"TurboTax takes the pain out of doing taxes by giving do-it-yourself tax preparers the customized tools and information they need to take control of their taxes, save money and slash the time it takes to prepare and file a tax return," said Bob Meighan, vice president of Intuit's Consumer Tax Division.

Taking the guesswork out of new tax laws
To help taxpayers make the most of the new tax laws, several TurboTax products now include the Tax Law Advisor, a new feature that shows taxpayers how the new tax laws will impact their individual tax situations now and throughout the 10-year phase in of the new tax law. TurboTax customizes the Tax Law Advisor to show customers only those tax law changes that apply to their taxes without overwhelming them with unrelated information.

"The new tax laws have taxpayers confused about how these changes will affect them and their family," said Meighan. "By making tax filing faster and easier, TurboTax helps eliminate this confusion - with the added benefit of helping consumers take advantage of the largest tax cuts in over a decade."

For taxpayers who want additional guidance, the Live Tax Advice feature in TurboTax offers immediate, live, advice via phone or e-mail. TurboTax customers can choose an advisor from a network of thousands of certified tax professionals. New this year, consumers wanting additional validation can submit their entire tax return electronically through the "Review My Return" feature and have it reviewed by the tax advisor of their choice.

The ultimate way to prepare taxes
For taxpayers looking for the ultimate way to prepare and file their taxes, this year Intuit introduces two new products: TurboTax Premier for the desktop and TurboTax Premium for the Web. Both products are designed for people who want more customized tax planning tools and additional resources to help make smarter financial decisions and include the following new features:

• 401k Maximizer -TurboTax customers who receive a refund (more than 70% of users) can use the 401k Maximizer to show them how to increase contributions to their retirement account without reducing take-home pay. In a few easy steps, the 401k Maximizer gives TurboTax customers a clear year-over-year comparison to see just how much more they can save by increasing their contribution to their retirement plan next year and beyond.
• Ten Year Forecaster - For taxpayers who want to get a better grip on their current and future tax liability over the 10-year phase-in of the new tax laws, TurboTax applies current tax information to help identify the impact in the short, mid- and long-term.
• Year-to-Year Deduction Manager - Returning TurboTax customers can use the Year-to-Year Deduction Manager to compare this year's deductions to last year's, helping to ensure they benefit from all the available deductions.

Both TurboTax Premier and TurboTax Premium for the Web also offer extra guidance for investors and rental property owners. Additionally, TurboTax Premium for the Web includes customized help and features for the home office entrepreneur or sole proprietor with an expanded interview and review for Schedule C.

"Our two new TurboTax products are in direct response to customer feedback that clearly indicates consumers want tax preparation options that include more personalized and customizable tools and features to handle any return, from the simplest to the most complex tax return," Meighan added.

Expanded Instant Data Entry delivers effortless tax preparation
Last year, TurboTax fundamentally changed the way people prepared their taxes - slashing preparation time, increasing accuracy and eliminating data entry - with the introduction of the Automated Tax Return (ATR). ATR includes the revolutionary Instant Data Entry feature that retrieves common tax information - wages, interest, dividends and stock and mutual fund transactions - from participating companies and automatically enters that information into the correct forms in the TurboTax return, greatly reducing mathematical and data entry errors because tax information is retrieved right from the source.

This year, Intuit has expanded Instant Data Entry, increasing the number of participating financial institutions, brokerages, mutual funds and employer services companies from 10 to more than 40, representing more than 100 million tax forms instantly available for retrieval into TurboTax.

New this year, taxpayers can electronically transfer mortgage interest information (Form 1098) directly into TurboTax software and the TurboTax for the WebSM service.

The Automated Tax Return also includes Just-in-Time imports to quickly and easily transfer tax-related data from Quicken, QuickBooks® and other personal finance and tax preparation software directly into TurboTax.

The most complete tax preparation and e-filing solution
After preparing a tax return using TurboTax, consumers can quickly and easily file the return electronically. By e-filing a tax return, a taxpayer can receive a refund in as little as 10 days, compared to six weeks for returns filed by mail. Additionally, TurboTax customers can file their state tax returns electronically with all 41 states, and the District of Columbia, which support e-filing. Last tax season, TurboTax customers e-filed more than five million federal tax returns, accounting for more than 75 percent of federal returns e-filed by consumers via the IRS's online filing program.

TurboTax Home & Business and TurboTax for Business
In addition to personal 1040 tax products, TurboTax offers TurboTax Home & Business for the sole proprietor and TurboTax for Business for Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Estates and Trusts. TurboTax Home & Business contains the full TurboTax Premier product plus additional features like the Depreciation Expert, Business Tax Library and everything the sole proprietor likely needs to prepare personal taxes and a Schedule C (business income).

Suggested retail pricing and availability for desktop products
For tax year 2001, TurboTax Deluxe for Windows, which includes one free state program and one free federal e-file after rebates, is $29.95 after a $10 mail-in rebate. TurboTax Premier includes everything that comes with TurboTax Deluxe plus new added features for just $39.95 after a $10 rebate. TurboTax for Windows is $19.95 and TurboTax Deluxe for Mac is $49.95. TurboTax Home & Business for Windows is $49.95 after a $20 mail-in rebate (includes one free state and one free federal e-file after rebates). TurboTax for Windows and Mac desktop products can be purchased directly from Intuit at www.turbotax.com, or by calling 800-446-8848.

All TurboTax 1040 software products are available now on CD-ROM and include approved IRS tax forms, which can be filed electronically or by mail. TurboTax for Business will be available in mid-January 2002.

Quicken TurboTax for the Web pricing and availability
Quicken TurboTax for the Web is for taxpayers who want the simplicity, convenience and speed of the Internet for preparing and filing individual tax returns. With TurboTax for the Web, consumers don't have to purchase or download software because they can prepare their return entirely online at any computer with Internet access. Plus, there is no charge to try TurboTax for the Web since taxpayers are charged only when they are ready to print or electronically file their return.

TurboTax for the Web is $6.95 for federal 1040EZ returns filed before April 1, 2002, a savings of 30% off the $9.95 for those same returns filed on or after April 1, 2002. TurboTax for the Web 1040 returns are $19.95 if filed before April 1, 2001 and $24.95 thereafter. TurboTax Premium for the Web returns are $29.95 prior to April 1 and $34.95 on or after that date. Federal electronic filing is included at no additional charge. TurboTax for the Web and TurboTax Premium for the Web will be available in mid-January 2002 at www.turbotax.com

About Quicken TurboTax
Quicken TurboTax was the No.1-selling tax preparation software program in 2001, with 70 percent share of units sold at retail and more than 80 percent retail revenue share, up eight points over 2000, according to NPD Intelect. Its Web-based counterpart, TurboTax for the Web, is the most popular site for online tax preparation and filing services. The Instant Data Entry feature is included at no additional charge in all 1040 versions of TurboTax. With more than 17 years of personal finance expertise, the TurboTax family of products saves time and money for more than 14 million Americans each year.