apologies if wrong forum. there seems to be a lot of tax discussion here.

I used turbotax 2 years ago and h&r block last year and couldn't really tell any difference other than h&r block being a bit cheaper. there are also taxact & freetaxusa which are cheaper still, as well as credit karma which is totally free. there's also the option to go with a real, living, breathing CPA. has anyone ever done a deep-dive comparison between the options for poker players?

the poker part of taxes is relatively simple & straightforward, so I wonder if there would ever be that big of a difference in the amount calculated by each software, meaning I could spring for the cheapest software.

however, people have been having some pretty questionable experiences with credit karma here, and I'm not sure if freetaxusa & taxact are equipped to handle poker taxes as well as the more expensive options. on the other hand, they could be more expensive for reasons other than being better (e.g. name recognition, more lifetime customers & less need to attract new customers), so I don't really have any reason to believe freetaxusa and taxact would necessarily suck cuz they're cheaper.

thoughts? experiences? thanks!

I've used Turbotax and Taxact - both were fine. As you say, the poker part is relatively straightforward, whether you are filing as an amateur (report winnings on the 1040 and losses as an itemized deduction on Schedule A) or as a pro (using Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business for your poker winnings, losses and expenses).

Theoretically, there are just a few situations for U.S. citizens/residents I can think of that can complicate matters, and require fancier tax work than provided by the cheap-end tax software, in regards to poker:

1. Filing as a pro, you have one or more W-2G Certain Gambling Winnings tax forms issued from casinos or poker rooms for tournament winnings. You will need to include with your return a written explanation that these reported amounts are included in your Schedule C income as a professional gambler.

2. Filing as an amateur, you have one or more 1099-MISC incorrectly issued from casinos or poker rooms in place of the proper W-2Gs. If filing as an amateur, you may need to include with your return a written explanation that these are for gambling winnings and you have taken an itemized deduction for gambling losses against them.

3. You had backers sharing in your winnings, but the casino or poker room would not accept IRS Form 5754 from you and issue separate W-2Gs to you and each backer. You will need to provide some written explanation and documentation (copies of the 1099-MISCs you filed with the IRS and issued to your backers for the distribution of winnings) with your tax return.

All of the above can be accomplished when using the tax software by filing through the mail instead of electronically, to include the extra explanations with your return.