CNET - We've all heard the famous quote before: Nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. And while you could try to avoid your taxes, Uncle Sam is probably going to make your life even more miserable if you do.
Rather than suffer the consequences of illegal action, we suggest you get a jump on your taxes with one of the four tax prep solutions we have thoroughly tested out for you: TurboTax (Web|Windows|Mac), H&R Block (Web|Windows|Mac), TaxAct (Web|Windows), and CompleteTax (Web-only). Oh, and--by the way--in the course of our testing, we did our taxes seven times, so it's safe to say that at the very least, you can count on your filing experience being less painful than ours.
Obligatory disclaimer: We tested the online and (where applicable) desktop versions of each of the four tax prep programs mentioned above, focusing on the Deluxe level offerings. We prepared our federal and California state taxes online and on a PC running Windows XP, using our real W-2s and tax forms. Although we got the same filing results with every program, our experience may not reflect your personal situation.
What you need to know about tax prep software
