Customer Reviews

H&R Block TaxCut 2007 Premium Federal [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

TaxCut installs third party software without your knowledge, consent or permission. The application is called Software995 and it's basically a PDF editor. Why anyone would need a PDF editor to do their taxes is something TaxCut refuses to answer. Software995 is covertly installed when you download updates for TaxCut. Sorry, you get Software995 installed without choice.
Software995 is ad-based. So if you intend on using it, you will have to endure endless popup ads from their sponsors. And no, you can't get rid of them using a popup blocker. To eliminate the ads you have to pay $9.95.
I think it's very unprofessional of H&R Block to shove 3rd party software down it's customers throats. Are they that hard up for money?
TaxCut and TuboTax both work as far as getting the job done. So my advice would be to get the one without adware.

I'm a tax preparer and have been using Tax Cut for the past few years for preparing my personal tax return. This program is almost as comprehensive as software tax professionals use and is easy enough for just about anyone. I switched to Tax Cut from Turbo Tax several years ago because it was much cheaper, but now I think the programs are pretty much the same.

First off, the updates take longer than usual, probably the result of Congress taking so long to finalize the tax laws which occurred after the software actually shipped. So be prepared for 10 minutes of updates before starting your return.

This year Tax Cut makes it much easier to move around the return (income, deductions, etc.) so that you can enter it piecemeal rather than having to go through their interview screens. It is also much easier to go back to a section if you missed entering something. You don't have to go through a maze of questions to get to what you need. BUT when they made it easier to move around, they removed the checkboxes that indicates that you have completed that section. I entered just a few pieces of information (W-2 and interest) while leaving out major things that I have had on my tax return in prior years (mortgage interest) and did the final check and it did not alert me to missing data. So, REVIEW YOUR RETURN CAREFULLY to make sure you did not miss anything.

Most companies now issue W-2's which can be imported electronically, but I did not see a way to do that in Tax Cut. I looked, but didn't see it. That's a shame.

Tax Cut also improved upon the calculation for the sales tax deduction, but it is still a little confusing for non tax professionals. They could make it super easy by linking your zip code to a database of tax rates, but I guess a day of programming isn't worth it to them.

The included software Deduction Pro is a decent little program, however they should include a 2008 version so that you can track your contributions all throughout the year.

Tax Cut allows you to e-file, but it will cost you an additional $19.95 to do it. The Deluxe Turbo Tax with the efile ends up being the same price as Tax Cut if you e-file (assuming Turbo Tax doesn't have hidden charges).

Finally, one nice feature is that Tax Cut allows you to save your return as a PDF so you can uninstall the software and later view your return without having to re-install the software.

I looked at Turbo Tax this year and I actually like the input screens on it much better than Tax Cut this year, mostly because it tracks what areas have been completed and I think their final review is better. Tax Cut still does the job and I think both programs have their issues, but I would never attempt a tax return without them.

TaxCut offers individuals a powerful option for preparing an income tax return that is relatively easy to use. TaxCut assumes that you know little or nothing about income tax law. The software will ask a number of questions and will prompt you for information based on your answers. It will help tremendously if you gather as many of your tax documents as possible before starting. This software is significantly cheaper than paying a service to prepare it and much easier than doing in manually.

The e-file option has been around for some years and is a great time saver for those due a refund. If you owe money, you might want to save a few dollars and just file manually. The program will print all the forms you need so it's easy to do and there's no real advantage to electronically filing if you're writing a check.

Please note that this version is good for Federal returns only. It's a bargain if you live in a state with no income tax, but if you live in one of the many states that require a return every year you'll be happier with H&R Block TaxCut 2007 Premium Federal + State (Win/Mac)

If you don't itemize your deductions and have a very simple return, you might be better off preparing the forms manually on your own. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you have a return with major league complications, you might be better off going to a good CPA. For everyone else, this is really a no-brainer. It's inexpensive, easy to use, and accurate. I've been using TaxCut for quite a few years and would not even consider giving it up.

Taxcut is a wonderful program, taking the most of the pain out of doing taxes, and is far less expensive than TurboTax. In an interview setting, the program asks you a series of questions and guides you through the tax process. By far, the greatest amount of time you will spend will most likely be spent assorting your records. This truly makes tax season painless (if not close to it) and also carries the imprimatur of H&R Block and is backed by them for peace of mind.

What makes Taxcut especially nice is that I am able to import any and all taxable transactions into it directly from Microsoft Money, and of course older versions of Taxcut.

A note and a personal opinion. Taxcut Premium is fantastic, but I honestly do not see why people would pay 50%+ more for the state edition added on, when state taxes by and large are much less cumbersome than federal taxes.

Have used this for many years, and am very happy with it.

The software in question is actually PDF995 and is made by a company named Software995. It is known to interfere with the normal operation of various Adobe products. It is more than unprofessional for H & R Block to install this program without permission, it is unethical. If they had clearly disclosed this program and made its installation optional, I would have no problem with it. I assume they are being paid for installing this junk on my machine, as a form of advertising for the Software995 company. I am extremely angry at having been tricked into paying for this advertisment, having been duped into installing untested and unwanted software, and having to now go through the trouble of uninstalling this crap, fully investigating it to determine what it may have done, and correcting any resulting issues. I have used TaxCut for many years. I will be uninstalling it and returning it for a refund, and will never buy it again. This behavior, by a company that I trusted with my most sensitive financial information, is appalling.

I tried the Taxcut this year because Turboax marketing was confusing. This is how I read : Turbotax Basic version does all, but if you want to maximize deduction for home, then you need to get Dlx version. And if you invested in stocks, and interested in maximizing deduction... you need more expensive & better product. What kind of marketing crap is that? Taxcut, single package does it all. Only difference is efiling support and state tax. Took me 4 hours to do my tax (home owner with 100+ stock sales data) and it was well worth the money.

The software is certainly user friendly and does what it should (this is my third year of using it) but don't take any stock on the touted "I have people" campaign. I received notice from the IRS regarding a 2006 return and was left on hold for one hour until I finally gave up. I then tried to email them from their web site; typed in all the information then got the message that a server error was encounted, please try some other time. So, if you are trying to make the choice between this product and Turbo Tax, don't let a warm and fuzzy feeling of audit support sway you; make your decision based on the functionality of the software itself. Next year, I'll give their competitor a try.

Very easy instructions to follow. Deductible Pro for donations is great. First time user of TaxCut, I have used Turbo Tax for years , Tax Cut is easier and also less expensive.

I was angry to find out, after an update/file, that taxCut installed a piece of software called pdf995 on my machine without my permission. If you've installed TaxCut, do yourself a favor and do not launch pdf995. It's adware at a minimum and it could be malware. TaxCut, since they installed it, has to be considered adware/malware by association. As a user of TaxCut, I have to ask: What else did you install on my system w/o my consent? What files are you transmitting that I don't know about?

I found that TaxCut's dialog for dealing with income reported on a 1099-MISC to be woefully inadequate. I spent forever trying to figure out whether to report that income on a Schedule C or Schedule E. I had to refer to the IRS forms to figure out that I needed to use Schedule C. TaxCut was very poor in telling me which occupational code to fill in on Schedule C. Once again, I had to refer to the IRS forms. The IRS forms are dense, but they were infinitely more clear than TaxCut's dialog.

I will not use TaxCut in the future. It would have been more convenient to do my taxes by hand.