H&R Block At Home 2010 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Downloading Notes:
Downloading via Amazon is pretty smooth and painless. You can easily download it again later, even to a different computer if need be. Your authorization is stored in your account at amazon. You need to first install Amazon's special Downloader software. That's also fairly painless.
Product Review:
I've used H&R Block's tax software every year since 2004. Always some annoyances, but most of it is excellent.
Price Dips: Below 25 buckss. Sometimes below 20. It went to 22.49 on Jan 12, 2011, for example. Amazon has always had the best price. There's an "Online Price Alert" that will email you whenever this or any amazon product dips below your target price. Google it. It's nicely done.
Unlimited number of tax returns: (family members, what-if copies of your return, etc.) I think TurboTax also lets you do this now, but in the past TurboTax pulled some real nasty tricks with licensing/copy protection, and they continue to charge 18-45% more than H&R Block.
It includes unlimited paper filings for one state ($ 19.95 extra per state e-file). So, I just file state returns on paper.
"Free" tax softwares like TaxAct might be the thing if your return is very simple, but their better versions are almost as expensive as H&R Block at low tide, and not as good.
The 2010 version is just like 2009. (I did a side-by-side run-through.)
Typical minor annoyances: (all carry-overs from 2009)
- Upgrade pitches: They weave it into the interview and make it sound as if "an upgrade to Premium is advised for your situation" even when it makes little or no sense for your situation. Sleazy.
- Unclear wording in a few places, although most wording is very clear and accurate.
- Privacy Policy: Hard to view. Hard to read. Has reassuring tone, but doesn't hold much water.
- Copy...Paste from Interview screens: That would be handy at times. No can do. Can't print them either. Only way I found is ALT + PrintScreen, then paste the graphic into Word or a paint program.


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H&R Block At Home Deluxe
Ideal for Investors and Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes the H&R Block tax expertise your customers trust--plus our Maximum Refund Guarantee.

H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything your customers need to easily complete their federal and state taxes--with the tax expertise they trust. With an easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. 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, expert advice from our community of tax specialists, an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit, and, best of all, our Maximum Refund Guarantee.

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TurboTax Deluxe Federal + e-File + State 2010 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The software is about the same as it has been in years' past. And, as in years' past, if you have not strictly set up your Quicken categories the way TurboTax expects to see them, you will experience some incorrect entries when you import from Quicken. Similarly, TurboTax does a pitiful job importing stock option trades from Quicken, primarily using the real Date Acquired info as the Date Sold and then leaving the Date Acquired field blank, so you have to manually go in and change these 2 dates for each of your transactions. Still, it eventually gets the job done and is much easier than trying to fill out paper forms. And I guess I have just become numb to the cutesy "We just saved you $7 in taxes!" gibberish and the plugs to upgrade to a more expensive version every time you have a tax circumstance that would prompt Intuit to want you to upgrade.
As an aside, I too would like to know how two reviewers who were Intuit beta testers came up with identically worded phrases in their reviews.

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TurboTax Deluxe was designed to make it easy for you to get the biggest tax refund possible, checking for accuracy and uncovering 350+ deductions and credits. Includes free Federal Efile and TurboTax State for completing your state taxes.

Everything you need to do your taxes with ease.
Finds All Tax Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund
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.

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.

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 forms. A brief summary lets you review and edit downloaded information if necessary.

Transfers Last Year's Tax Info
No retyping necessary. Fills in information from your previous year's return to save time and increase accuracy. Shows you what you're importing and where it goes in your return. You can also import from other tax software including TaxACT and H&R Block's TaxCut.

Imports a PDF of Last Year's Tax Return
Easily imports prior year tax data/documents from TurboTax, other tax software brands4 and tax stores.5 Imports Your Financial Data — Imports information from your financial software (including Quicken, QuickBooks 2007 and higher, and Microsoft Money) so you can skip the cut and paste this year.

Makes it Easy to Hold Your Place
Flag areas in your tax return so you can get back to them easily.

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