I also want to get away from TurboTax. Has anybody have any experience with the H&R Block tax application?
I’ve been using H&R Block for five or six years with no notable problems. Using this year as well.
Not recently, but for the year or two that I did use it, the experience was as good or better than with TurboTax. The main reason I switched was because my kids preferred TT.
What’s the OS for the H&R app.? TT now wants High Sierra-I have all the OS’s but on different volumes and I have to keep moving all my year’s documentation to the OS on the drive that it requires-kind of annoying. Next year TT wants Mojave- that is a pain.
I use the online version of Turbo Tax. No need to worry about the OS.
My main consideration is being able to file online, both state and federal, for free. For the past several years, my mother qualified for free filing using TurboTax online, but I haven’t. There’s usually an option that is available to me, but I recall that one year I resorted to using the fillable PDF forms from the IRS. Last year, I discovered that Credit Karma offered free filing for everyone. I’ll probably do that again this year.
I used Credit Karma to file federal and state income taxes for free yesterday, it was adequate for not-too-complex filing. The little “i” icons to get info about an input aren’t very good at actually explaining them. I’ve found Turbotax Online to better at providing information and generally conveying a sense that the final outcome will be good.
Free online filing is available to about 70% of US tax payers, but TT, Intuit and others hid that in a variety of ways to make you think you had to pay them. They got caught, and are now required to make the free filing easy to find. As incentive/threat, IRS has withdrawn their previous agreement to not offer their own competing free online filing service.
States rules of course vary.
I’m pleased that my return is simple enough that I can trivially do it on paper in less time that it would take to fuss with a computer.
For the deluxe package (includes state), their web site (https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/deluxe-tax-software/) says 10.9.5 is minimum required system. I don’t recall the name of that version of Mac OS. Requiring a minimum of 10.14 to run what is basically a set of forms with addition and subtraction based on rules is yet another reason to run away screaming from Turbo Tax. There are plenty of other reasons.
Thank You for your response- Ok -next year- I’m going with H&R. 10.9.5 is Mavericks.
I gave up on H&R Block after 2015 when it proved inadequate for my complex return (self-employed, own rental property, and other complications). Turbotax costs more but is less trouble. On the other hand, TurboTax insists on charging extra for e-filing state returns.
I used H&R online for over 10 years. Other than trying to up-sell you (frequently), I found it perfectly adequate and easy to use. Stopped using it just a couple years ago (I retired and my financial situation needed the attention of a CPA). For relatively straightforward returns, I’d give it a hearty two thumbs up!
thanks- I’m def. switching next year to H&R.
I’ve used TT for many years. Considering that my Mac is too old for Mojave, I might have to use H&R next year.
The online version of TT runs in Safari. I’m not aware of any limitations < Mojave.
Next year. This year min. OS in High Sierrra.
I used TT online via Firefox on Sierra. No problems. And I wouldn’t expect any - compatibility should be purely a function of the browser’s capabilities, not the OS that hosts it.
I have used H&RB satisfactorily for several years. One advantage of doing so is that it can import the previous year’s return, which automatically fills in a lot of information that you might otherwise have to re-enter. (Of course you can edit whatever has changed.) That also sets up whatever additional forms you have used before.
Federal e-filing is free, state is not. But if that small extra cost is important to you, you could always print out your state return and file it as paper. Or you can print and file both on paper.
A question-and-answer process works well to make sure that you don’t overlook anything. You can always go directly to forms, either to fill them in yourself or to see how H&RB has filled them in. And you can jump around in the Q&A if you wish. A minor annoyance is that when you do that, it may eventually ask you questions that you had already answered, i.e., there is no way to mark a topic as “I’m done with this; don’t ask me again.” But since you only use the program once a year, that’s not very important.
TurboTax does exactly the same. I always paper file my state form, it’s only a couple of pages.
My return is a little more complex so I’m not sure if I could file it online, but I don’t feel comfortable doing so anyway.
Diane
Exactlymy sentiments. Sure it may be free online but I don’t feel at ease doing it.
I’m just old school.