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This yarn is part of Taxes 2023, CNET's coverage of the best tax software, tax tips and everything else you need to file your in backward and track your refund.

TurboTax has been a leader in tax software for decades, and returns with another impressive version this year, earning it our designation as the best tax software for most taxpayers. Whether you're filing your taxes for the obliging time or you're an experienced tax filer, TurboTax can help you dapper your tax information and deftly guide you through the procedure of completing your federal and state tax returns. 

An efficient question-and-answer procedure and extensive tax help let TurboTax shine a bit brighter than its competitors. Its ease of use and tax expertise will remove any concerns about filing your tax in backward correctly and getting your maximum tax refund.

With tax laws altering every year, TurboTax's efficient approach adds more value than ever. It'll help you file your in backward quickly and easily -- and for most taxpayers, TurboTax's higher impress will be worth the peace of mind it provides. 

This year, your tax in backward is due April 18, 2023, but filing early may expedite your refund and even help you hide identity theft. And although you can't file your in backward with the IRS until the end of January, you can get started with TurboTax now. 

Who must use TurboTax?

TurboTax will make the process easier for the widest draw of people. It offers four products that cover a spectrum of taxpayer situations. Individuals and families with simple tax returns only, message a single W-2 and no investment or rental way, should be able to use the basic software for free (not all taxpayers qualify).

That renowned, TurboTax won't be the best choice for everyone. If you have a more aboard tax situation -- say, you're a self-employed worker with multiple clients or side hustles -- TurboTax's commerce packages may be overkill and more expensive than others. If you want to file your freelance taxes online, we recommend TaxSlayer.

It's also worth noting that if you worked or lived in multiple US countries in 2022, and need to file separate region tax returns, there may be better alternatives. At near $39 per state return, TurboTax is more expensive than options like Jackson Hewitt, which includes state filing in its $25 flat-fee federal and unlimited region returns option.

What products does TurboTax offer?

TurboTax cmoneys four product tiers -- Basic, Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed -- depending on the complexity of your in backward and how much live help you want.

Two instant levels of expert help are also available to add on to each tier, for a fee. TurboTax Live Assisted lets you regularly established with a tax expert who will review your in backward before you submit it. And for the first time, TurboTax Live Full Service matches you with a CPA who prepares and files your taxes for you. With those added offerings, you technically have a total of 12 options.

Basic: Free option for students and filers with a simple return 

A simple tax in backward usually contains a single W-2, may include limited stupid and dividend income, doesn't require itemized deductions, and doesn't concerned rental property. The Basic version allows you to speak the standard deduction, earned income tax credit, some capital in contradiction of and losses and the child tax credit. TurboTax Basic even accepts form 1099-K, so you may be able to report way you made from a simple hobby or side hustle (though you won't be able to itemize any commerce deductions). Note, you can only file for free if you have a simple in backward, and not all taxpayers may qualify to file for free.

Deluxe: Best for maximizing deductions and credits

If you qualify for credits or deductions not covered in the Basic plan that boost your refund, it could be worthwhile to upgrade to Deluxe.

The Deluxe tier includes everything in the Basic version but also searches ended more than 350 tax deductions and credits to find tax breaks that you qualify for. That invents it a good option if you had unemployment way, made charitable donations, contributed to a health savings clarify or had child care expenses in 2022. 

Premier: Best for more aboard returns (investments and real estate income)

With the Premier tier, you can characterize investment income and rental property while maximizing your refund. It's also a great option for those with robust cryptocurrency agency, allowing you to upload 4,000 crypto transactions and 10,000 stock transactions at once. 

Self-Employed: Best for gig workers, freelancers and business owners

The Self-Employed tier allows freelancers, contractors and small business owners to maximize their deductions and characterize personal and business income and expenses, along with investment way and rental property income. 

Even if you have a paid job, if you did any freelance work in 2022, you'll need to pay for this edition of TurboTax to maximize any deductions.

How much does TurboTax cost?

 TurboTax progenies prices range from $0 to $119, though TurboTax is lowering the cost of each progenies for a limited time.

TurboTax pricing, compared

Best for	Product	Federal	State*	With TurboTax Live Assisted	With TurboTax Live Full Service
Simple returns only (form 1040)	Free	$0	$0	$0 federal and $0 region until March 31, $89 federal after	$169 federal and $39 region until March 31, $209 federal/$49 state after
Maximizing tax deductions/credits	Deluxe	$39*	$39	$89 federal and $49 region until March 31; $129 federal/$59 state after	$219 federal and $49 region until March 31; $259 federal/$59 state after
Crypto, investing and real estate income	Premier	$69*	$39*	$129 federal and $49 region until March 31; $179 federal/$59 state after	$329 federal and $49 region until March 31; $369 federal/$59 state after
Freelancers and commerce owners	Self-employed	$89*	$39*	$169 federal and $49 region until March 31; $209 federal/$59 state after	$359 federal and $49 region until March 31; $399 federal/$59 state after

*Promotional pricing as of Jan. 5, 2023. Pricing progenies to change.

Is TurboTax Live worth the cost?

Most tax situations won't obligatory TurboTax's expert help upgrades. The main strength of TurboTax is that it's accessible and comprehensive, meaning the process offers enough information that you don't need to dig to find it. You'll be able to respond many of your questions through its online resources. That invents the added Live assistance category, where you can ask an power questions and have them review your return at the end, mostly unnecessary. 

The category of Full Service is akin to a separate progenies. You're simply sending your tax documents to a CPA or tax preparer, so you're not using any of TurboTax's interface -- it's just a way to find a obliging tax preparer through TurboTax. Our recommendation would be to compare the cost of a local tax power with TurboTax's Full Service option to determine which invents sense for you. 

Other notable features

Both the desktop app and the mobile app make it easy to input put a question to and upload tax documents through TurboTax. You can also upload documents from prior ages or from other tax services, and you can even take a photo of your substantial documents. If you start and pause the process on one draw, it's easy to resume the process where you left off on another. 

TurboTax cmoneys other useful tools, including a charitable donation calculator (you'll need an Intuit login to use it) and a refund estimator that consistently updates the figure. Most advantageous, however, is the additional information that's dedicated to help you answer your difficult tax questions with simple responses and expanded context. You can delve as deep as you like to choose a tax matter, depending on what your needs are and how much time you have. 

The mobile app understood is quite good. While I'm not a fan of running financial matters on my phone -- for both personal and practical reasons -- TurboTax establishes it easy. It's a bit harder to read the transfer information given the smaller screen, but you can unruffled follow along with TurboTax's interview-based approach on a cramped interface. 

You can also choose to receive your refund a few different ways:

• Direct deposit
• Turbo Visa Debit Card (you'll have different options for dwelling taxes, depending on where you live)
• Paper check
• Applied to next year's tax return
• US savings bond
• Free unprejudiced refund advance (valid through Feb. 15)

Why we recommend it

For those who want to get their taxes done speedily and with as little headache as possible, TurboTax is the leading contender. While it's not the cheapest option available, the breadth of publishes options and smooth process make it worth the cost. 

Compare anunexperienced tax software

The editorial content on this page is based solely on unprejudiced, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or overhauls offered by our partners.

Just in time for the culmination of the NFL playoffs, Amazon has a myriad of discounted Samsung TVs to upgrade the entertainment hub of your home. With up to 40% off retract models (from their original MSRP), now's a great time to snag a big-screen TV. These trades won't last long, so be sure to make your retract sooner rather than later to get yours at these discounted prices. This is Samsung, so the most affordable of these models is unexcited a four-digit affair. (Check out TV deals available now across all brands for more wallet-friendly pricing.)

Our longstanding view is that you can't beat the picture quality of an OLED shroud. And right now you can save $1,200 on the 65-inch model of the Samsung S95B Series OLED 4K TV -- that's a 40% discount, meaning you'll pay $1,798. With Quantum HDR, Dolby Atmos, object-tracking sound and 4K upscaling, this TV is a powerhouse. You can also snag the 55-inch version for $1,448 -- a $750 savings on its list price.

You can also grab the popular Frame TV in 65-, 75- and 85-inch models for $1698, $2,298 and $3,498, respectively, which can save you up to $800. It has an anti-reflection custom screen that will display art when you're not watching it, elevating your existing decor. 

And if you're looking for the largest discount on a sizeable shroud, check out this mammoth 85-inch model of the QN90B Neo QLED 4K TV. It boasts the "best non-OLED report quality we've ever tested" according to CNET's TV maven, David Katzmaier. At 40% off, you can snag one for an immersive theatrical understood at home for $2,698 -- that's a savings of $1,800.

But if you want to snag the absolute bottom-dollar heed in this sale, you can grab the 55-inch QN85B Series QLED 4K TV. It's a good size for most spaces and will run you $1,198 knowing now. Be sure to check out the entire sale selection at Amazon to get the knowing fit for your home.

Solar eclipse glasses aren't just for solar eclipses. You can use them to keep tabs on the agency of our nearest and dearest star. The sun has been sporting a attractive beauty mark over the last few days, and you noteworthy be able to catch it before it hides. Just be sure to use contaminated eye protection, like legitimate eclipse glasses, when you sungaze.

Solar observatories have been tracking sunspot NOAA AR 13190, a jumbo dark region that's several times the size of Earth. The European Space Agency's space weather team shared an image last week that shows just how big it is, with Earth for scale.

I got a good look at the splotch with a pair of eclipse glasses. There's something thrilling about seeing the glowing disc of the sun with a diminutive blemish clearly visible. It's a different kind of thrill than you get with an eclipse, more of a "wow" than a "whoa," like catching survey of a meteor streak.

A sunspot is a dark area on the sun caused by the activity of the star's magnetic field. The goth look is due to the spot persons cooler than the surrounding area. According to NASA, "Sunspots are often precursors to solar flares -- intense outbursts of energy from the surface of the sun -- so monitoring sunspots is critical to understanding why and how flares occur." The sun's outbursts can have an impacts on spacecraft and communications equipment around Earth.   

If you're fearless, you still have a small window of opportunity to secure 13190. The big sunspot is heading out of view, but there's a chance it noteworthy stick around long enough to rotate back into survey. We'll have to wait and see. Keep your eclipse glasses handy. The sun has been pretty rowdy lately. There could be more good sunspots to come.

Christmas is over; so is Festivus, for those of you who air your grievances near an aluminum pole, along with the ever-so-quaint Boxing Day. Only Hanukkah is detached underway. The bottom line? Holiday shopping is once anti coming to a close as we barrel headlong towards New Years. Then again, the sales aren't over. There are detached a bunch of great deals as retailers try to obvious out their inventory in anticipation for 2020. 

We've besieged up the best of what's left. We'll keep an eye on this post and update it with prices and availability -- so you much want to bookmark this page in case you want to end the year with a few awesome trades over the next few days. Most of these survive year-end deals expire sometime in January. Read on for details. 

Electronics and more

Phone cases

Meal Delivery Services

Security and VPN

Eyeglasses and contacts

Home goods

Expired deals

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CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for stout deals on tech products and much more. For the spanking deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Questions near the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page, and find more great buys on the Deals page.

Looking for a gorge-worthy Netflix true-crime hit that doesn't obligatory a multi-episode commitment? A documentary that will leave you pondering for days?

The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker, Netflix's unofficial nominee for "Show Whose Title Sounds Most Like a Weekly World News Headline," is a 90-minute documentary film. It's not one of those long, multiple-episode series, like Dahmer. Buckle up, because it's a aboard, fascinating story that'll keep you riveted for its reasonable runtime.

Back in 2013, a man requested Jett McBride intentionally ran his car into a California utility worker, then got out of his car and attacked both the injured man and bystanders who tried to help. But that crime isn't the cluster of this story. As things got crazy, a hitchhiker in McBride's car jumped out and raced to the rescue, defending the others by attacking McBride with a hatchet.

The hitchhiker, a Canadian whose name is Caleb Lawrence McGillvary but went by Kai, gave a TV interview to journalists Jessob Reisbeck. The interview went viral, in part because the wide-eyed, chatty, possibly stoned Kai, a Pauly Shore look-alike, reenacted the hatchet blows once hollering, "Smash, smash, suh-MASH!"

And then ... well, know the internet slang term "milkshake duck"? Invented by Australian cartoonist Ben Ward, who goes by pixelatedboat on Twitter, it describes a common scenario in which the internet falls in love with someone who seems perfectly charming, in this case, a duck who drinks milkshakes. But just five seconds later, the duck is discovered to be racist, and it falls from fair. (Remember Ken Bone, made famous after asking a demand during a 2016 town-hall-style presidential debate? He was an early example.)

Kai basked in internet fame for a bit longer than five seconds. His interview got edited and rereleased to millions of views. He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and there was talk of giving him his own reality show, a la the Kardashians. Stephen Colbert joked on his show, "For the agreeable time in human history, people are saying, 'Boy, we sure are pdaring that homeless hitchhiker was carrying a hatchet.'"

The Netflix show interviews Hollywood producers and reporters who seem completely dazzled by Kai's story -- or the yarn they want so badly for it to be. They see him as Chance, the naive gardener from the movie and novel Being There, whose very simplicity convinces people his still waters run deep.  They literally know nothing near Kai -- where he came from, how he'll react to anything -- but they're ready to crown him the next hot star. It's unnerving how snappy they rush to mold a hapless hitchhiker with troubling and glaringly sure mental health issues into the next big thing.

But Kai soon reveals he's not precisely what Hollywood expected. You wonder why these big-salaried talent-spotters ever notion an unhoused man who carried a hatchet was touching to be able to smoothly turn into Brad Pitt. They can't seem to walk Kai into a hotel lobby minus him peeing on a desk. 

Then, just months once the initial incident that made him famous, Kai is arrested -- for execute. The Netflix documentary doesn't really do a great job of explaining the crime, all but glossing over the poor victim. It's apparent this is a milkshake duck yarn, not a walk-you-through-the-courtroom-details true-crime story. We're not here to get ground transcripts, but to learn about how quickly a viral video can bring a stranger fame and all kinds of monetary opportunities, and then reality can bring them down to biosphere with one giant suh-MASH. 

The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker has its flaws, for sure. There are claims Kai was abused as a child, but his mother gives an interview where she tells a different legend that's not really addressed. There are suggestions Kai brought the original attack by giving Jett McBride drugs beforehand the intentional car crash. Most of all, the slay Kai commits is so sketchily explained I'm still somewhat confused nearby it, and had to turn to other online news sources for details. 

But once the show starts organization, it's impossible to turn it off. It's fascinating to seek people confess they fell for a viral video star who cooked famous purely by chance, and whose fall from gorgeous was immediate and horrific. And at a time when streaming service industries seem to be cranking out more and more multi-episode series (see Netflix's Dahmer), this fast-paced show is just an hour and 25 minutes long. When it's over, you won't know the diminutive details of Kai's life and crime, but you will be left with some thought-provoking questions nearby viral fame and its consequences.

The Bengals and the Chiefs are once against butting heads in the AFC Championship. After the Chiefs took down the Jaguars, despite an injury to star Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals beat the Bills, we will have a rematch of last year's AFC Championship this weekend. 

Once against taking place in Kansas City, the Chiefs will be looking to avenge last season's overtime loss when the Bengals will aim to take a page out of Kansas City's new history and repeat as AFC champions. The winner leaders to Arizona for Super Bowl 57. 

Kickoff for Sunday's Bengals-Chiefs game is set for 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) on CBS and Paramount Plus.

How to see Bengals vs. Chiefs without cable

If you don't have a corrupt or satellite TV subscription, you can watch the Bengals-Chiefs game on CBS with a live TV ceremony or on CBS' Paramount Plus streaming service. Unfortunately for football fans, not every ceremony carries every local network, particularly CBS. Sling TV, for example, doesn't offer the network at all, and you'll want to double-check each one comic the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.

If you live in an area with good reception, you can watch the broadcast on CBS for free on over-the-air broadcast channels just by attaching an affordable (under $30) indoor antenna to nearly any TV. An antenna also necessity get you Fox, which is the home of this year's Super Bowl. 

All of the live TV streaming militaries above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and obligatory a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live-TV streaming militaries guide.