - one rough, using a possible dependent for HOH, once again as single... and then, having set it all aside until the new deadline, a more or less fresh run. Yes, the IRA withdrawals were entered as 1099-R income. My age is known to the app. I really, really understand how many such complaints are PEBCAK, but I think this is an egregious flaw/oversight by Intuit on CO state tax processing, and it cost me $800 last year (which I hope to retrieve) and would have meant $300 in overpayment this year. Not trivial, given how numbnuts-simple the tax code issue is. (The feds certainly understood it all well enough to apply EW penalties etc.)

[BarryK123]

Originally Posted by Therblig

I did my taxes three times - one rough, using a possible dependent for HOH, once again as single... and then, having set it all aside until the new deadline, a more or less fresh run. Yes, the IRA withdrawals were entered as 1099-R income. My age is known to the app. I really, really understand how many such complaints are PEBCAK, but I think this is an egregious flaw/oversight by Intuit on CO state tax processing, and it cost me $800 last year (which I hope to retrieve) and would have meant $300 in overpayment this year. Not trivial, given how numbnuts-simple the tax code issue is. (The feds certainly understood it all well enough to apply EW penalties etc.)

I went back into TT, opened my 2019 file, clicked on State Taxes, then Income.
It definitely pre-populated the amount the amount from my 1099-R (IRA distribution) entered in the Federal. I've attached an image of the top of the TT State Income window When I click on Edit, I get what is seen in the second attachment. This is where you can edit the amount.

I also went back and looked at my last several years of tax forms and the deduction is present on each one.

I have no idea why it's not coming up for you this way.

[Therblig]

Huh. I never saw the latter panel in any of my passes. I had to "decide to edit" that suggestion during the review phase.

Never mind, I guess... I must have somehow missed it, but I can't begin to guess how.

I might run my own 'speriment if I have a minute. FWIW, 2018 was Home and Business and 2019 was Deluxe. I wonder if Intuit simply switched off the helper step because I didn't pay enough...

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

My father was a CPA. He did my taxes before he died. Now that I'm retired, it's easy enough to do myself. And I also do my kids' taxes, though one of them drives me a little nuts with stock options paid in Swiss Francs :-)

Here's a little secret for you - CPAs use software, too. As a matter of fact, it's made by the same company that makes Turbotax. It's Turbotax on steroids and called Lacerte.

Yep, I stopped going to a CPA when I realized all they did was ask me the same questions TT did and I could answer the TT questions in my underwear. The CPA frowned on me not wearing pants.

[otowi]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

Yep, I stopped going to a CPA when I realized all they did was ask me the same questions TT did and I could answer the TT questions in my underwear. The CPA frowned on me not wearing pants.

I could see if you have a particularly complicated tax situation in a particular year due to a particular situation it might be worth using a cpa. But for an ordinary tax year, for most it doesn't seem to be worth it - I agree. Once I paid a cpa to see if it made a difference and watched them do what I could've done at home and was honestly pretty disappointed - why pay like 4x the money for what you could do yourself? I help my parents do theirs because they find the technology confusing/anxiety inducing at their age so that may be another reason some would pay a cpa.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by otowi

I could see if you have a particularly complicated tax situation in a particular year due to a particular situation it might be worth using a cpa. But for an ordinary tax year, for most it doesn't seem to be worth it - I agree. Once I paid a cpa to see if it made a difference and watched them do what I could've done at home and was honestly pretty disappointed - why pay like 4x the money for what you could do yourself? I help my parents do theirs because they find the technology confusing/anxiety inducing at their age so that may be another reason some would pay a cpa.

Ditto, had a CPA do our return once, about 25 years ago, and got the same result as I could have done for myself so I always did it on my own after that. For our simple situation the CPA was a waste of money. TurboTax Deluxe is what I've used for years, does the job just fine.

[COcheesehead]

I will tell where I will never have my taxes done: H&R Block. The year they prepared my taxes was the only time my return contained errors.

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

I will tell where I will never have my taxes done: H&R Block. The year they prepared my taxes was the only time my return contained errors.

They use seasonal workers with about as much training as Target Christmas stockers. I knew a few and was appalled anyone would hire them to sell donuts, much less do taxes...