Review by C. G. King

This year I switched to this software and liked some things better than TurboTax, but also had some issues with it. I’ve used TurboTax for years and like other users, was not happy when I started having to buy the much more expensive version in order to include my home business information, but would have used it again anyway until I read early TT reviews complaining of the software causing PC crashes. I wasn’t up for that so I decided to go with H&R Block software for the first time.

Pros:n- The product loaded smoothly on my older XP PC and downloaded the updates without incident. It operated cleanly throughout as well.n- It imported my info from last year’s TurboTax file with no problem.n- The interface seemed more clear, direct and easy to understand.nAt first I struggled a little because it was unfamiliar and seemed too easy, as though something was being left out, but I gained confidence as I continued and ultimately liked this interface much better.n- This product (that includes Home Business) is much cheaper than the comparable TT.n- The Home Business portion was much better than TurboTax where I’ve had to search for it in the past and didn’t find I had enough direction about what to enter where.n- I found it much easier to return to areas I questioned to recheck or change things.n- The `Guide Me’ areas and Help screens were clear and easy to navigate and return from.

Cons:n- I remember the software saying I could pay by AmEx after my e-file return was accepted, but when I went to the 3rd party website, that wasn’t available.n- I made a huge error on one of my deductions, which was not flagged by the software. Luckily when I compared my return to others in the same income range at the end, it looked odd to me so I went back to re-read the instructions, and sure enough where I thought I was supposed to enter sales taxable amount (expecting the software to calculate the tax considering it knew my state), I should have entered just the tax. Made a big difference, sadly. I would have expected the software to question it, given the information available, and alert me. I’m glad I caught it before filing.n- I entered donations made on two different dates into Deduction Pro, but only one imported. I tried again, but ultimately had to enter the amount of the second manually.n- One of the work sheets I would like to have seen wasn’t part of the full print package.

Even if the software had been perfect, I could never get 5-star excited about doing taxes. In the end, using this software was somewhat less painful than using TurboTax in the past, and certainly less painful than doing the taxes manually. I’ll probably use it again next year.