The final word on tax preparation software

If you have a simple tax picture and are filing 1040A or 1040EZ, go online with TaxAct and do the business for free, print it out and mail it in. State taxes will run you about $8.

If your financial picture involves Schedules and presents any level of complications, give TurboTax a try for your first foray into tax preparation software. For the free, less detailed version, go to IRS.gov and link from there to TurboTax. But for more documentation and help, pick up the Premier version.

If you already have TaxCut, stick with it, as the previous year's tax information is importable and can save re-entering.

Most boxed versions of the top tax prep software come with rebates. If you are the kind of person who will keep track of this sort of thing, make sure you take advantage of the rebate options. If not, you might want to shop around on the internet for the best buy.