Customer Reviews
very disappointing 
2005-08-15
My mother worked for H&R Block for many years, so I have no personal problem with them.
I have not used the 2004, but I just quit working on the 2002 edition. I got halfway through my return (20 hours work) and I finally quit. The numbers were incorrect, but I did not notice until the last few entries.
I have rental properties and, even though I entered the information where it belonged, it somehow got transferred elsewhere. All of my real estate taxes got moved from where they belonged to form A. Entering the information directly onto the tax forms required me to override every single step (3 mouse clicks, I think?). Also, I was not able to go to help and figure out what my standard mileage cost was, so it took me considerable time to go through their mileage dialogue boxes when all I wanted was standard mileage.
I had used Turbo Tax in previous years and was not unhappy with them; however, I had heard that Turbo Tax put spyware on the computer, and that it was difficult to install on more than one computer, so I decided to opt for a change. TaxCut was cheaper, and I figured there would really be no difference (I used Parson's tax software years ago and liked them until they stopped making that program). Anyway, at least for year 2002, TaxCut is much worse than Turbo Tax and Parson's old tax program. The big problem is, it puts information in the wrong place; and I have been doing my own taxes for 20 years, so it is not a mistake which I am making.
I downloaded TaxAct just a moment ago; it is cheaper than either turbo tax or taxcut, and so far, it behaves just like it is supposed to. I have been entering some info by their prompts and other info directingly onto the tax forms, and, except for the fact that the auto-save requires me to hit the hardreturn every time, other than that, I really like TaxAct. It is functioning exactly how it is supposed to. Furthermore, I have entered in a couple of properties and printed it out, and everything is going where it belongs.
how do I download it 2004-06-03
I just wasted 22 bucks. I have no way to download this product
The End 
2004-01-11
I went to TaxCut because of the spyware problem in TurboTax last year. The program started out fine, but would not end, and could not make electronic submissions to Fed or State. Talked to everyone in TaxCut and I felt I was debuging the program. Had to snail mail the State after finally getting the Fed return to work. Took an extra two weeks to do this.
Tax Cut has no Spyware C-Dilla, Turbo Tax Does! 
2003-12-27
H&R Blocks Tax Cut doesn't use the Spyware tool C-Dilla. Intuit introduced this Spyware, C-Dilla, tool to it's longtime customers last year. The Spyware, C-Dilla, prevents you from doing your taxes on your notebook, then transfering them to your desk-top for printing. The Spyware, C-Dilla, prevents you from retrieving your taxes, in case of an audit, if you buy a new computer. Don't have a hard drive failure near tax filing time with the Spyware, C-Dilla, installed. Intuit made the choice between Turbo Tax and Tax Cut easy when they introduced the Spyware, C-Dilla. They sent their customers in droves over to buy H&R's Tax Cut. Thats why I started using H&R's Tax Cut!!!
No sweat taxes 
2003-12-13
Wow, the reviews are quite spotty for a very good and capable program. I am always wary of reviews, and it appears Intuit (Turbo Tax) may have required its employees to submit competitive reviews. I am not affiliated with either product and have used both, but last year switched to Tax Cut for several well publicized reasons--see previous posts.
Tax Cut is cranky about using TT's data, so be prepared to fill in some data. Had worse problems when I switched from Tax Cut to TT three years back and needed to re-enter all the previous year's data. These programs do keep improving each year.
I run XP, have broadband cable, run a wireless home network, and have had no issues with initial loading, downloading updates, or getting the program to work. The rebates for upgrading, free state program, on-line filings, other included freebies, all showed-up within 60 days. I also used the call-a-consultant service for advice on a real estate question and was charged the the nominal fee.
Tax Cut handled all the forms on my 1040 fine, which included capital gains, carryovers, etc., and I had no repercussions from the IRS or worse, California. The program doesn't have as much "fluff" as TT, and is pretty straightforward, with not as much hand-holding, but is not invasive either.
The only negative was it was a little baulky in getting the Fed return co-odinated with my CA State return, but this could have been "pilot error". Overall, a competent product.
2002 Tax Cut 2003-10-14
H&R Block financial planners assist you in determining if your investments support your financial goals and if your asset allocation matches your risk tolerance. You can also create what-if scenarios for future savings. Nine-year tax preview shows you all the ways that the tax legislation of 2001 will affect you now and in the future. Home Office Assistant walks you through a series of questions to see if your home office qualifies for tax purposes. Retirement Savings Enhancer provides ways to increase your tax and retirement savings to ensure you get the most out of your 401(k).
The improved Error Check feature catches mistakes or omissions that could cost you money or flag your return for an IRS audit. Entry Manager tracks where your data originates, guides you to related forms, and itemizes your entries. It also allows you to flag entries as tentative, so you can go back and review them before you finalize your return. The H&R Block tax law assistant helps you understand the implications of changing tax laws, provides information about how the changes affect your taxes, and ensures you get the maximum tax benefit possible under the new laws. Auto entry automatically imports W-2 and 1099 information from participating employers and financial institutions. Auto entry saves you valuable time and prevents costly data entry errors, and makes it easy to deal with multiple W-2s.
Listen to H&R Block and Kiplinger experts share tips on how to get the most out of your tax return. Learn how changes in your life affect your taxes, and save money by following simple strategies. The H&R Block home mortgage advisor provides customized advice based on your current tax situation, including advice on consolidating debt under a home equity loan. If you are a renter, TaxCut tells you how much you could save in taxes by purchasing a new home.
Easier than doing it on paper... 2003-07-20
I disagree with the users who say that the software is not user-friendly. We popped in the CD and away we go... Our taxes were done in about five hours. (My husband is super meticulous otherwise we might have been done sooner.) We've used Tax Cut every year for the past three years, and it's always been a big help. One of the really nice features is that Tax Cut saves your information (social security number, address, names, birthdates, etc.) so that each year it is a bit easier to do your taxes, especially if typing is not your thing.
+ Fast, easy to use
+ It RED FLAGS anything that the IRS might question -- this offers you a great opportunity to review what you've typed before sending
+ You can download new laws or tax cuts before you submit -- the laws are always changing so this is especially nice if you want to search for added deductions you might be missing
+ Usually comes with a rebate to do your state taxes, too
+ The little explanation videos are crisp and clear (except for the English usage, see below)
The only drawback that I can think of is that the language of the "Help" portion of the CD is meant for people who consider themselves masters of the English language. I'm a former ESL teacher, and I can just imagine some of my students pulling their hair out or turning to Webster's every sixty seconds. So this may not be a great investment for an ESL'er. I'd suggest going to an accountant or allowing yourself A LOT of time to digest the language.
Buggers screw you on the refund too... 2003-05-15
To add insult to injury Tax Cut also inaccurately calculated my tax return resulting in a correction from the IRS and a lesser refund. There's nothing like the cold-chill up the back when you see "IRS" in the return address box on the envelope. Thanks H&R! The mail-in refund people play games with the Catch 22 of needing original copies of the receipt and UPC in two places at once. Of course I got the cheaper refung only. I never seem to get used to all the incompetence & dishonesty in our society everywhere. Zero Stars for Tax Cut!!!
It works for me 2003-04-19
I was a TurboTax user. I bought TaxCut Deluxe this year because I hate TT's spyware. On my Windows 2000 PC, TaxCut runs fine, no problem. Frankly speaking, the software itself is not as easy to use as TurboTax. But it does the job, and it does not have spyware. That's the whole reason I swithed to TaxCut, and I'm happy with the switching.
TaxCut blows 2003-04-16
I'm always hesitant to write these reviews on products I don't like. Not that the reviews aren't worthwhile - I'm just fairly unmotivated when it comes to this sort of thing. But TaxCut was such a dismal piece of software that I just had to tell other interested folks about my experience. I purchased TaxCut because I wanted to "take a stand" on the TurboTax locked-license issue (read the TT reviews for more info). After this experience, though, I am *very* glad that the Quicken folks have stated they won't lock next year's TT! Otherwise, I would've had to resorted to doing my taxes by hand. For me, TaxCut was that bad - I would've saved more time and frustration by doing my taxes by hand.
I used TaxCut for both my wife's and my individual taxes (we filed separately). We filed both Federal and California taxes. My wife worked for a company for the entire year, and I worked for a small company for about ¾ of the year, and then contracted for ¼ of year. My wife and I are both computer folk--I'm a Windows software engineer, and she's an NT/Unix SysAdmin--so we know our way around computers & software. Regardless, TaxCut caused me all sorts of grief. Here's a list of the problems I ran into whilst using TaxCut:
- Though I have a full-time broadband connection, TaxCut couldn't find the network. This meant that I couldn't do online updates (I had to download & install them manually) *and* I couldn't file my taxes online (hence I couldn't take advantage of TaxCut's online-filing rebate). TaxCut's technical support was worthless at helping me solve this problem - though admittedly I didn't spend too much time working on this problem, and just resigned myself to paper-filing.
- The software reported incorrect results for my wife's California return! It was reporting that her refund was going to be every penny she paid in state taxes (~$6K), rather than owing $133, which turned out to be her real state tax liability. Oddly, though, when I reviewed her internally-generated state tax form (using the "view Form" feature), it showed the correct (owe $133) value - somehow TaxCut's left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing! This was problematic, because even though the form was correct, the "interview" wizard still acted as though I was going to get a refund - and I have no idea what sort of deduction it was using for the federal taxes. After banging my head against this problem solo for quite a while, then going round-and-round with TaxCut's horrible tech support folks (they were utterly worthless), I finally started over w/ my wife's taxes - this time, it got it right. (Note: I *believe* the problem had something to do with me initially telling TaxCut that my wife was not a resident of California - though after seeing and fixing this problem and then reviewing all the interview questions & answers multiple times, TaxCut still couldn't figure it out.)
- While I find TurboTax's interview process to be fairly "engaging" and helpful, I found TaxCut's interview to be little more than original IRS instructions. If TurboTax was the computer simulation of your helpful tax accountant, then TaxCut is a simulation of an IRS government worker: not very helpful, clear, or informative.
- "Help" is not context-sensitive. Clicking on "Help" just shows you the Help table-of-contents. TaxCut sometimes has some context-related FAQs for an interview question, but I find that there's not nearly enough when your taxes are at all tricky. The online help is really not too much more than the IRS & state tax publications.
- Quite a few times TaxCut's interview process couldn't handle my particular tax situation, and forced me to pop its electronic version of an IRS form or worksheet, and had me fill it in by hand. This was particularly true for self-employment-related issues: for this stuff, TaxCut really wasn't too much more than an electronic 1040 worksheet with a built-in calculator.
- I owed the government a penalty for not paying estimated taxes. After answering the interview questions, TaxCut calculated the penalty at ~$500. I then went back and answered the questions slightly differently (but still accurately: I just answered the, "Would you like to use this method to calculate X?" questions a bit differently), and it got the penalty down to ~$68! This is the type of thing that I could usually trust TurboTax to do for me: calculate something via the two different ways, and give me the better of the two results. (If nothing else, TT usually asks better questions that more readily guide me to the best responses).
- One annoyance that kinda sums up my entire TaxCut experience: when I got to the California state interview, one of the first questions was "will you be attaching your federal tax form to your California tax form?" Jeez, I don't know! By clicking on the FAQ, it tells me that I will need to include the federal form if I'll be sending in anything other than a 1040, and few Schedules it lists. Hmm....Doesn't TaxCut know what forms I'm sending?! I surely didn't know - it wasn't until *after* doing the state interview that you actually print your federal forms for mailing, and I couldn't figure out any easy way of discovering this information.
- TaxCut doesn't calculate 2003 tax estimates and print out the quarterly payment vouchers. This very much surprised me: though I've never had to pay estimated taxes until this year, I always found TurboTax to be very pro-active and fully-features w/rt estimated taxes.
All-in-all, while TurboTax for me is much more of a "full tax solution", TaxCut is just more of a "helper app". If you use TaxCut and your taxes are at all out of the norm, expect to be reading over IRS publications and filling out the forms pretty-much by hand.
