I have been using the H&R Block Deluxe program for 10 years. It is a very good program that is extremely user friendly. They have a very good support staff also, if you ever have an issue or don't understand how to use the software. The E-filing works great for Federal & State. There is an additional charge for E-filing State returns but not for Federal.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund, Easy to import documents, Fast
This software is easy to use, checks for various expenses for possible deductions, runs validations to check for error and alerts you before submission. further it makes year to year filing more convenient by transferring the information.
Nice s/w for vanilla situations; can't handle anything complicated. And making you pay for filing state returns (after you paid for the s/w to do that in the first place) sucks.
Pros: Easy to import documents
Cons: Time consuming, Doesn't maximize refund, Hard to import documents
Way too many unexplained technical points leaving one confused and with no assurance that the correct values have been properly inserted. The whole consumer version of the H&R Software seems to be a hastily pasted together version of the professional software provided to their storefront tax service providers who, presumably, understand what information is being requested. This is the second year I have used the H&R Block Software and missed several insertions which diminished my refunds!
Cons: Time consuming, Doesn't maximize refund, Hard to prepare