An online tax software program such as Turbotax Online 2006, does more than just prepare and file your taxes. It offers advanced tools to help you pay the least amount of tax possible. It also provides an extremely accurate tax return to file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These important tools are something you should be aware of before you begin your taxes.

Let's take a look a few of these tax tools

* Tax Return Calculator Use this handy tool to figure out how much of a tax refund you can expect to get back from the Government. Just enter your information as prompted, and the tax return calculator will quickly complete your tax refund estimate.

* Home Mortgage Calculator All you have to do is enter the amount of interest you paid for the year and the mortgage calculator will show you your tax savings. Be sure to add in any points you might have paid.

* The Deduction Maximizer Tax preparation software such as Turbotax 2006 Deluxe, has a built in tax deduction maximizer. As with the tax return calculator, you just enter your information and the tax deduction maximizer will determine what deductions you should take.

* Tax Articles and Tips Common, and not so common tax questions are answered in the tips and articles section of the tax program. If you want to learn about tax deductions, self-employment, child tax credit, medical expenses, mortgage interest, and a multitude of other tax subjects it's there to help you.

Let's face it not many people enjoy doing their taxes. However, tax software designers are working to make tax preparation and filing software, as hassle-free and money-saving as possible. Having a set of useful tax tools on hand can make the job of (doing your taxes) a little easier and oftentimes, profitable!