It may be because of the new tax laws but I found this years return to be much more complicated than previous years. What I would like to see next year is a basic ( without deductions) program with a state return .
This was mailed to us by H&R Block. We've used the deluxe version for the past 4 years. Personal data from previous year is added by the current year's cd. Easy to follow/understand instructions. Great status check provision.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund, Easy to import documents, Fast
H&R program would not except Efile for STATE because line 14 of 1099R for distributions was blank. Form we received was blank on line 14. Program DID accept FEDERAL. We had to print and mail the State. Very disappointing!
The program has it's limitation. Take the 1099-B as an example. I receive one but it didn't match up with the info from the program. In my case it involved cash remainder from a spin off. Couldn't find any help from the program and was unwilling to spend a log time on the phone trying to ge an answer. Bottom line, I reported the income (probably incorrectly) and I'll take my chances with the $12.
I've been using H&R Block software for my taxes for 6 0r 8 years now and could not be happier with it's ease of use and thoroughness. Who has time to keep up with tax laws? AND once you're a return user, it automatically loads information from the previous year saving tons of time and possible mistakes. Don't know why anyone would do taxes without this software.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Maximizes refund, Easy to import documents, Fast