Question: What ProSeries Product Purchase Options Are Available?

[FOCUSGuy]

I am a retired tax preparer.  

I would like to continue to use ProSeries to:

 1. Complete Fed and State tax returns for only myself and my two children (non-paid of course :-)).

 2. Print out the returns for mail to the taxing authorities.  

At the moment I have an invoice for 'ProSeries Professional Fast Path Services License' for $485.00.  

My question is there any other way to obtain ProSeries, for a price less than $485 (given that I only want to print out three returns, all three non-paid)? 

[TaxGuyBill]

Even with the Fast Path, you will still need to Pay-Per-Return.

No, I'm not aware a lower cost option.  If you can convince them to give you the ProSeries Basic 20 option, that might be a bit lower (after factoring in the Pay-Per-Return fees), but that is supposed to only be for NEW customers.

Because you will no longer be a paid preparer, my recommendation is the use the CD/downloaded version of TurboTax.  If you go into "Forms" mode, the forms and worksheets are identical (or in a few cases, extremely similar) to ProSeries.  You wouldn't be able to transfer from ProSeries to TurboTax, but after the first year of needing to re-enter things, I suspect that TurboTax will be your best option (plus you will be able to e-file).

[PATAX]

Sounds like TurboTax may be your best option for now. The IRS is supposed to have their  website to file free returns in the future, so maybe at that time you can use that. 

[IRonMaN]

The infamous Fast Path fee that according to Intuit, the software users asked for.  

To be honest, if I was retiring I would think about doing the returns manually out of spite for Intuit.  I wouldn't give them a dime.  Being retired would give me plenty of time to prepare the returns ------- and it would be an exercise to keep my mind sharp.  A win-win situation for me.😉

[PATAX]

That fee was a crock of crap in my opinion. Who in their right mind asked for that? We pay for the software each year and we should be able to prepare a return for that year anytime that we want to. That fee was just another way for them to get more money, plain and simple. 

[IRonMaN]

"That fee was just another way for them to get more money, plain and simple."

Yup, but it was first started, it was questioned by a number of folks here.  The Intuit response was that it was instituted based on requests of the software users.  None of those users ever came forth to say, yeah, we were the ones that asked for that fee.  My personal belief is that those users aren't human but are a member of a species called Bigfoot.

[PATAX]

Yeah either that or they rode on the little bus to school.

[BobKamman]

"Fast Path" always reminds me of "Shining Path," the Maoist guerrilla movement and unofficial name of the Communist Party of Peru.  But then there are also the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) trains, which may not be very fast but are essential for New Jersey CPA's to visit their clients in NYC.  Of course, the real story is that when this part of the program was attached to the main software, everyone at Intuit agreed that it was "FASTened PATHetically."

[FOCUSGuy]

Thank you for your thoughts and comments all.  

Note to Intuit: Thinking about this further, and reviewing the comments here, I guess what I am asking for is an 'emeritus' program of some sort.  Perhaps an 'emeritus' status would earn you additional good will?  

Thanks again all.