Between my wife and I we have three businesses (all sole proprietorships). Ohio tax law keeps changing. For the Feds we have asset depreciation that runs from year to year. I have capital losses that are being parceled out over several years. This software keeps good tract of all of that.
Pros: Easy to install, Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund
Terrible treatment of potential problems at end of review. Should auto route to location instead of making you find it! Terrible state tax treatment of K-1 income. Terrible tax treatment for stock sales reported on K-1 forms. On AL state asked for entry of State Drive License info 4 times. Double entry in beginning. Total reentry before e-file allowed.
Cons: Time consuming, Hard to fix issues, Hard to prepare
I've used H&R Block tax software for 10+ years without a problem. This year, my e-file was repeatedly rejected by the IRS with a rejection code 32-FD-F1040-402-01. After looking carefully at my tax forms and reading the detailed instructions, I could not find any mistakes or errors.
Researching this rejection code, I found the same problem in the HR Block community pages where a [seemingly] unresolved technical problem wouldn't be addressed by HR Block this tax year. No response was posted by an HR Block moderator, which lead me to believe the other commentators were correct.
I've printed the returns, written a check and posted my returns from the UK -- which is the reason I value the e-file option. This year's software was not a great value for my money or my time.
#1 There seems to be a glitch, ie. Schedule E/Form 1040, an 'Oil & Gas lease bonus payment. The entry would not flow from Sch. E to the bottom line if entered under Royalties or Rents, we had to enter as 'other income'. #2 We could not access West Virginia as add'l. State. Turbo Tax does.???
Pros: Easy to install, Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund, Easy to import, Fast
A lack of clarity dominates this program, especially compared to its competitors. Clicking the "Learn More" buttons often results in generally unhelpful dialogue boxes. I found myself "Googling" my questions rather than relying on the program's suggestions. Worst of all, when on the payment screen, it was unclear that paying with a credit card would lead me to a third party site (I had to click "Learn More" to even find out at all) and was charged an additional processing fee. This needs to be made much more apparent in the future. Other than the clarity issues, I'd say this program is "just OK."