So after years of using the computer desktop based, StudioTax free Income Tax Filing software program, the 2019 StudioTax program (a Windows OS program) is no longer free (it is free for anyone with income less than $20,000). :-( The cost is now $15.
I prefer to use a desktop Income Tax Filing program. There are programs that are web based and Android based. There used to be one Tax program that worked under the Linux OS, that I used and liked but I don't see that program listed in the CRA website, any more.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/e-services-individuals/netfile-overview/certified-software-netfile-program.html
There are only 2 other free desktop(Windows OS) Tax programs listed on the CRA website. I will be trying these out, to see if they work well for me.
Here is another Link to Canada Income Tax Filing programs.
https://www.greedyrates.ca/blog/best-tax-return-software-canada/
I've been using Turbotax for years. I get my copy from Costco normally (installable software, but you get an electronic code). Although there is a cost, you can do up to 8 filings with it, so, a bunch of people can install it and do a filing each and share the cost.
I find that anything less than Turbotax Standard is not enough as it doesn't support investments, RRSPs, etc - but the basic version is pretty cheap if I remember correctly.
I have been using TaxFreeway for years. I use the Mac version, but there is a PC version and it costs only $10. It imports previous year files like TurboTax, and its very user-friendly.
That's $15 for 20 filings for Studiotax, the maximum allowed under CRA. Just do a few friends' returns. :)
Quote from: fox on March 08, 2021, 09:53:55 AM
I have been using TaxFreeway for years. I use the Mac version, but there is a PC version and it costs only $10. It imports previous year files like TurboTax, and its very user-friendly.
PC as in Windows?
Sorry, PC as in Windows. I'm just used to the Mac-PC dichotomy.
Quote from: fox on March 09, 2021, 12:37:52 PM
Sorry, PC as in Windows. I'm just used to the Mac-PC dichotomy.
I thought so but thought it'd be good to ask. I wonder how well some of these Windows programs operate using WINE. I wouldn't imagine any of them have sophisticated graphical interfaces so I'd think it should be pretty easy. Is that how you're doing with TaxFreeway, Fox?
I don't find Turbotax, at least the free version online that I use, as friendly anymore. They used to have a kind of wizard that walked you through everything and it still does to an extent but I found I had to turn on certain things and do a search for T-slips that usually were prompted automatically in past editions. My taxes are already done but I might look for something else next year.
Quote from: Jason Wallwork on March 09, 2021, 05:20:23 PM
.... I wonder how well some of these Windows programs operate using WINE. I wouldn't imagine any of them have sophisticated graphical interfaces so I'd think it should be pretty easy. Is that how you're doing with TaxFreeway, Fox?
I've always used TaxFreeway on the Mac; I've used it since 2014. I suspect that the PC version would work well on Linux using Wine; it has some graphics but nothing sophisticated.
I forgot to mention that there is one Desktop computer, Income tax filing software, that runs on Linux. It is MyTaxExpress and it costs $7 per single Tax Return. I have used it in the past and it works well.
Edit: Apr 1 - The MyTaxExpress runs under Linux natively. You do not need to use WINE. You just need to right click on the downloaded file and under properties, set it to run as an executable.
I should also mention that most of these Tax software programs can be downloaded freely and used. You only need to pay, if you want to print or Netfile your results. This allows me to double check my Tax return results, by comparing the results from another Tax Return program. :-)
Thanks for posting this, Bill! Having a native Linux version would be a game-changer for me, if the software is good. The cost ($14) would be about the same for me as myTaxFreeway, as I have three returns to do. I already finished 2020 with myTaxFreeway, but I downloaded MyTaxExpress Linux and started filling it out. One question I may not be able to answer is whether it can import tax information from the previous year if it was filled out with MyTaxExpress.
Ok, so I wound up using the program, MyTaxExpress to efile my return to the CRA. MyTaxExpress worked well under my Mint 19.1 except when it came time for me to generate the pdf file of the Tax Return, for my records. It didn't work. It came up with various error messages for "print environment".
I sent in a "won't print pdf" support ticket and they only were able to offer to create the pdf, if I emailed them a copy of my Return. I didn't want to send them my Income Tax Return info, so emailed them that I would try and work the problem out.
MyTaxExpress uses a bundled Java JRE software for the printing of the returns and my Linux Mint seems to show that the Java JRE is installed, according to the Synaptic Package Manager.
I know this shouldn't be, but what if you downloaded the Windows version and tried to print it from that? Alternatively, in case the issue is internal to Mint, can you load up Ubuntu or another distro and try it from that?
Thanks for the suggestions, Mike. There is one little problem, in that in order to print out a completed tax return or pdf file, the software needs to have a registration code applied. I am thinking this may be difficult to do, if I tried to apply the code to another install.
I may be able to copy/clone the MyTaxExpress folder into another Distro and see if I can get the pdf file, of the completed tax return to be created. I will report back, when I have tried this.
Quote from: ssfc72 on April 12, 2021, 03:57:51 PM
Ok, so I wound up using the program, MyTaxExpress to efile my return to the CRA. MyTaxExpress worked well under my Mint 19.1 except when it came time for me to generate the pdf file of the Tax Return, for my records. It didn't work. It came up with various error messages for "print environment".
Are you printing to PDF (brings up print dialogue and you choose to save to PDF) or are you using an option built into the program for saving it as a PDF? Either way, an easy workaround assuming you can scan to PDF is just to print it out normally and then scan it back in as a PDF.
It's possible that you may have OpenJDK installed perhaps and not Oracle's JDK. OpenJDK is an open-source implementation of Oracle's JDK and while it aims to be 100% compatible but it isn't always. But I see on their website that the Linux downloads appear to be AppImage files. Is what you're using? The AppImage file should have everything it needs, not depend on outside dependencies.
The MyTaxExpress has a, save to pdf, menu item, in order to create a pdf file of the Tax Return.
The MyTaxExpress website, has a FAQ that deals with pdf's not being created. The website may be a little out of date. It says the tax program comes with the JRE program, but it was not anywhere in the MyTaxExpress folder, where it said it was to be found.
There was also instructions on the web page about how to download the Oracle JRE, but that appeared to be a very old version.
This FAQ help may have been for the Windose version of MyTaxExpress.
Does it have a print option? If so, what happens if you say print? Do you get a print dialogue that gives you a choice of what to print to? One of the options should be 'Save to PDF' or something. Try that if it's available.
If I read the downloads section right you have one file for MyTaxExpress and it's in a format called an AppImage. You can tell by looking for the extension .AppImage. Unlike, say an rpm or deb file, it contains everything you need to run the program and is the same no matter what Linux version you're using. It's a handy way for developers to avoid having to worry about dependencies in different Linux distros and for users you don't have to worry about having to install dependencies. So there won't be anything there but that. I have a couple of programs that are available as AppImages myself - Todoist (not a typo) and Tutanota email client. I just click on them and choose Execute.
Thanks for the help, Jason.
Yes, the download file is an AppImage. I have to open that file, each time I want to run the program.
The 2 choices to create a hard copy of the completed Tax Return are to create a pdf file or to produce a "bar coded return" for sending to the CRA. I tried the bar coded option and got the same error codes.
Tomorrow, I will try and install the AppImage file, on another Linux Distro.
Well, that's unfortunate. :( I don't think installing on another Linux distro will make any difference. The point of AppImage files is that you can use them with any distro. Everything that the program needs should be inside the AppImage. It's like having a .deb or .rpm package but with all of its dependencies built in. But it's worth a shot if you don't have to install one. Or maybe the Windows version would work under Wine.
I am hoping that MyTaxExpress will fix their Linux AppImage for next year, to get the print function to work.
Since I have the program installed (on Ubuntu), I wanted to check the print function. It gave me a message about using the 1-return license, so I didn't take it any further. Did you get that far, Bill?
I paid the $7 fee, in order to net file and print my 2020 tax return. So I didn't run into that message.
Update - Yesterday I downloaded the applimage file for the 2020 MyTaxExpress program, from their website and I discovered that the creation of a pdf file, of my Income Tax Return now works. Yey, :-)
For Linux users, there are 2 different appimage files to chose from. One program uses SSL 1.1 and the other, for older Linux, uses SSL 1.0.
I went into my Mint 19.1 Synaptic program and it showed that Mint was using SSL 1.0, so I downloaded the older appimage.
That's good to hear, Bill. I have yet to my brother's tax return. He's only getting about $150 back but I should still get on that. :)