84 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything worked well. A solution to registration glitch included, December 15, 2011
This review is from: H&R Block At Home Premium + State 2011 Win [Download] (Software Download)
I've used H&R Block's tax software (formerly called TaxCut) every year since 1995. Several times when I saw a promotional deal I purchased both TaxCut and TurboTax to compare. I found that TurboTax did not do anything better than TaxCut while costing consistently more. In addition, I like the option of being able to file 5 free Federal e-files as I do taxes for other relatives who are less computer savvy.
H&R Block software also wins if compared to the free on-line options. I don't like using the on-line tax programs for two reasons (1) I don't want my financial data to be on someone's web site (2) free offers include the Federal tax only.
This year I used a digital download for the first time rather than a boxed version. I liked the security of having a physical CD in case I need to re-install on another computer several years down the road. But you are supposed to be able to download the software again to a different computer and when the boxed version was not available I went digital.
REGISTRATION ISSUE
Downloading the software was easy, however during the install I got an error registering the software. When I started the software it immediately gave me a prompt to enter a key-code which (the prompt said) I should have received in the email after purchasing the software. The email I received from Amazon contained no such key-code. I had to call Amazon support and they told me that this information can be found following these steps
1) Log into Amazon
2) Select Your Account at the top right of the page
3) Select Games and Software downloads which is towards the bottom of the long page you see when you log in
4) Then under H&R software entry you will see the key-code that you need to enter to unlock the software
Once this was done the rest of the software functions well. In fact it looked more polished than in prior years. I always had minor display problems because I use large fonts and they never scaled quite right. This year everything displayed perfectly.
DISPLAY ISSUE
I read one review which mentioned a problem with seeing selection boxes. The problem there most likely caused by low screen resolution. Both Windows and Mac minimum requirement for screen resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels or higher. At a lower resolution, there will be problem with display such as not seeing selection boxes. Screen resolution can be changed on your control panel by change PC's display settings.
TAX PREPARATION
I did a preliminary tax return and below are my observations.
1. Copy and Paste from Interview screens is not possible. Sometimes I wish to do it for some issue as a reminder to myself. My solution is to do PrintScreen (holding ctl key, shift key, and PrintScreen key at the same time). This generates an image of the screen, which I paste into paint or photo editing software which I can print or save for later.
2. I don't use the default location for the tax returns, as I want to my backup program to back up only the data not the software itself. The software does not initially remember this new location on startup, it tells me I have no returns. I needed to pick the return manually from the File menu, as it does remember recently used files. The third time I started the software, it finally knew the location of the tax return file.
3. Some forms (such as foreign tax credit over the limit to be directly on 1040) in the past required to be filled out without much assistance. This year the foreign tax credit form is more automated, when you hit next button it takes you to the next place on the form you need to fill out with explanations for each field (last your you were just presented the form to fill out on your own). This form is not that hard to do manually as this form does not change year to year.
4. I use large font option on my monitor display and in the past had display issues (some things were displayed on top of each other). This year all forms displayed properly with this option. This is the first time in all the years I've used H&R Block software that I have no complaint about the display and did not need to change my monitor settings just to do the tax preparation. Nice!
5. H&R Block charges $19.95 to e-file each state return. Of course, this charge can be avoided by printing the forms and mailing them in.
6. In prior years the package include DeductionPro software. This year, like last year, this software is only available as an online tool. I will not use software that requires me to put my financial data on their site, and DeductionPro wants to import the data to H&R web site, so I will not be using it. Disappointing.
7. The price on this package changes day to day. I found a nice tools that shows history of Amazon prices and allows you to generate an email alert when the price reaches our desired price range. If you enter "price history alert" in Google it will come up at the top, it has the word camel in the name. I find this tool very helpful.
8. For folks trying to download State Forms before January 16, 2012. The state forms are not available for download until January 16 for most states.
If you go to the Software Update Center on H&R website you will see a section called State Updates. Under there you there is a link called "Forms Available". If you click on that, it will show a table that shows availability of forms for each State. Right now (last checked on 1/6/2011) none of them are available. I called about my state (Massachusetts) and they told me that most state forms will become available for download on January 16. In the software package, select State Tab and click the button that is called "Buy" (a little scary since we already paid for it) but then "buy" will turn into "update" and when the forms will become available they will be downloaded to your computer.
9. ** ERROR ALERT ** 1/16/12 Version of Massachusetts state return contained an error that was corrected in 1/24/12 update.
If you owed taxes on your 2010 State return and paid owed tax in 2011, this payment was incorrectly included in Line 36 on the MA Form 1 as an amount withheld in 2011. This overstates the amount paid to the State for the 2011 tax year. This error has been reported to H&R and corrected in 1/24/12 update.
I have been a H&R Block/TaxCut user for many years. The interview process is helpful in reminding you things you might have forgotten. On-line help is useful. 2011 H&R Block package appears more polished and has a number of improvements to a couple of small pet peeves I had in the past. So I am quite pleased with it and recommend it!
Ali Julia review
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
H&R Block At Home Premium + State 2011 Win [Download], December 29, 2011
This review is from: H&R Block At Home Premium + State 2011 Win [Download] (Software Download)
I had no problems downloading this program. It loaded fast and works as well as the c.d. versions I have used in the past. A previous review stated that some of the graphics are not right, but I have Windows 7 and have no problems. My wife's computer is Windows Vista, and it works just fine on hers too.
If you download messes up, you need to re-download it, or you lose the key code, try the following....
A. After you login to Amazon, click on "Your Account" (located in upper right corner of web page).
B. Scroll down to the "Digital Management" section.
C. Under the "Digital Management" section, click on "Your Games And Software Library".
D. Then you'll see your H&R Block program that you purchased along with your key code.
E. Next, just click on the yellow "DOWNLOAD" button to the right of the description, and follow the instructions from there.
I installed this program on 2 different computers, both with different operating systems, and it works just fine on both. I hope this information helps.
Thankyou !!
(Follow Up on 1-1-2012) - One review stated that the pixel resolution might need to be raised to 1024 x 768 to correct display problems. Just for kicks, I lowered my pixel resolution and then ran the H&R Block software to see what would happen, and the other review was right. First problem was the "display error" boxes that popped up. After I got through that, the whole program graphics were messed up and I had no selection boxes to click on. I re-set my pixel resolution back to where it used to be, restarted my computer, and then everything worked great again. I'd say that if you can't raise your pixel resolution on your computer, then you should not do the "download version". Maybe the c.d. version will work, but you should check into that before purchasing.
Thank You
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20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Apparent Bug Displaying Selection Boxes, December 4, 2011
This review is from: H&R Block At Home Premium + State 2011 Win [Download] (Software Download)
I can't review this product since I have been unable to use it. Well.....almost unable.
The selection boxes which should be displayed at the bottom of each screen to allow the user to choose what action to take next (e.g. back, continue, next, go to, etc) are not displayed. The only way to use the program is to mouse around at the bottom of the screen and wait to see the cursor change and the text associated with a selection box to display and keep looking until you find the selection you want (e.g. Continue) and then click. That works but it's v-e-r-y slow. So, it's not exactly unusable.
I suggest you wait a bit before you purchase this product. I'm going to contact H&R Block on Monday 12/5 to see what I have to do to correct the problem. It may be something simply and, possibly, be something related to my pc.
I'll update this review once I have a solution (even if it makes me look stupid!)
12/5 Update: During the course of an hour chat with an HR Block support person I was told to uninstall the software,disable my antivirus and firewall and then rerun the installation download .exe program. I did this and there was no change in the problem which makes the software unusable for me. I was also disturbed when the chat support person asked:
Thank you, may I have your date of birth and social security please?
Huh? My answer was NO.
I'm now waiting for a response to an email I sent to HR Block asking for assistance. A refund may not be an option since Amazon does not offer refunds on download software.
All for now.
12/6 Update
A very quick response to my email, a refund of my purchase price. Here's the text from Amazon:
I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've had installing and running "H&R Block At Home Premium + State 2011."
I'm not sure what would cause this to happen and because you have already tried trouble shooting with H&R Block, I've made an exception to our return policy and issued a refund in the amount of $64.99.
I'm not sure why the email came from Amazon and not HR Block.
I've used the HR Block software for the past 3 years and would like to continue using it and may try the cd version.
In summary, my experience may have been related to my pc setup but I've never had this experience before and I've been using pc's since 1988.
If this problem is not reported by others it probably would be safe to use the download. Perhaps others who have no problem with the download could comment on this review.
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