Used product for years on windows desktop. OK but for aggravating resolution problems. This year I changed to Mac. This product for Mac impossible. Ended up having to do taxes on windows laptop. Very disappointed. Won't use again until resolution issues made to conform.
This software is great. Easy to understand, can enter info as it is received, etc. However, although it is understandable that it needs to be updated early in the year, the number of updates is high and are finished way too late. I had all of my paperwork put together in February, but had to wait for the last update that came on April 6th. If you are a last minute filer -- this schedule works for you. Me -- I had to wait an extra 7 weeks before I could file.
The Federal and State returns were easy to use with clear guidance and from start to finish. Importing financial statements like 1099s made the whole process easy and helped to avoid mistakes and typos.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund, Easy to import documents, Fast
I've used this product for the last several years to prepare my taxes and other family members. All of us have very different tax situations and H & R Block's software allowed me to effectively navigate and prepare all the necessary forms.
We've used this product since it was called 'TaxCut' and have found that it works well for us on a Windows (now Win10) system. Our taxes usually require the "long form" and basic schedules like itemized deductions (at least before the standard deduction revision), capital gains, and occasionally energy credits. We've also tried TurboTax and found it to be adequate for our situation. We prefer the dialog format and composition along with the ability to inspect the actual form while using the interview dialog in the H&R Block software a bit more than what we've seen in TurboTax.
Our only negative experience so far is when data supplied on a financial form, such as a W-2 or 1099-something isn't quite in a compatible format and is flagged during the final checks. For example, one investment vendor sent us a 1099-R form with a 9 digit state payee ID number. Our state only uses 6 digits. The first 3 digits in the supplied number where zeros. We entered the data during the interview in the H&R Block software exactly as supplied. During the final check, the software flagged an error. However, all it would say is that the error was in "copy 3" of a "1099-R". No "Go To Error" button was supplied. It wasn't too complicated to figure out that "copy 3" was the third 1099-R in our list and then the issue was in the state ID number. But we had to abort the process and manually return to that section. So it wasn't a huge issue, but it was just enough that I'd rate the software fractionally below a "5 star" level.