H&R Block At Home Review 2010
by Joanna Crain
Filed under Reviews, Taxes
In business since 1955, H&R Block is the world’s largest tax preparation company. In addition to traditional tax services, H&R Block At Home offers consumers a Do It Yourself online tax solution. However, you’re not completely on your own since tax professionals are available for additional help. Although H&R Block has had some bad publicity in the past, the company has since addressed their issues and landed back on their feet.
Key Features and Benefits
- Double checks your return for errors.
- Gives step-by-step questions and answers to help you through your return. Can be helpful or annoying depending upon how tax savvy you are.
- Offers worry-free audit support on all editions excluding the Basic.
- Has a Q&A section that helps you determine the best product for your situation.
- Provides many products to choose from depending on your situation.
- Speaks in Simplified English–no IRS tax jargon.
- Get help from a live tax professional.
- Gives you a way to check your refund status along the way.
- Imports your last year’s tax information.
- Saves your return so you can stop and go back to it whenever you’re ready.
Advantages
- Includes one federal e-file.
- Get your refund in as few as 8 days.
- Start all editions for free, don’t pay until you file.
- Guaranteed to get the maximum tax refund or you get your money back.
- Offers Accurate Calculations Guarantee, which reimburses you should you be served with IRS penalties and interest charges.
- Offers a tax toolkit with a Tax Prep Checklist, several calculators, and a job deduction guide.
- Saves your tax returns so you can access them at anytime.
Disadvantages
- Extra fee for state filing.
- Relying on software to determine the best deductions and the most savings may not be as reliable as using a real life tax professional with years of experience.
- May offer too much guidance at times which can be annoying, but then again, better too much than too little
Available Packages
Free Edition – Free – Best benefit for those who have the most basic of tax situations, such as filing a 1040EZ. You receive step-by-step guidance, great for first time users, double-checks for errors, most forms are supported.
Deluxe Edition – $49.95 – Created for homeowners and investors. Features include everything in the Free Edition plus personalized tax guidance, sale of stocks, bonds and mutual funds and audit support from a certified tax professional.
Premium Edition – $74.95 – For the self-employed and rental property owner, this edition includes everything in the Free and Deluxe Editions plus live tax advice, schedule C guidance, tax laws and planning resources, rental income assistance and advanced tax calculators.
Best of Both Edition – $79.95 – Meant for those who need professional expertise, this edition includes everything in all other Editions as well as assistance from a tax professional who reviews, corrects, certifies and files your return. Also, you will receive unlimited live tax advice over the phone or through email.
Online Security
Uses Secure Transmission Control Protocol which is the highest standard in the industry for protecting your information. There is a padlock symbol at the bottom of every page that lets you know the security system is working.
Is It Right For You?
They pretty much cover the all the needs of personal tax filers, but business-wise they are lacking so look to TurboTax or TaxACT in that area.
Looking to file your taxes online using a different service? Check out our comparison table of H&R Block At Home vs TurboTax vs TaxACT.
BEWARE! I have been a Tax Cut user (via CD) for years, but for some stupid reason decided to do the online version of the new At Home program. After entering ALL of my info, the program froze and I could not return to my return. Over two hours with top tech support did not resolve the problem, so I am relegated to REDOING my taxes from scratch on April 5, 2010.
I will NEVER use this program again….not ever.
The big omission in TC(whatever name) is lack of automatic import of interest, dividends, etc., etc. from such as brokerages – a feature which saves pages of typing and is found in TurboTax. This makes TC strctly a second choice product.