After years of using a major competitor, I decided to try H&R Block's tax software. I did taxes for both of my young adult children- relatively simple & straightforward, no real issues. For my personal taxes, I found the process to be much more sterile and less "engaging" than the competition's product. I'm not saying taxes are "fun", but I've always somewhat enjoyed the process and learning about new, exciting (and often costly) new changes in the tax laws as they impacted my shifting household. There was a decidedly less fun feel to the H&R Block offering. I also had one specific issue where the software didn't provide the info I needed and, once I found it elsewhere, it wasn't at all clear how best to enter the information. (Note: the issue in question was the sale & adjusted basis of a second, non-primary home).
All in all, if your taxes are relatively simple, I've no doubt this will get the job done and, when all was said & done, I'm confident that my taxes were completed correctly and well. That said, I'll be back to using the other option next year.
Multi-state filing is still not fully integrated in regards to the multiple states and the info that should flow from the federal and state tax info probably due to its modular architecture. Also many forms are not included including penalty calculations for tax underpayment through the tax year. No substantial improvements from previous year in terms of the intelligence of the software and based on previous return imported from the previous year using the software from the same brand. Additional states cost more that the federal+state plus filing states cost almost the same as the entire software that allows 5x federal filings.
Nearly perfect except for two bugs: 1) E-filing shows pattern for SS number as xxx-xx-xxxx however if you use those hyphens you get an error message; 2) E-file overrides system default to open Internet Explorer which does not connect; copying the URL to any other browser such as Chrome works perfectly. Fix these two bugs and you have a near-perfect program!
I have always completed my own taxes. I've been using Tax Cut/H&R Block for as long as I can remember, and I've had no problems other than my own, occasional mistakes. I can't imagine ever using anything else.
I used the SW for my simple tax return process. I have W-2 and HSA and applied the standard deduction amount. It's easy to install on my MAC and follow all steps. Also it has a great value.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Easy to import documents, Fast