I just had an exciting Saturday evening with my stack of W2s and H&R Block’s TaxCut Pro.
I swear, I’m not actually so nerdy that doing my taxes is my idea of a good time, but it does feel great to have them done. (April 14th has often been a long night for me in years past).
This was the first year I used TaxCut Pro. I used to go over to my parent’s house to use the copy of TurboTax my dad buys each year, but last year I forgot paperwork — twice — and had to go back and forth to finish my return. I opted for the convenience of doing everything online, and to pay the $44.95 (for federal and state). TaxCut Pro also offers a $14.95 package for a simple federal return only or $19.95 for a full federal return.
TaxCut did a fair job of walking me through the basic steps (entering W2s, determining deductions), although I don’t think it asked as many questions as TurboTax. Since I have spent time researching tax issues that pertain to my return this year, I knew where to click, and so I think I got my return done with TaxCut faster than I would’ve with TurboTax. However, I think the average filer may benefit from TurboTax’s thoroughness.
One other complaint about TaxCut: I do not think it explained an error it found on my federal return well. In an IRA rollover I entered my contribution as $1 more than my withdrawal, triggering an error. But based upon the description of the error provided by TaxCut, I had to look at it three times before I caught what was wrong.
The other nice thing about TaxCut is the included audit support — hope I never need it, but it seems like a good insurance policy.
How are you doing your taxes this year? Are you done?
About David E. Weliver
Comments are moderated and will generally be published if they are substantive, respectful, and on-topic. You can read the full policy here. Why can't I comment? Comments are automatically closed on posts older than 120 days.