Customer Reviews

H&R Block TaxCut 2007 Premium Federal + State + e-file [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I used this product last year and it worked fine except for one minor glitch. That problem had to do with inputting my initial contact information (name, address, etc.) The program would not allow you to use the delete button. You could get past this, and everything else worked fine. No problem with State or electronic filing.

I think the 2007 software is better (the problem described above is fixed). I used to use Turbo Tax, but they got too pricey. HR Block is about where Turbo Tax was in looks three years ago, so they are catching up fast. I was impressed with Turbo back then, so I'm fine with HR Block being a bit less behind with bells and whistles but costing less and throwing in free e-filing. It also includes their program Deduction Finder, something that can save you $$$ if you use deductions, and also you get some free time with HR Block tax specialists if necessary.

I am not gifted in math or tax law, and I find this program very easy to use. The questions are to the point, and the help feature actually answers most of my questions. I showed this to my Dad, who likes to do his taxes by hand himself, and he is actually considering purchasing it. Even if he doesn't, just considering it is a strong endorsement as far as I'm concerned.

For those concerned about the price, check each day. I've seen the discounted price go as low as 49.99, but it changes on a daily basis. Some of the amazon sellers have gone as low as 32.00, too. The comparable TurboTax Premier Federal + State 2007 costs $67.99 and does not include e-filing or the separate program, Deduction Finder.

Bottom line is that it gets the job done, is backed by HR Block (they also throw in some audit protection for free), and it costs less than Turbo Tax. So if using a product just a little behind in terms of fancy stuff is not a big deal, then I think this product will fit the bill.

There is an error with the software that blocks you from e-filing. Do NOT pay extra for the efiling service, as the error isn't expected to be fixed until February 21st.

This review is for TaxCut 2007 Premium Federal on CD for Windows XP SP2.

I've been a user of TaxCut since tax year 2004. The tax part of TaxCut 2007 seems to work OK. I had problems with the installation and update of TaxCut 2007. Specifically, the TaxCut 2007 installation and update features modify the list of users who can access the \Program Files folder limiting it to only the Administrator who can access this folder. This effectively denies all other users on the XP system access to this folder, which means that ordinary users will have problems executing programs under this folder (which effectively is most installed programs). It also implies that only the Administrator can execute TaxCut.

I was able to fix this issue by looking at another XP system and modifying the access control list (ACL) of the \Program Files folder on the TaxCut system to match the other computer's ACL. Although this restored the system back to normal, TaxCut 2007 still only worked for an administrator, not an ordinary user. I've contacted TaxCut about the \Program Files folder problem. They said that they are looking into it.

This problem occurred when I installed TaxCut. It also occurred on the recent (Jan 10, 2008) update, which I installed on Jan 13, 2008.

Buyer Beware. . . There is a MAJOR bug in the income field on the state form. The data is manually entered and correct on the federal form, but when you download the state form and the fields auto-fill with the data from the federal form it somehow MISCALCULATES the income -- and it is no small miscalculation -- we are talking by a multiplier of 2!! so assume your income from the federal form is $90,000, the state form populates the field with $180,000. HUGE BUG!!! the net result will obviously be that you have underpaid your taxes and you'll owe thousands of dollars more. I encountered this bug last year and taxcut told us to manually over-ride the number in the field. UNfortunately this meant that we could NOT e-file. Believe it or not I actually bought the program again this year (I have been using this program for the last 7 or 8 years) assuming that such a MAJOR BUG would have been fixed. It was NOT FIXED! As I sit here writing this review I am also on HOLD with taxcut customer support. I have been on hold for 30 minutes straight and the customer rep has not come back on the line once to give me an update. I think he just doesn't want to deal with such a HUGE issue. So he has left me hanging! I will be requesting a refund on the product and going with TURBO TAX this year. the few extra bucks spent on the product is worth the hours of hassle entering data only to find such a HUGE issue. I wish I could write a better review. I have been a LOYAL Tax Cut customer for years and years, but they have REALLY dropped the ball on this one. DON"T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

I agree with other comments about the significant price increase that H&R put forth this year. I've used TaxCut for several years now, ever since Intuit tried to put some copy protection on their similar tax product a few years back. My sense is that both TurboTax and TaxCut are neck and neck, and for most of us, neither has a significant advantage over the other. Both products, regrettably, require me to proceed through my tax return in a particular order and not jump around to partially complete different parts of my return as I retrieve information.

My return is really pretty simple and, based on the jump in prices this year, I'm thinking that it is time to revert to completing my return on the IRS forms this year and mailing them in. It's just not worth $60 for the privilege of completing my return in their step-by-step approach.

This is the first time I tried HnR Block software. I had trouble using the software and tried using their online help. I was told that the software had a problem and my best option was to use an online service to file my taxes. So I paid twice for 1 return! I am still waiting for them to refund one of those charges.

OH, BTW, this template might be useful when you wait for HnR `People' to contact you-

Promise (time) = Actual (time)
1 hr for response (help/ask a tax advisor) = 1+ days
48 hr for Level 2 critical response = 5 days (and counting)

If you get this product, I hope you have better luck then I.

Really poor design and the updates do not install properly. Every time I open the program it says there is an update required, downloads it, but fails to install. It then opens the software and says it has been updated. After I use the program save my work, close the program, and then reopen the program it says it needs to do an update and I go through the same process again, and again, and again. Don't try to talk to someone at tech support because they don't exist. The only thing this program is concerned about is selling you additional H&R Products. That part works fine. I hope my return is correct, but have concerns. DO NOT BUY or USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

During installation of Taxcut, I received an error pertaining to the install of the PDF print driver. I contacted technical support the next morning. I was given a Case ID #, and was told I would be contacted in 24 to 48 hrs. Instead I received an email 4 days later telling me that they needed more information, and I needed to call them back. I had long since resolved the issue on my own. Next year I am going with Turbotax.

I downloaded the Premium Federal + State + Efile. I've used Tax Cut for the last 3 years, and didn't have any problems until this year. The software is intuitive enough and I got through the federal part of the return fairly quickly. However, once that was done, it came time to download the appropriate state forms. When Tax Cut attempted to do this it gave me an error "Problem (28)" and said to "try again later". I did this over the course of a couple of days. It did not work. Since this was such trouble, I attempted to download the state portion manually. This did not work and said that it could not install essentially because TaxCut was not installed (it was installed, I had just done my federal return with it!)

I visited their support website and tried every solution listed for my particular problem (including the classic, "are you connected to the internet" solution) - I was, by the way. I tried uninstalling TaxCut and reinstalling. I installed on a different one of my computers. I disabled my firewall, and altered settings across the board on my PC, and still no luck.

I visited chat support, where I was instructed to do everything I had just done. They were of little help. Finally, I asked for my money back, and they would only give me a partial refund because the federal had loaded. I settled for that, because I had gotten a huge headache.

It seems to me that if I purchase a product that promises to help me with my Federal and my State return, I should be able to use it do that. If one component doesn't work, the product is defective.

Taxes are stressful enough with all the paper work and data entry. I will not add to my stress by purchasing this again. Use Turbo Tax instead.

I have used Tax Cut for several years. Every year, it seems to carry some of the same bugs forward. For example, I was doing a federal and two state returns. I wanted to see the impact of making IRA deposits on my federal taxes. Then I went back and removed the IRA deductions. When I started my state return, it automatically entered the IRA deduction although there was not one on my federal return. I tried several times to remove it and had to resort to manually overriding it on the state returns.

I also had a different occupation when living in one state as opposed to the other. Tax Cut did not let me change it or override it.

Finally, after e-filing the federal return and one state return (I had two), Tax Cut said I was done! But wait a minute, what about the second state? It would not let me do anything with the second state except print out paper forms. I do know that Turbo Tax allows you to e-file up to 3 state returns. Tax Cut did not even want to paper file the second state return. If I was not paying attention, I could have been in lots of trouble.

Next year, I will be using Turbo Tax.