TaxACT Press Release - January 10, 2003

Final Release of Free Tax Software Gives Relief from Tax Time Stress

Cedar Rapids, IA – January 10, 2003 – Anyone who has ever attempted to do their own taxes can tell you how much easier it is to prepare your own taxes when you have software to do all the hard work for you. The TaxACT 2002 Standard Edition, a free tax software package from 2nd Story Software, offers an alternative to existing software products like TurboTax and TaxCut, which cost as much as fifty dollars or more.

Today, 2nd Story announced the release of the final version of TaxACT Standard, now available for free download from www.taxact.com. 2nd Story also offers TaxACT Standard in a free online web-based version that doesn't require you to download any software, available at www.taxactonline.com.

"For the thirty million Americans currently doing their taxes the old-fashioned way, tax software can seem intimidating," explains Lance Dunn, President of 2nd Story Software. "No one wants to risk a big software investment if they don't know whether they'll get much out of it. We wanted to give taxpayers a risk-free way to familiarize themselves with the process, just to see how easy it is to use our tax software.

"TaxACT is easy," continues Dunn, "because the software interviews you with tax questions, so all you have to do is type in your answers. TaxACT enters your data into the correct tax forms as you go. It's a foolproof process that anyone can use."

TaxACT Standard automatically does your calculations for you, and it incorporates all current tax laws, so you can be confident your return is accurate and meets I.R.S. requirements. It even audits your return to check for errors. Not only can you complete your return faster with TaxACT, but you can also be more confident you haven't made mistakes or left something out.

The Standard Edition includes the most commonly used tax forms and schedules, which means you won't have to mess with hunting down the correct paper forms. When you're ready to file, you simply print your return onto plain white paper. Plus, if you wish to receive your refund in less time, you can electronically file your tax return. The low $7.95 e-file charge makes TaxACT among the best-priced e-file services in the industry.

"E-filing is quickly becoming the preferred method of tax filing because it's so convenient," says Ron Jorgensen, CPA, "And, you get your refund sooner with e-filing—in as few as ten days if you use direct deposit."

Jorgensen adds that even if you owe money to the government, "e-filing is the way to go. You can e-file right away without immediately paying your tax debt. In fact, when you e-file, you can schedule a direct debit payment for as late as April 15, 2003."

"One of our purposes in creating the TaxACT software series was to make e-filing easy," says Dunn. "The software guides users step-by-step through the e-file process. They're kept abreast of the status of their return through e-mail and web updates."

For those of you with more complex tax situations, TaxACT is available in a Deluxe Edition, both for software users and for those who would prefer to prepare their taxes over the web using TaxACT's online web site at www.taxactonline.com. The low price of $9.95 includes one free federal e-file, more than 110 forms, schedules, and worksheets, advanced tax calculations, and more. TaxACT State Editions are also available for $12.95 each for software and $7.95 for the online version. State Editions are compatible with both TaxACT Standard and TaxACT Deluxe, and you can get a State Edition for any state that assesses state income tax. Visit www.taxact.com for more information.