Comments for Overwhelmed Turbo Tax Servers Slow To Crawl For E-Filers

Overwhelmed Turbo Tax Servers Slow To Crawl For E-Filers

2007-04-18T18:10:03Z

Yep, looks like Turbo Taxes servers were totally bunged up last night. Some people were sitting there for hours, waiting for a confirmation after hitting submit. Intuit, makers of Turbo Tax, contacted the IRS but there's been no official word whether people unable to submit their taxes by the midnight deadline will get an extension. Some statement from the IRS should be out today.

Good job, Intuit. That was your software's day. You make a tax program, it needs to work on tax day. That's like showing up to the Olympics drunk. Just another reason why you shouldn't wait till the last minute to file your taxes. — BEN POPKEN

Late Filers Swamp TurboTax E-File System [Washington Post]
(Photo: Lazy_Lightning)

Comment from SpyMaster on 2007-04-18

2007-04-19T00:35:36Z

Do I smell class-action lawsuit here?

Comment from wezelboy on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T22:46:35Z

Glad I filed all kill-a-tree style this year. And I saved $90!

Comment from Trai_Dep on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T21:15:59Z

Although, to be fair, I filed at 6pm 4/17 w/ no probs for one friend, and another days before that, with no problems.

(not an accountant but they were simple returns for technophobic friends that (ha! HA! HA!!) trust me w/ their social security number)

I'm of the mind that TT did an acceptable job. Why pay a gajillion dollars to serve the 0.001 percent that wait until *after* 6pm the day of the due date to file their taxes?

Their infrastructure is fine, people need to either clean up their act or shrug and take their hit when they live so close to the edge.

Comment from Morgan on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T20:44:37Z

@Sandtiger: It doesn't even make much sense then; TurboTax gives you the option of setting the date that money for taxes is debited from an account, so you could file in January and tell them to take the money from your account on April 17th (so long as you're the type of person who can remember to make sure there's enough money in your account at that point). Only real reason to wait to file is for the software for your state to come out, which for some reason is at least February for most states.

Comment from Wormfather on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T20:36:53Z

"That's like showing up to the Olympics drunk."

C'mon, isnt it time we left Bode Miller alone?

Comment from Mike on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T19:46:44Z

I could be very wrong here, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that even though other countries allow people to e-file through their government for free, the US doesn't. It doesn't because companies like Intuit™ have lobbied and won the right to charge filers a fee, instead of our government stepping in on their revenue stream.

If this is the case, Intuit™ and any other companies who couldn't process the returns for which THEY ARE CHARGING PEOPLE, have proven themselves unworthy of this special treatment. The IRS needs to take a serious look at cutting them right the hell out of the loop, and setting up its own system in which taxpayers don't have to pay to, you know, pay taxes.

Just my three cents. [It's buy-two-get-one-free-day.]

Comment from upokyin on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T19:45:37Z

This sucks for the last-minute filers, but it's hard to feel outraged over the situation. Any business can be overwhelmed if too many people try to use it at once. There's nothing magic about the Internet.

Comment from Youthier on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T19:45:26Z

I filed yesterday afternoon. It actually went quicker than I thought but I was prepared to have problems because I stupidly waited until the last minute. If you are going to do it, that's fine. Just be prepared for consequences.

Comment from infinitysnake on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T19:25:56Z

@mopar_man: There's nothing wrong with that- that's why it's the 'last minute,' not 'the minute AFTER the last minute.'

Comment from rekoil on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T19:20:51Z

You know, even if you file earlier you don't have to send the payment until the deadline. It's perfectly acceptable to file (electronically or by mail) at any time before the deadline, then put your check in the mail the day of. I did this last year, in fact.

Comment from Sandtiger on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:57:14Z

Actually to me it only makes sense IF you owe taxes to wait until April to file. That's due to the interest, etc that you can make on your money in the mean time. If you are due a refund it makes more sense to file early (jan-feb time frame) because your not making any extra $ on the refund due.

Comment from gorckat on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:28:08Z

When I tried to submit mine the first time I got a server error and thought I was hosed. So I tried again ten mintues later and made it!

As far as why people wait...we owe and are broke and an extension won't change that fact :p

Comment from The Bigger Unit on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:23:18Z

*shakes head* I'll just never understand people's need to file the day of. And I don't want to hear about "Oh, and YOU'VE never done a term paper at the last minute?".

Yeah...when I was a freaking kid. Time to grow up folks!

No extension for you!

Comment from JDAC on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:18:30Z

@tadiera: Say hello to NormallyAspiratedTax!

Comment from mopar_man on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:11:35Z

there's been no official word whether people unable to submit their taxes by the midnight deadline will get an extension

There's no reason they should. They're the ones who screwed up and waited until the last minute.

Comment from tadiera on 2007-04-18

2007-04-18T18:03:48Z

Guess they took the Turbo out of TurboTax.