Tax Software Reviews

Tax Software Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms and State forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal and state taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal and state taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.
Compare At Home Editions

Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal and state taxes
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 262 reviews)

List Price: $ 44.99
Price: $ 26.47

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by CS:

(Note: This review also shows up in the reviews for the download version. Don't ask me why Amazon doesn't show the reviews in both places for what's really the same product, with just different delivery mechanisms. I bought the box version, if you want to know.)

This part written Dec 9, 2009 (see updated comments below)

This is of course a preliminary review (written Dec 9 based on use in the last few days). At this time one can't do more than a rough cut estimate of the tax return -- the IRS forms aren't finalized, the state forms aren't available, and of course the various income reports (W2, 1099, etc.) aren't out yet.

I don't have a super complicated tax situation this year: it just requires some things that a good tax program should handle easily. So far this program seems to do just fine. I found it easy to use, and found that imports from Quicken and from TXF files worked without any problems. Schedules A, B, and D worked just fine, and the related screens were easy to use and understand. Excess FICA was calculated correctly, as was the child tax credit. The AMT calculation does of course remain weirdly complicated (once a year I mutter to myself about all politicians in DC), but the program does take care of it with no apparent problems.

I used TaxCut last year -- chose it over TurboTax just because of cost, and was quite satisfied. I'm not convinced this year either that you get value for the extra you pay for TT. (Incidentally, note that if you have investment income you probably need to get TT Premium, so the price would be nearly double that of HRB Deluxe.)

A warning I wrote in my review last year seems worth repeating: Don't expect a tax program to apply tax laws correctly in all circumstances; for anything at all out of the ordinary, make sure you double-check against an IRS guide or another guide like JK Lasser's. The folks who design and write and test the programs make mistakes, too. And for the same reason, give the calculations a sanity check, don't just use the program blindly, or you could get tripped up by a software bug that wasn't caught.

I will update this review in Jan/Feb when I've had a chance to do more with it.

Update Jan 29, 2010:

I have now done a first complete pass on my taxes, based on W2s, 1099s, and some projected 1099s. I also have had an opportunity to use TurboTax Deluxe (I got a free copy, legally), so have been able to compare the two products.

I continue to like HRB Deluxe. It's easy to use, and has been trouble-free. There are a couple of things I particularly like, that might be worth mentioning. (1) They show you when the next update is expected, so you don't waste your time running the update check until there is something. (2) Entering info from interest paying mutual funds that might have muni income (tax-free for Fed) is simple: HRB gives you a simple way to enter the amount that's tax-free in your state, and takes care of it without hassle. TT can also deal with this, but I don't like their way as much (they create a separate 1099 to split the income into two parts).

Interestingly, TTD is also noticeably slower starting up than HRBD. Don't know why.

The one advantage TT does have over HRB is on coverage of automated downloads: TT can download your 1099 info from a larger set of institutions than can HRB. W2 downloads look the same between the two. This does save some time, and could be sufficient to be a decider for some. Not for me.

Review by D. Yip:

I've used H&R Block's tax software for the last four years and haven't had a problem until the 2009's version. In general, the software is comparable to others in its simplicity and user-friendliness. This year, I bought the Deluxe Home Edition which comes with a state; however, when I tried downloading my free state program, it was indicated that I had to pay .95. To make a long story short, I spent 45 minutes speaking with a customer representative before she finally sent me the state link. I was very disappointed as the person initially told me she could not help me because I did not purchase the software directly from H&R Block. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was put on hold for long periods of time. For an issue that has occurred on multiple occasions (as indicated from these reviews), I was highly disappointed with the length of time it took the representative to come up with a solution. Also, had I not insisted on speaking with a superior (who apparently didn't think my issue was worthy of attention) the representative had originally asked me to go ahead and pay for the state and submit paperwork for a refund. It's odd that the program would encounter such a problem and I am very disappointed with the way the situation was handled.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 26.47!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal and state taxes
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 86 reviews)

List Price: $ 44.99
Price: $ 24.99

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by CS:

This part written Dec 9, 2009 (see updated comments below)

I will update this review in Jan/Feb when I've had a chance to do more with it.

Update Jan 29, 2010:

Interestingly, TTD is also noticeably slower starting up than HRBD. Don't know why.

Review by Gordo:

I'm mostly only writing my review to offset the wave of negative comments. I had absolutely no problems with the Amazon software download tool. If you are concerned that you might have a problem with it, just test it out first by downloading a free game or something. Next, someone complained that the amazon downloader tool remains on your system after the download - this is true unfortunately, but its also not a big deal, it shows an icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, and you can simply right click it, and close it, it will then ask you if you want to load it when windows starts, just uncheck this, and it will no longer be running on your computer. Finally, some people complained that they didn't get their product code. I don't know if this was a bug that was fixed or what, but the downloader software clearly displayed my product code (used for e-filing your return), furthermore, you can get the code at any time via Amazon.com, just click on the "Go to your software library" button.

The H&R Block software loaded fine on Vista with no problems. If you are using user account controls, you should right click the install file and choose "Run as Administrator". After the software installed, the first thing it did was update itself. Now I must admit it did appear to hang during this update process for some reason showing it was 100% on the download, and I had to click "cancel" but then it installed the update with no problems after that.

The tax software is very nice, most detailed reviews I've read comparing various software rank H&R Block (formerly TaxCut) and TurboTax as the two best, and they mostly say they are almost identical but as far as I know, only H&R Block offers audit support. You can import last years files from either software so switching from year to year is not a problem. Every year these programs get better and better, with more features and forms, and simpler interface. I love the simple question and answer format, and the easy free federal e-File. I also like that it includes the state software too. Instead of paying extra to e-File my state return, I just print it out and mail it in (for only the cost of a stamp). This software handles everything I want to do including Schedule D creation, and even schedule F for farm income. Overall its a good value.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 24.99!

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009

Find and maximize your deductions.If you own a home, made donations or have medical expenses, TurboTax Deluxe will easily get you every tax deduction you deserve. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes deductions
We search for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible
guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Deluxe is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Deluxe was designed to make it easy for you to get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Deluxe if any of the following apply to you: You own your home You donated to charity You have significant education or medical expenses You have childcare expenses You have lots of deductions If you own investments or rental property, choose TurboTax Premier. It has everything in Deluxe PLUS will provide extra guidance so you get the most from your investments. If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, TurboTax Home & Business has everything in Premier and will help you make the most of your business and personal deductions. If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business. Compare TurboTax Software Everything you need to do your taxes with ease. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation and credits. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions and credits to get you the biggest tax refund--guaranteed. Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go
Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save. Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations
ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity–no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to. Handles Your Life Changes
Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct. Helps with Medical Expenses
Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Being contacted by the IRS can be confusing and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. That's why we've created the TurboTax Audit Support Center, included for FREE with all TurboTax products. Only about 1% of all personal tax returns were audited, so it is unlikely, but if you are contacted by the IRS, we'll help you to: Find out why the IRS contacted you Determine what it means Prepare your next steps With downloadable step-by-step guidance, including what different types of IRS letters may mean, you'll know exactly where you stand and what to do next. Remember, TurboTax guarantees 100% accurate calculations. If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Helps You Reduce Audit Risk Tracks Your Audit Risk
Audit Risk Meter checks your tax return for common audit triggers. Shows whether your risk is high or low. And provides tips to help you reduce your chance of an audit. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Gives you step-by-step guidance on everything you need to know and do if the IRS contacts you. Also Available: Audit Defense
Provides full-service representation by a trained tax professional. You will never have to meet with the IRS, unless you want to. Does the Hard Work for You Asks Easy Questions, Tailored to You
Guides you step by step through your tax return and puts your answers on the right tax forms for you. Skips interview questions that don't apply to you, so you can finish your return faster. Improved Automatically Fills in W-2 and 1099 Info
Gets your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions and automatically puts it in the right tax

TurboTax Deluxe guarantees your biggest tax refund by finding and maximizing your deductions
Uncovers over 350 deductions including mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and more
Guides you through changes in your tax situation and lets you know how they will impact your taxes
Audit Risk Meter helps you reduce your chance of an audit
Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days

Rating: (out of 386 reviews)

List Price: $ 59.95
Price: $ 35.00

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:

I have always used turbotax but this year but they changed their pricing. The package says one free state download. True, you can download one state of your choice. However, you only get to prepare one state only. All additional state preparations are at via download of even the same state. Thus for example, you have two family members living in California. The first person downloads the free California state download. If the second family member, who also needs to file the California state return, the second family member needs to pay to turbotax via the software, to prepare the second state return, again, even if it is the same state. Contacted turbotax and it took several tries until they stated that this is the case. The first few times they would not confirm it but rather dodge the question and give an ambiguous answer, not admitting to the change.

1/16/10 update: after installing an online software update yesterday, it seems that turbotax has now changed their policy/software back to the way it was in previous years (probably due to the numerous complaints that they have received). Now, as with last year's edition, you can do more than one state preparation for the same state, for the one free state that you have download. I have now given it 4 stars instead of the previous 1 star, with 4 stars becuase turbotax, as stated above, tried to previously limit the one free download to also mean one state prep (which is not the case now). Other than the previous frustration regarding the state download problem, turbotax has always given me great results. Great advice/info when you tag the help function. The help function will guide you for whatever is currently on the screen, thus you do not have to hunt for the information.

2/17/10 update

I have still been hearing that some people cannot do more than one state prep for the free included one state download. I have downgraded the star ratings from a 4 previously to a 2 now because the state download/prep problem still exists for some people. If the problem is fixed, I will upgrade the star rating then.

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Anthony... TurboTax does not charge extra for preparing multiple state returns for the same state. There was no change in our pricing policy this year. I believe if you received a different story from one of our agents, I suspect it was because they probably thought you were referring to TurboTax Online, where you are charged for each return.

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

Again I don't know if Bob is for real. If so, I would kindly ask Bob if he could change the turbotax website to state officially, for once and for all, that a buyer of the desktop version shall have unlimited state preps for the same free included state download.

I have also heard from another buyer that turbotax said this was due to a software flaw and should be fixed by Feb 25. We shall see. In the meantime, even though I can do multiple returns on the same state, many others cannot, thus buyer beware.

2/28/10 update:

The problem seems to be fixed. I am upgrading the ratings from 2 stars to 4 now, after it seems to be finally working now. I have received a comment stating that now it is possible to prepare more than one same state return from the free one included state download. Please let us know if it IS or IS NOT working for you.

Review by Tony Smith:

Given all the negative reviews of Turbo Tax last year, I bought Tax Cut. This was after years of using Turbo Tax. I agreed with those that pointed out how Intuit was trying to make more money off their product by the way they packaged their product. Unfortunately, one of my most tedious tasks in tax preparation is reporting stock transactions. Tax cut provided absolutely no way to download my transactions from Fidelity. Turbo Tax has agreements with most major brokerage houses for automatic down loads of your brokerage records.

So, I also bought Turbo Tax and finished my return. Until other products offer this feature, it's not worth it for me to switch.

Buy TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 now for only $ 35.00!

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

Guides you step-by-step through investments and rental property income.If you own stocks, bonds, mutual funds or rental properties, TurboTax Premier makes it easy to keep more money in your pocket. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes deductions
We search for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible
guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Premier is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Premier was designed to help you make the most of your investments and rental property deductions, so you get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Premier if any of the following apply to you: You sold stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or options for an employee stock plan You own rental property You are the beneficiary of an estate or trust (received a K-1 form) If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Home & Business. It has everything in Premier, PLUS expanded guidance to help you maximize home office, vehicle, and other business deductions. Compare TurboTax Software Helps You Get the Most from Your Investments TurboTax customizes questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Click to enlarge. TurboTax searches for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible--guaranteed. Click to enlarge. Exclusive--Imports Your Investment Info
Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution. Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales
Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns. Determines Your Cost Basis
Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps. Helps with Employee Stock Plans
Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices. 401(k) Maximizer
Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. Exclusive--Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction
Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance. Exclusive--Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method
Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction. Maximizes Refinancing Deductions
Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don't miss a single chance to save. Helps with New Rental Properties
Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation and credits. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions and credits to get you the biggest tax refund--guaranteed. Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go
Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save. Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations
ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity--no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to. Handles Your Life Changes
Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct. Helps with Medical Expenses
Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Being contacted by the IRS can be confusing and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. That's why we've created the TurboTax Audit Support Center, included for FREE with all TurboTax products. Only about 1% of all personal tax returns were audited, so it is unlikely, but if you are contacted by the IRS, we'll help you to: Find out why the IRS contacted you Determine what it means Prepare your next steps With downloadable step-by-step

TurboTax Premier guides you step-by-step through investments and rental property income
Assists with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and employee stock plans
Provides extra guidance for rental property income, expenses and refinancing
Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days
Plus, includes a download of one TurboTax State product--a .95 value

Rating: (out of 135 reviews)

List Price: $ 89.95
Price: $ 39.75

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:

2/17/10 update

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

2/28/10 update:

Review by bobinstl:

In addition to the well documented price increases, in-your-face suggestive sales pitches throughout the program, and proprietary tax file format which doesn't work with other programs, you may add 'install problems'. Just received my TY '09 Turbotax Premier and it took two hours to install. Got a 'Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP 1 error' right out of the gate. Tried it on another computer with the same results. Check the Intuit website- apparently this is a known problem because the site directs you to verify installed MS .NET installations and then remove the corrupted items. Let me save you some time. Uninstall MS.Net thru Add/Remove program then use the removal tool from the Intuit website, restart, then reinstall MS .NET and install Turbotax. Wish I'd have known this earlier. Two hours in and just starting my taxes...

Buy TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 now for only $ 39.75!

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

Includes everything you need for your self-employment and personal income taxes.If you're a sole proprietor, consultant, contractor or single-owner LLC, TurboTax Home & Business will get you the biggest tax savings. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, import your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes personal and business deductions
We search for more than 350 personal and self-employment deductions to get you the biggest tax refund possible--guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Home & Business is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Home & Business was designed to help you take full advantage of your personal and business deductions so you get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Home & Business if any of the following apply to you: You are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC You receive income from a side job or self-employment You prepare W-2 and 1099-MISC forms for employees or contractors You file your personal and business taxes together If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business. Compare TurboTax Software Everything you need to easily do your personal and business taxes. Guides You Step by Step Through Self-Employment Income, Deductions and Credits for your Biggest Refund Customizes questions based on your business profile (sole-proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, and single-owner LLC) and gives you step-by-step guidance for entering income and expenses. TurboTax customizes questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Click to enlarge. TurboTax searches for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible--guaranteed. Click to enlarge. Helps Find Small-Business Tax Deductions
Shows you which expenses you can deduct for your vehicle, supplies, utilities, home office expenses, and more, so you get every business deduction you deserve. Identifies Industry-Specific Deductions
Walks you through tax write-offs by industry to help you spot commonly overlooked deductions. Gets You the Biggest Vehicle Deduction
Shows you whether you'll get a bigger deduction using actual expenses or the standard mileage rate. Provides extra help for splitting vehicle expenses between business and personal use. Makes Entering Income Easier
Shows all business income types on a single page so you know you've covered all sources of business income. Creates W-2 and 1099 Forms
Helps you prepare unlimited forms for employees and contractors. Does all calculations and prints on plain paper. No special forms needed. Mac users must have Internet access to create W-2 and 1099 forms. Simplifies Asset Depreciation
Helps you determine which depreciation method will get you the biggest deduction, then guides you through calculating and reporting depreciation. Streamlines Expense Entry
Walks you through all expense categories and provides additional tax deduction suggestions along the way so you can maximize your savings. Offers Extra Guidance for New Businesses
Shows the startup deductions new businesses can take. Also includes everything in Premier: Helps You Get the Most from Your Investments Exclusive--Imports Your Investment Info
Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution. Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales
Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns. Determines Your Cost Basis
Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps. Helps with Employee Stock Plans
Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices. 401(k) Maximizer
Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. Exclusive--Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction
Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance. Exclusive--Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method
Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction. Maximizes Refinancing Deductions
Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don't miss a single chance to save. Helps with New Rental Properties
Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about

TurboTax Home & Business helps you get the biggest refund for you and your business
Includes everything you need for your self-employment and personal income taxes
Expanded interview guides you step-by-step through entering business income and expenses to help you maximize business and personal deductions
Creates W-2 and 1099-MISC forms for your employees and contractors
Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days

Rating: (out of 153 reviews)

List Price: $ 99.95
Price: $ 59.77

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:

2/17/10 update

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

2/28/10 update:

Review by Tom in Bellevue, WA:

I have used previous versions for about the last 10 years. All my previous experience was with the "Premier" version. The only reason I bought this version this year is that for some reason, they moved the Schedule C functionality from Premier to the Home and Business version, and thereby increased the price by about for the same thing. That is the only reason I downgraded the product: I feel that they are gouging small business customers with this change, and I think they should correct it by putting this functionality back at the Premier price level.

As for the use of the program, I just downloaded and installed it. Installation was flawless. In a quick overview of the program, it seems to be stable so far, unlike the reviews for the CD version of the same software. I like the new format for "Explore on My Own" to take you out of the guided process and allow easier handling of specific tax topics: Turbotax has always had a similar function -- I just like this view of it better than before. The importing of my previous tax year info and personal info was easier and more seamless than in prior versions.

Another reason I came back to Intuit this year was that even though they occasionally have bugs with their products, they stand behind them with excellent tech support. My recent experience with conflicts between Quickbooks and Microsoft Vista and 7 operating systems resulted in numerous hours on the phone with their tech support -- they were both persistent and generous with tech support time until they found a work-around to the incompatibilities. Knowing that they take this approach was a huge factor in having the confidence to proceed with their TurboTax product again this year.

Buy TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 now for only $ 59.77!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms and State forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal and state taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Premium includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations... Click to enlarge. ...and specific deductions Click to enlarge. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Premium searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Ideal for homeowners, investors, rental property owners, and self-employed Schedule C filers, the program includes features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise, live tax advice from an H&R Block tax professional and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Premium Self-Employed / Rental Property Owners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block. Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal and state taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Live tax advice from an H&R Block tax professional.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal or state return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Money-saving tools for self-employed Schedule C filers.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

H&R Block At Home Premium includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Ideal for homeowners, investors, rental property owners, and self-employed Schedule C filers
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations
Money-saving tools for self-employed Schedule C filers; Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year

Rating: (out of 16 reviews)

List Price: $ 59.99
Price: $ 35.14

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by Philip Klatte:

This program was very easy to us, and it was surprisingly easy to go back and change things after half filling it in. I filled out most of the form long before I got my W-2 and 1099s, and going back was no problem. When going back in the form, the only thing I recommend is using the tabs to go to the right section ("Personal", "Dependents", "Income", "Adjustments", etc.) and then clicking on the "Go To" link for the _summary_ of that category. This allows you to hone right in on what you want to find; it's easy to get stuck in the linear input process if you don't use some direction.

The biggest problem was that you have to find the "key code" that comes with this version of the program, allowing for 5 free e-files. All the in-program help said that if you downloaded the program, the code would be mailed to you, and it even showed what such an email might look like. I checked the email I have registered with Amazon, and my email I might have put in during registration (I couldn't remember if there had been a registration process), and I couldn't find the "key code". It turns out that there is no email. ...you need to go to the Amazon folder that gets put in your Start Menu, as a part of installing the downloader. In that folder ("Amazon"-->"Amazon Games & Software") there is an icon labelled "Go to Your Games & Software Library". If you click on that, then click to "view order key", it will show you the "key code". The key code does not look like the example that H&R Block shows you ("ABCD-1234"), it _is_ four characters -dash- four characters, but it's totally random looking (not letters on one side and numbers on the other -- e.g. "HQ8F1-RG29L" -- I almost didn't recognize it after looking at the example that H&R Block had in their Help text).

I used TurboTax last year. I switched this year to H&R Block At Home because I wasn't happy with it and someone in a review had mentioned this program. I am much happier with H&R Block than TurboTax -- it seems much less like a random series of questions, and I can guess what it's getting at on the forms when it' asking me questions.

Review by Cat Herder:

I have been using this product since 2004. I liked it better than Intuit's TaxCut when I compared them head to head.

Sure, it was clunky, but it seemed to have the tax code down pat and the step by step methodology was effective.

This year H&R Block renamed the product and put a slightly slicker interface on the product. Unfortunately, they seemed to have missed a few things under the hood.

I've spent about three hours with the software this evening and have found two problems. One minor and one major. They are both related to the sale of our old house and purchase of another house in 2009.

The minor issue is that the software makes it easy to enter the data to support a home office deduction. For the last two years we have been claiming my wife's office as it was qualified in all respects. We sold that house last year and while doing the interview on the sale, it wanted me to calculate who much depreciation IT calculated in prior years. Umm, if the darn software can read last year's return, surely it could extract last year's depreciation. It would be reasonable to expect it to ask for other Taxcut save files to extract add'l years depreciation. But it can't/won't. That's minor compared to my next discovery.

We have read and re-read IRS publication 5405 - related to the Federal Homebuyer's credit. The form seems clear. We appear to be eligible for 00 for helping the economy. A nice surprise! The software even has the right IRS form, with the right date, and it calculates correctly. Yet.....the INTERVIEW doesn't address the November 2009 extension covering existing homebuyers hwo buy a new home. That's looking like a defect to me.

So, I availed myself of the support options:

1. I called the 800 # (nice that it's 24x7 this time of year). Waited a modest 4 minutes, and a nice lady with perfect English. She asked for my email, and then we were disconnected.

2. Good thing I also had the CHAT page up and another tech showed up. I explained the issue and he asked me to double check that the software was indeed up to date (I told the software to update 3 times). All he could offer was an apology and did not know of anyway for me to report what appears to be a defect. He did offer that if I filed and there was an error and a fine, H&R Block would cover me up to ,000. I explained an omission may be an error, but it there wouldn't be a fine. Thus H&R Block was not going to cover this situation.

Frankly, if I finish my return using this software I'm going to need whiteout to add the credit when I follow the IRS requirement to print the return (and supporting documents) and mail it in. [DRG - see updated notes below].

I hope this is so obvious that H&RB knows about it - perhaps the economy is so bad I'm their only customer fortunate enough to buy a house this year? I don't know. I'm going to give their corporate office a call tomorrow and see what happens when I "ask for the President's office". If that doesn't work then Amazon can refund my money and Intuit can suck me a little bit drier as I'll have to become one of their Zombies this year.

Updated 3/1/2010

I called their HQ during the day and asked for a manager, after some quick forwarding I was talking to a manager and explained the situation and why I felt that there was an incomplete feature. The outcome was two fold:

1. I was shown that you can use the attached IRS forms in lieu of the interview. The credit did calculate correctly - I just have to avoid using that particular interview.

2. I spoke with a support tech who knew how to handle tech savvy customers and professionally represent his company. After taking exquisite notes, and reading them back to me, he assured me that they were going to get this over to "engineering". I believe him.

So I continue on feeling much better about the situation.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 35.14!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Basic includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Ideal for simple tax situations and easy for first-time users, H&R Block At Home Basic guides customers through their return with a step-by-step Q&A in a new, easy-to-use interface. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. The program automatically double-checks for errors and includes features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Basic Simple Tax Situations
The right choice for customers with simple tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes These Features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Automatically double-checks returns for errors.

Five FREE federal e-files included-get your refund in as few as eight days

Prepare and print unlimited federal returns for FREE

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software.
Compare At Home Editions

H&R Block At Home Basic includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes; ideal for simple tax situations and easy for first-time users
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
Five free federal e-files included--get your refund in as few as eight days

Rating: (out of 24 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 5.22

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by Allan Ray Miller:

There are two bugs that affect H&R Block At Home 2009 for some Apple Mac users. Since both problems prevent customers from updating the program from the H&R Block web servers, customers must correct both problems manually before any updates from H&R Block are possible. I already discussed this in the Comments section on John Young's review, however I realize that not everyone follows the Comments link, plus this new description is more concise. So you get it again.

Who it affects: Mac customers who both: 1) have multiple login accounts on the Mac and 2) attempt to run H&R Block At Home 2009 from a non-admin account.

Problem #1: During the installation process the initial update fails due to file permissions. Error message is: "1008:5,-5000 Access denied error. You do not have enough access privileges for this installation"

Resolution: 1) Stop the program installation and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Applications folder, 4) uninstall the H&R Block 2009 program by dragging the icon to the Trash, 5) in the Finder window open the Utilities folder, 6) run the Disk Utility program, 7) select your hard drive as the disk upon which to operate, click on the "Repair Disk Permissions" button and wait for that process to complete, 9) reinstall the H&R Block 2009 program under the admin account.

Problem #2: When running H&R Block 2009 using a non-admin login account, the program crashes immediately upon launch due to file permissions. Error message is: "Initialization Failed. Exception thrown during initialization: File open failed. File = /Users/Shared/H&R Block/2009/update.tim in open:MacFileWriterImpl"

Resolution: 1) Exit the program and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Macintosh HD icon, 4) open the Users folder, then the Shared folder, then the H&R Block folder, 5) right-click on the 2009 folder, 6) select "Get Info" on the menu, 7) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write", return to the Finder window and open the 2009 folder, 9) right-click on the update.tim file, 10) select "Get Info" on the menu, 11) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write".

Upon successful resolution of both of these problems the customer will be able to run H&R Block 2009 from a non-admin account to do their taxes. As of the date of this note however (1/22/2010) all program updates must still be made using the admin account.

I discovered and diagnosed this on my own machine. Fortunately I'm a geek and so was able to figure out the problem & share it with others. Obviously H&R Block did not test this scenario before they shipped the program. Dunno if a similar problems exists on Windows machines. Also dunno if there will be further problems when I download & install the State program. I haven't gotten that far yet.

UPDATE Problem #3: I installed the Maryland state program tonight (1/27) when it became available for download. Given the problems above I used the admin account to do the install and then switched back to my normal account. Ran the program: no Maryland state tax program installed! And you're only allowed to download it one time without paying again! Turns out the state program downloads into the directory ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/ (for non-techies ~ means starting at your home directory) and a non-shared plugin is created. This thwarts other accounts from using the state program.

Resolution: Using a Finder window in the admin account copy the file ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/md.dmg (for other states replace md.dmg with your state's abbreviation e.g. va.dmg for Virginia.) Paste this into a shared directory such as Macintosh HD/Users/Shared. Go back into your normal account and copy that same file from the Shared directory into your own ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/ directory. Double click on that file (md.dmg in my case.) A new window will pop up and you'll see a new file which starts with your state's two-letter abbreviation. In my case it was called MD.TCstate09. Double click on that file. Another window will pop up which says it is installing the state plug-in. After that, you'll be able to use the state program under your normal user account as you intended.

Don't ask me how to update all of this mess at this point when H&R Block is ready to push out new program updates. Do you use the admin account? The user account? Who knows? It might even depend upon whether you are updating the Federal or the State return. What a mess!

H&R Block really blew it this year on multi-user account support, at least on the Macs. I tried relaying this to their Customer Service (3 phone calls and 2 online Chat sessions) but they had no one who understood the Macs and no way for me to email to them my diagnosis and solutions. They were nice and tried to be helpful but I'm not sure they got exactly what I was saying. I hope so though.

I have liked H&R Block in the past and they are cheaper than TurboTax. This year, however, makes it difficult to remain a loyal customer. We'll see what I do in tax year 2010.

Anyway, I hope my pain is able to help other Mac users get up and running.

Review by Alan W. Harris:

Having used TaxCut Basic last year, I received two CD copies in the mail of this year's tax program from H&R Block, but both keyed to the "Premium" level program, at "premium" price. For me, all I am looking for is the equivalent of a spreadsheet that propagates entries into all the relevant forms and schedules and does the sums. The "Basic" level program is good enough for that, even though my return is fairly complex; it covers all forms and schedules for federal filing. The difficulty is getting one's hands on the "Basic" version, H&R Block is so aggressive in peddling the higher level programs that it can be difficult finding the "Basic" version -- thanks, Amazon.

An annual annoyance is state returns. For most states, mine (California) included, filing state taxes is so simple, once the Federal is done, and so automated on the state web site, that I don't waste money on state tax options. Too bad H&R Block and TurboTax don't price their state products closer to what they're worth. In the meantime, I just waste some paper and file by mail.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 5.22!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe (No State) Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 9 reviews)

List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 26.58

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by Dion A. Antonio:

The purchasing and downloading process was a breeze. Although I'm not a big fan of installing Amazon's download application (why couldn't they just give us a direct link to download the program?), it went without a hitch. As far as installation, that went well too. No errors.

I have Windows 7, 64 bit. The H&R Block website states that this software works on both 32 and 64 bit versions of the OS. So I was surprised when I went to run the application that it wouldn't work! A pop-up immediately came up and states that the application crashed. I tried various "Compatibility" modes and even tried to "Run as an Administrator". None worked. I checked the Windows Event logs and the H&R Block application crash does show up. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program, again to no avail.

Long story short, I didn't feel like messing around much more. So I just fired up VMWare, installed Windows XP 32-bit, and installed the B&R Block software. It now works perfectly! It sucks that I had to do that just to get the software to work. So I give a 3 because it works great now, but loses 2 points for not working as advertised (on a Windows 7, 64-bit machine).

Review by A. Varney:

I have used the Taxcut software for the past few years and have always been happy with the product and price. This is the first time I have tried the downloaded version. I'm happy to say it downloaded quickly, installed easily and worked as flawlessly as the boxed versions I have used in past years. I was working on my taxes within 10 minutes instead of waiting for my software in the mail. I also liked that downloaded version is more enviromentally friendly since there isn't all that added packaging and shipping. Just an FYI, you will need a to redeem a "keycode" in order to file your federal return for free. This keycode is in your download library in your Amazon account.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 26.58!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe (No State) Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.
Compare At Home Editions

Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 49 reviews)

List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 21.50

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by M. Spalmacin:

The H&R At Home Deluxe Federal + E-file CD received from Amazon installs quickly enough. On attempting to start the installed program I immediately receive a message saying that At Home is not running on the computer it was originally installed on. That's silly because this is the only computer I have. But I follow the suggestion to un-install, then re-install the software. I get the same result, At Home won't start.

My on-line chat with H&R Support eventually leads to their request to check into Microsoft Update and install any missing "Critical" updates. There are none. But there are some "Important" ones. However, they're for programs I don't have (e.g., Office 2003, Server 2005, etc.) or don't want (e.g., Internet Explorer 8). H&R Support can't be any more specific about which updates might be necessary and I can't tell from the explanations of the updates which one(s) might affect At Home's inability to know where it's running.

I'm stuck.

I'm not going to install 8 updates willy-nilly, hoping one (or more) of them will solve the problem. At Home is obviously checking some internal value somewhere that tells it where it thinks it was installed against some value stored in the bowels of 64-bit Windows Vista, but H&R Support can't tell me what At Home is looking for.

So I still have no clue why At Home won't even start up. Has anyone else stumbled across this problem in 64-bit Vista (w/Service pack 1) and solved it? If not, I'm going to have to return H&R Block At Home (2009) and see if I have any better luck with Turbo-Tax for 2009.

I'm frustrated because last year I switched from Turbo Tax to H&R Block Tax Cut and found it easy and simple to use. Oh, well, back to Turbo Tax.

*** Update, Jan 12th, 2010 ***

An H&R At Home representative contacted me at home (no pun intended!) after reading the above review. He apologized for the failure and said that I had encountered a known problem that wasn't related to "critical" Vista-64 updates. The problem affects some but not all Vista-64 users. Anyway, nothing I might have done during or as a result of the on-line chat would have solved my problem. He said they have a fix in hand for the problem and that they expect to have it available for download on Jan 15th. All in all, well handled by H&R and a good public relations endeavor. My opinion of them has risen substantially as a result of our conversation.

Review by Allan Ray Miller:

Who it affects: Mac customers who both: 1) have multiple login accounts on the Mac and 2) attempt to run H&R Block At Home 2009 from a non-admin account.

I have liked H&R Block in the past and they are cheaper than TurboTax. This year, however, makes it difficult to remain a loyal customer. We'll see what I do in tax year 2010.

Anyway, I hope my pain is able to help other Mac users get up and running.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 21.50!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for corporate, partnership, and payroll business returns. The complete personal and business tax return solution from America's #1 tax preparer. Step-by-step interviews guide you through your personal and business tax situation.H&R Block At Home Premium & Business is two complete, easy-to-use programs in one and includes everything you need to complete your personal and business federal and state taxes, plus five free personal federal e-files. Everything you need to complete your personal and business federal and state taxes. Click to enlarge. Ideal for corporations, S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, non-profits, and estates and trusts. Click to enlarge. A simple question-and-answer process helps your customers find hundreds of deductions to get the biggest refund. Ideal for corporations, S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, non-profits, and estates and trusts, the program includes built-in H&R Block expertise, business tax planning, payroll and employer forms, live personal tax advice, and personal audit support. H&R Block At Home Premium & Business also includes unlimited business state returns at no additional cost. Premium & Business Small business owners
Two complete programs in one for customers to manage their personal and business taxes. Includes five free personal federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block. Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their personal and business federal and state taxes.

Unlimited business state programs and one personal state program included.

Five free federal e-files for personal returns.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Live personal tax advice from an H&R Block tax professional.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to provide representation in the event of an audit. Included for personal taxes when filing a federal or state return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Money-saving tools for selfemployed Schedule C filers.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software for a personal return to maximize tax savings from donations.
Compare At Home Editions

H&R Block At Home Premium & Business includes everything you need to complete your personal and business federal and state taxes, plus five free personal federal e-files
Ideal for corporations, S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, non-profits, estates and trusts
Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations
Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions; Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year

Rating: (out of 32 reviews)

List Price: $ 79.99
Price: $ 44.04

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by JBW:

I've used TaxCut's Deluxe or Premium software to do my personal taxes for several years without any complaints. Before that I used Turbo Tax for several years and only switched because TaxCut was less expensive to do the same thing. This year my husband and I started a small business, so I purchased the H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business software. After loading the software, the federal interviews would not run for a corporation (1120/1120S forms and supporting forms).

I waited until Jan 4, checked for updates and had the same problem. So, after calling their customer support center three times, I finally got a support person who told me their business interviews were not yet available and they did not have a tentative date for their availability. The main forms have been approved by the IRS, but H&R Block hasn't finished the interview portion of the software.

I had hope to use the product to complete our W-2 and W-3 forms which are due by Jan 31, 2010. But, now I have no way of knowing whether to return the product since the business portion is inoperable and buy TurboTax, or wait it out and hope the updates are available in time.

I hope this is helpful in reducing anyone else's frustration who might have a small business and want to use this to complete their W-2 forms.

Review by Linda Day:

The section that follows is my first impression of the Business program, generated on January 15. At the end of that, I include my second impression on February 15 of the business program (1120S). I'll include a review of the 1040 portion of this software after I do those taxes. OK, that review is in at the very bottom. I'd rate the 1040 as 4-stars.

Ok, I knew H&R was a little more primitive than TurboTax (which I used for 10 years or so), based on my experience with their personal tax package for 2008 taxes, but it was adequate. So this year I tried the Business software (S corp), the only part of this combo-burrito I've tried so far. It is REALLY primitive:

1. First, don't necessarily expect to be able to make sense of the display! The program may show up on your monitor with the check boxes bearing NO spacial relationship to the actual choices. So you call the help desk, and someone tells you to reset your monitor properties to display 1024x768. Oh and make sure that under "Advanced" the dpi resolution is set to 96. The is the only software I've ever used that couldn't recognize my monitor and display correctly. Massive lameness -- and it took 2 long tech support calls to fix it.

1.5. For a while, tech support thought the software was corrupt. I had registered it but BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE SOFTWARE FROM AMAZON, H&R BLOCK HAD NO RECORD OF MY REGISTRATION. So if the software had actually been bad, they could not have downloaded a clean version -- I would have had to return the box to Amazon for a refund and reorder it!! And the tech support person noted that Amazon would probably not take it back because it had been opened! Be warned -- if you really want this stuff, pay the man and download it from H&R Block.

2. Recognize that tech support people have just been hired and will not really know anything, tho they will be friendly and eager to help. Plan to spend an hour or two with vague directions trying to get where you're trying to go. Cultivate a Zen state of mind...

3. Expect the "interview" questions to be something like: "Did you have any 53(c) sect 89 reclaimable charge-backs loss amortizations for deductible klefnabulator expenses?" When you look for more information, there isn't any. When you check out the IRS instructions, they say (surprise!) exactly what the "interview" question said. TurboTax asks you in English, tells you what the amount applies to, and even tells you how commonly this item is entered.

4. Don't expect the program to be smart about anything. TurboTax figures out that if you don't have deduction A, you can't possibly have B or C, but H&R Block asks you every question.

5. Don't expect to be able to import from QuickBooks or last year's taxes produced by TurboTax. Generate those reports and type in your numbers.

6. Don't expect all the forms to be there -- and don't expect the software to let you know. I tried and tried to get to Form 4562, Amortization and Depreciation, and ended up at several different dead-ends. I again called tech support and talked at length with a guy who took me through more dead-ends before finally discovering that the form "hadn't been released by the IRS yet." You might think the software itself would let you know, but you'd be wrong.

7. To switch between your 1120S and filling out a 1099-misc for a contractor is not intuitive. Another call to tech support. For 20 minutes or so, the guy didn't seem to understand what a 1099 was, or even understand that I was working on an S-Corp return and not a 1040(!). More dead ends. Finally, he got help and told me to close the program and reopen it to get where I wanted to go.

8. I then gave up. I should say that I did all this stuff on Jan 15, which I admit is early in the year. So if things improve markedly, I'll update this review.

9. Meanwhile, based on this experience, I would say that the fact this combination package is about half the price of the separate TurboTax business and personal packages, does NOT make it a good deal! It is easy for me to loath Intuit, but next year I'll most likely be doing business with them again. Sigh.

Here's an business tax update on February 15. The updated software still doesn't recognize my monitor, but at least I knew what to do this time and finished filling out taxes fairly quickly. I have done my own taxes for years and had QuickBooks reports and prior year forms. Dollar-wise, the program is off from what I calculated from QuickBooks by about 4, but at this point I'm not quibbling. Nothing has changed from what I said in January, although it seems that all the forms are now available. The interview still seems quite stupid -- and it makes mistakes: I filled out the tax form for an S corporation, which NEVER pays taxes, and the program asked me how much estimated tax I'd paid and tried to get me to pay a penalty for not paying -- AND the business lost money last year! (How often do YOU pay taxes on money you've lost?] Plus, when I opened the file I'd saved from January, the program did not remember where I was but started over at the beginning. Very lame. Yes, TT costs twice as much, but it terms of ease of use and lower stress factor, it is probably worth it. Sigh. I really expected more.

Feb 26, 2009. I've just finished my personal 1040 taxes, and my what a difference! This part of the software is professional, smooth, and easy to use. It recognizes my monitor (ta da!) so I don't have to reconfigure my system to run it. However, I changed the location of my tax file, and it did not remember that. It's a little different than TurboTax, but seems to work fine. Only disadvantage I can see compared to TT is that there is no way to see a WYSIWYG version of your forms (what they show you has the information but does not look much like the paper in your hand) and their reporting and comparison functions at the end are not as complete or complex as TT. But it does the job, and the interview is friendly and intelligent.

Now the question is: Knowing that the business software is lousy and the personal stuff is good, what you gonna do?

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 44.04!

Find more Tax Software products on Amazon!

Software Articles

Tax Software Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 Reviews

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Software Reviews

Software Articles

Popular

Categories