Customer Reviews

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business Federal + State + eFile [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The section that follows is my first impression of the Business program, generated on January 15. At the end of that, I include my second impression on February 15 of the business program (1120S). I'll include a review of the 1040 portion of this software after I do those taxes. OK, that review is in at the very bottom. I'd rate the 1040 as 4-stars.

Ok, I knew H&R was a little more primitive than TurboTax (which I used for 10 years or so), based on my experience with their personal tax package for 2008 taxes, but it was adequate. So this year I tried the Business software (S corp), the only part of this combo-burrito I've tried so far. It is REALLY primitive:

1. First, don't necessarily expect to be able to make sense of the display! The program may show up on your monitor with the check boxes bearing NO spacial relationship to the actual choices. So you call the help desk, and someone tells you to reset your monitor properties to display 1024x768. Oh and make sure that under "Advanced" the dpi resolution is set to 96. The is the only software I've ever used that couldn't recognize my monitor and display correctly. Massive lameness -- and it took 2 long tech support calls to fix it.

1.5. For a while, tech support thought the software was corrupt. I had registered it but BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE SOFTWARE FROM AMAZON, H&R BLOCK HAD NO RECORD OF MY REGISTRATION. So if the software had actually been bad, they could not have downloaded a clean version -- I would have had to return the box to Amazon for a refund and reorder it!! And the tech support person noted that Amazon would probably not take it back because it had been opened! Be warned -- if you really want this stuff, pay the man and download it from H&R Block.

2. Recognize that tech support people have just been hired and will not really know anything, tho they will be friendly and eager to help. Plan to spend an hour or two with vague directions trying to get where you're trying to go. Cultivate a Zen state of mind...

3. Expect the "interview" questions to be something like: "Did you have any 53(c) sect 89 reclaimable charge-backs loss amortizations for deductible klefnabulator expenses?" When you look for more information, there isn't any. When you check out the IRS instructions, they say (surprise!) exactly what the "interview" question said. TurboTax asks you in English, tells you what the amount applies to, and even tells you how commonly this item is entered.

4. Don't expect the program to be smart about anything. TurboTax figures out that if you don't have deduction A, you can't possibly have B or C, but H&R Block asks you every question.

5. Don't expect to be able to import from QuickBooks or last year's taxes produced by TurboTax. Generate those reports and type in your numbers.

6. Don't expect all the forms to be there -- and don't expect the software to let you know. I tried and tried to get to Form 4562, Amortization and Depreciation, and ended up at several different dead-ends. I again called tech support and talked at length with a guy who took me through more dead-ends before finally discovering that the form "hadn't been released by the IRS yet." You might think the software itself would let you know, but you'd be wrong.

7. To switch between your 1120S and filling out a 1099-misc for a contractor is not intuitive. Another call to tech support. For 20 minutes or so, the guy didn't seem to understand what a 1099 was, or even understand that I was working on an S-Corp return and not a 1040(!). More dead ends. Finally, he got help and told me to close the program and reopen it to get where I wanted to go.

8. I then gave up. I should say that I did all this stuff on Jan 15, which I admit is early in the year. So if things improve markedly, I'll update this review.

9. Meanwhile, based on this experience, I would say that the fact this combination package is about half the price of the separate TurboTax business and personal packages, does NOT make it a good deal! It is easy for me to loath Intuit, but next year I'll most likely be doing business with them again. Sigh.

Here's an business tax update on February 15. The updated software still doesn't recognize my monitor, but at least I knew what to do this time and finished filling out taxes fairly quickly. I have done my own taxes for years and had QuickBooks reports and prior year forms. Dollar-wise, the program is off from what I calculated from QuickBooks by about $104, but at this point I'm not quibbling. Nothing has changed from what I said in January, although it seems that all the forms are now available. The interview still seems quite stupid -- and it makes mistakes: I filled out the tax form for an S corporation, which NEVER pays taxes, and the program asked me how much estimated tax I'd paid and tried to get me to pay a penalty for not paying -- AND the business lost money last year! (How often do YOU pay taxes on money you've lost?] Plus, when I opened the file I'd saved from January, the program did not remember where I was but started over at the beginning. Very lame. Yes, TT costs twice as much, but it terms of ease of use and lower stress factor, it is probably worth it. Sigh. I really expected more.

Feb 26, 2009. I've just finished my personal 1040 taxes, and my what a difference! This part of the software is professional, smooth, and easy to use. It recognizes my monitor (ta da!) so I don't have to reconfigure my system to run it. However, I changed the location of my tax file, and it did not remember that. It's a little different than TurboTax, but seems to work fine. Only disadvantage I can see compared to TT is that there is no way to see a WYSIWYG version of your forms (what they show you has the information but does not look much like the paper in your hand) and their reporting and comparison functions at the end are not as complete or complex as TT. But it does the job, and the interview is friendly and intelligent.

Now the question is: Knowing that the business software is lousy and the personal stuff is good, what you gonna do?

I've used TaxCut's Deluxe or Premium software to do my personal taxes for several years without any complaints. Before that I used Turbo Tax for several years and only switched because TaxCut was less expensive to do the same thing. This year my husband and I started a small business, so I purchased the H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium & Business software. After loading the software, the federal interviews would not run for a corporation (1120/1120S forms and supporting forms).

I waited until Jan 4, checked for updates and had the same problem. So, after calling their customer support center three times, I finally got a support person who told me their business interviews were not yet available and they did not have a tentative date for their availability. The main forms have been approved by the IRS, but H&R Block hasn't finished the interview portion of the software.

I had hope to use the product to complete our W-2 and W-3 forms which are due by Jan 31, 2010. But, now I have no way of knowing whether to return the product since the business portion is inoperable and buy TurboTax, or wait it out and hope the updates are available in time.

I hope this is helpful in reducing anyone else's frustration who might have a small business and want to use this to complete their W-2 forms.

This software is apparently designed to be confusing and frustrating so you will give up and go get H&R Block to do your taxes for you. I have been doing my own taxes with consumer software for a number of years but I will never buy this brand again. I will go back to one of the other brands. One major frustration: there is no easy way to print copies of your returns after you have e-filed. You have to follow the prescribed steps and the software won't let you override them.

The download of a)the Amazon required downloader and then b) the actual program in multiple steps went OK but for another $[...] bucks or so you can get the actual package that makes loading the program much easier for non-techies.

As to the program itself, once loaded, works the same as in prior years and that is good. I use it for business tax returns only, not the personal 1040. I buy it based on the number/types of returns (very inclusive--every return you can name is included) and price. Four stars for the program.

If I were not in a rush this year, I would buy the package vs. download as the download takes too many steps and I just co-exist with computers vs. being a nerd.

Update: I just loaded the Business tax part of the program(s) and recently noted that state programs/schedules were totally absent. Called H&R Block and they said that I had to load the personal 1040 program in order to get the state tax updates for the Business programs! Fortunately, I found the un-installed downloaded files for the personal tax module still on the machine (somewhere) and loaded them and everything now appears normal. Fortunately too is that I saved the product key code in my file as H & R won't help otherwise.

Update2: don't even consider electronic download. when you lose your program due to disk crash, virus, etc, you have no way to reload it. You MUST have an archival copy for the 3 to 5 years recommended record retention period. I now have to reload the program and can't find the key code..no sense trying to call H & R block. No box to save the record/key code!

After spending 10 hours inputting data for our LLC's 2009 federal tax return, when I downloaded the State part of the software (as prompted) the following message appeared: "Cannot open rolled-over return". It asked me to "please reopen this return in last year's program..." which obviously is impossible since it is this year's return. When I tried to restore my data from backup it had completely vanished. I called HR Block's technical support WHO WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM but sorry, they would send me a URL to download the state (at no extra charge) and I would have to input all the data again. Uh, no. I demanded a complete refund which they agreed to without hesitation. Yes, TurboTax will cost about double when you calculate both the business and personal tax components but at least you will not have spent hours on a software that gives you nothing. This software should be recalled and users compensated for the time they wasted on it.

The business tax software enclosed with this package, Sub-S, C - Corp, Fiduciary 1041, W-2s, state, local..etc etc....nobody has a complete business package cheaper that works! Every year, people complain that the final version of the forms are not ready for downloading by January 1! My professional 1040 SW just became final today, Jan 11, 2010. So the "beef" is unjustified IMO.

If anyone else has a complete, you name the form and its included, software package cheaper that works...then please comment to my posting as to what package is better.

(the 1040 package does not to my knowledge permit preparation directly on the form vs questionnaire approach...now that, if still present, is cumbersome for most professional tax preparers but I use a professional program for Form 1040. My rating, based on prior years experience, is on the business returns and price. A good value.

I am here to order the 2009 package and expect it to be great given my needs.

Update: I downloaded the software vs. packaged item. Now they lowered the price to $54. So far, the SW is as expected although I wish I had got this vs. download. Amazon download worked well but you have to first download their program, then download from H & R site. For a non-geek, took a little more effort than I like.

I've owned a small S Corp business for the past 10 years and for the past 5 I've used TurboTax Business software. The only problem I've had with TurboTax is you have to buy their Business and Premier separate to do your 1120S and personal taxes. So needless to say I was excited to see in my local Staples the H&R At Home Premium & Business for just 70 some dollars. Well I guess as the old adage goes "you get what you pay for" or maybe "if it looks to good to be true it probably is"; both apply to this program. While turbo tax has walked me through the complexities of S Corp reporting for years I guess I only expected the H&R Block program to do the same. I was wrong. While TurboTax has clear explanations for each step, the H&R Block program in many cases just says "see IRS form 1120S instructions". Are you kidding me, that's why I got the program so I don't have to read the IRS form instructions. Not only this but they don't even provide a link to the instructions, you just have to go Google them. Basically, the entire program is just composed of tax forms that you fill in yourself with very little instructions. You can go on the IRS website and get about the same thing for free.

To make a long story short, after hours of muscling through the H&R Block program it finally beat me, so I found myself back at my local Staples happily purchasing both TurboTax Business and Premier. With the TurboTax Business I was done within an hour with my 1120S, and beyond anything else I felt very confident in the forms they produced. Lesson learned: "When it comes to personal time spent doing your taxes and that back of the mind worry about anything having to do with the IRS, spend the extra money on TurboTax and get your taxes done without pulling your hair out and sleep a whole lot better knowing you won't have auditors on your doorstep because you tried to save a few bucks on your tax program.

I've JUST started using the Business Tax Cut. I'm not sure if it's not compatible with Windows 7 or what but all of the boxes to check do not line up with the questions so it's very difficult to make sure that you're checking the right thing. It's also difficult to download last year's information from Tax Cut. It just does not seem as user friendly as past versions? Did they have someone else create the program this year? I'm VERY DISAPPOINTED. I may still have to spend twice as much to get Turbo Tax!!

I bought this product online and went through the tedious web-based interface. I was asked about my two corporations, and filled out every detail. It imported my prior year info fro TurboTax, which included complete "C" corporation taxes.

I was informed I had e-filed successfully. The catch: H&R Block didn't file my "C" corporation taxes. It didn't waste its precious time warning me, either.

Watch out, business owners. This is a "toy", and needs a safety label. It's far too expensive to be taken seriously for owners of U.S. corporations.

Purchased Premium & Business CD from Amazon. Took at least a week to get here.

Disc was not recognized by my computer. Did everything I knew to do: try multiple times, restart the computer, disable startup items, restart in safe mode, check my dvd-rw drive that it is working properly, actually installed another program (Quicken) without a hitch to make sure it wasn't my drive or computer. When I put the CD in, there wasn't even an error message. I put the CD in - drive whirrs - and whirrs - and whirrs. Waited 5 minutes even - nothing. Googled for an answer - nothing. Have tried suggestions of other amazon reviewers - nothing.

H&R Block customer service. No mention of this problem on their list of issues, this year or even last year. Online chat: yes to being available past 10pm. Took at least 20 minutes to pick up the chat the first time. The guy sounded at least concerned. Though he couldn't find an answer, at least he wrote that he was trying - but even after an hour, he had no answer. Just as he asked me for confirmation of my amazon order, the chat was disconnected - network problems, it said. Second chat attempt - took 15 minutes to pick up. Person just immediately said, sorry, you bought from amazon so you need to take it up with them. Begging for an attempt to solve this didn't work. Got the canned "I apologize for the inconvenience" line 3 times.

I've used taxcut home and business for over 5 years, maybe even 9. This is so absolutely, horribly disappointing. How can you even think h&r block will support you over your taxes when they don't even want to help you just because you didn't buy it directly from them?

I guess I'll be calling Amazon in the morning. I hope I get some solution from them. If anyone has a suggestion, thank you in advance.

UPDATE

Amazon customer service came through again. When I called, they offered for me to talk to H&R through them but I declined that, feeling it was futile. When asked what I would like to do, I requested Amazon to send me a replacement disc, hoping that the 1st was just a dud. They sent it by 1 day shipping. Thankfully, the new disc worked! As of today, all programs installed. I have not yet tried to update or download the state. Hopefully, I won't have the problems some have had.

I will raise my rating to 3 stars since Amazon made it work and I have always liked the software. Still not a 4 or 5 because it was a really big hassle to deal with the dud disc and H&R customer service is worthless.