The DU Lounge

I maintain an Excel spreadsheet over the year which mimics a 1040 form, as well as its supplemental schedules (including the taxable Social Security calculation). It took me almost a full day to set this up in Excel, but once it is set-up, you can use it year after year, with some minor tweaks as the tax laws change.

Then, when I actually do my taxes via Turbotax, I compare the Turbotax result to my spreadsheet result (line by line, by comparing "forms" in Turbotax vs. my spreadsheet).

I reconcile or explain any differences to myself before submitting my taxes.

Usually, you can find Turbotax on Amazon with a $10 discount applied to the normal price.