TaxCut 2005 for Business + Business State [Old Version]

Customer Reviews

DO NOT BUY THIS SOFTWARE

2006-03-05
This is a pretty bad cut-the-corners hack-job of a program. I'd give it 0 stars if that were an option.

My TaxCut business return for 2004 disappeared silently when I uninstalled the 2004 product. Did the uninstaller do it? I don't know, but I didn't delete the files manually. As a result, I can't import last year's data.

When updating the software, a dialog came up that ambiguously claimed that some forms were not available. It didn't say which ones, or suggest how I could tell.

It frequently leaves out explanations of entries on forms. At one point it claimed misleadingly that a form was not available and attempted to force me to skip the form, which was needed for asset depreciation. Guessing that the Forms menu might allow it to be downloaded, I tried to Preview and it again misleadingly claimed the form was not available. I clicked on "Open" and it downloaded. After that, I had to click on "Back" a few times to restart the asset process.

The asset entry form is among the worst user interfaces I've ever been cursed with using. There is no excuse for something this bad to survive from the 2004 version of the TaxCut product. It would not respond to a TAB or ENTER/RETURN to go to the next field, forcing the mouse to be used repeatedly. Nor does it provide a way to import from a CSV or spreadsheet. So for anything more than a couple of lines, the costs of data entry time alone well exceed the cost to buy a competitor's software.

It doesn't automatically place you back at the last step you were at, if you interrupt the process, save, and reopen the form. This was annoying. But when I reopened a form after interrupting the entry process, the software incorrectly began setting check boxes to YES or NO, ignoring the prior settings. That's not just annoying, its a very big risk.

Often, questions are posed in such a way as to make them indirect, more ambiguous, and less clear than the paper IRS forms. It is a reflection of the "cutting corners" feel of the product when it is less clear than an IRS publication.

As far as the rest of the interface is concerned, the product often leaves you guessing. Sometimes it uses checkboxes for Yes/No answers; sometimes using buttons instead; often there is little obvious indication of what step to take, or what the consequences are of taking an action.

For those reasons, I'm dumping TaxCut for Business (as well as the TaxCut Deluxe+State I'd purchased with it). It just isn't worth the headache.

Please don't waste your money

2006-03-03
I purchased this product instead of TurboTax because it was a few dollars cheaper. Guess what.. I'm now buying TurboTax because I simply don't trust this software. I have an accounting degree and have been doing my personal and business taxes for years now. Save your money!! Buy TurboTax.

Couldn't possibly be any worse!

2006-03-02
I am using TaxCut Business to prepare a simple Form 1041 for a trust. This has to be the WORST example of tax software I have EVER come accross. Entry boxes that will not take an entry without an override, endless loops (entry comes from another forms entry box which comes from the first box, which comes from the 2nd box, which comes from the 1st box ....), inability to reaccess an itemized list after it is created, inability to move around between forms without going back to the interview and taking a wild guess, and a totally useless help section, just to mention a few. What a piece of grabage. This apparantly is produced by an outfit named ATX II LLC and bears no resemblence to the personal version for your 1040. Dont even THINK about paying good money for this.

Not for Individual Income Taxes

2006-02-26
I purchased this product thinking it would allow me to do an Individual with a Schedule C income tax return. Imagine my surprise when I saw that this product did not have any 1040s or Schedule C's included. It is my mistake for not reading the fine print cloesely. However, I give some of the blame to Turbo Tax for not conspicuously displaying the fact that the software is ONLY for corporations and nonprofits. This sofware was useless to me as an Sole Proprietorship.

Disappointing performance

2006-02-25
I have used Turbotax for many years but decided to try the Tax Cut this year. I have had nothing but problems with the software. When trying to open it on a brand new HP notebook with a broadband internet connection open, it would freeze up whenever I tried to start an tax return and come up with error messages, I didn't find an answer in Customer support. Rather that hassle with it I ordered TurboTax for Business. I am still trying to contact TaxCut for a refund.

Just a horrendous piece of software

2006-04-14
I used the TaxCut software to prepare my personal tax return the past two years and was very happy with it. The software was easy to use, it led you through a serious of interview questions and made suggestions along the way. I recently started an S Corp. and thought I would use TaxCut Business to handle the taxes for the corporation. I have no employees besides myself, no product or inventory, and no source of income other than consulting fees. Should be easy right? I couldn't have been more wrong. After about 4 hours of struggling with this software I was no farther along than when I started. It provided little guidance as to how I should be filling out the forms. The personal edition will ask you a series of questions to guide you through the process, no so in the Business edition.
This software is a blight on the TaxCut name and it is a real shame that they distribute this product. As much as I liked the personal edition I may not go back to using it after this debacle. Maybe I'll give TurboTax a try.

BAD, BAD PROGRAM!

2006-04-09
This SUCKS. I've fought with this program--it keeps saying my taxes are pending, but won't print them out, and I can't figure out how to get them "approved". Now, the stupid program will not even open, so I not only have to fill out the forms BY HAND, but I've got to start from scratch too, because I can't even open up the program to get the data I've already entered. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS OR FUTURE EDITIONS. IT IS ****NOT**** WORTH IT

Not very friendly

2006-03-18
Not very friendly as the TaxCut deluxe. H&R need to work abit harder on this program. if you do not know your way doing your corporate return, don't try it just pay for a pro and finish with it.

Zero stars, worst product I have seen in 15 years

2006-03-13
The original DOS version of TurboTax beat this bloody. I can't believe H&R Block put their name on this product. It is an embarrassment to a shocking degree.

Stunningly Bad

2006-03-12
I moved from TurboTax to TaxCut a few years due to Inuit's C-Dilla fiasco, vowing never to return... Having used this year's TaxCut for Business & Business State, I'm soon to be (again) a loyal TT user.

I installed the Federal program and, when directed, also installed the State program. The first piece of bad news was that I couldn't import last year's return (also prepared using TaxCut). The comments in other posts about slow, useless technical support are confirmed; 30 minutes of online chat during which I was asked exactly one pertinent question from a person who obviously knew less about the product and its features than I did. In the end, I was told that it might maybe kind-of possibly be a good guess that some form or other wasn't approved yet and, so, I should wait until mid-March to see if I still had the problem then. This was on March 11th and - as we know - corporate taxes are due on March 15th. I abandoned the attempt at further technical help and just re-entered the information.

The interview does, indeed, not keep track of it's location; very frustrating. Also, there are indeed many places (MANY places) where the TaxCut interview process is as follows: "Here's a form. Fill it out. Don't forget the important stuff."

When I finished the Federal return (expecting to navigate into the State interview), TaxCut was unaware that just hours earlier it had installed the State program. I had to re-download the State from their web site and after being told that I had successfully installed the State, it still wasn't available. I had to close and re-open the program to move from Federal to State. And, OBTW, re-enter a bunch of stuff that shoud have been transferred from the Federal return.

This is definitely the worst tax preparation software (and, quite possibly, the worst commercial software of any sort) I've seen. It's atrocious. I'm embarrased to have bought it and I really wish I'd have read these other reviews before having done so.