redburgundy

I received a free CD-rom in the mail with H&R Block TaxCut Standard 2005 federal edition. I wonder what the new business model is, with the software being free.

majorwibi

Whats the fee to e-file?

Thats where they usually charge you the fees

cordelli

The CD is free, but you have to pay to use it, I don't believe you can pop it in and produce a return without coughing up $30. This just saves you the download or going to a store. I'd hold off paying, after the first, the rebates are usually pretty good, may make more sense to buy a copy.


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This year, we're making it easy to get your 2005 tax software. We're sending you a CD that has everything you need to do your federal and one state tax return.

You'll get TaxCut Deluxe federal software plus one state program for just $29.95 (a $50 value).

You also get:



One free e-file for a federal return after mail-in rebate ($15.95 value)

Free Microsoft Money 2006 Standard after mail-in rebate ($29.95 value)

$10 mail-in rebate for DeductionPro

$20 mail-in rebate for Kiplinger's Complete LegalPro


All you have to do is pop the CD in your computer. From there, just follow the prompts and you'll be ready to do your taxes in no time at all.

Keep an eye on your mailbox. Your CD should arrive in the next few days. Enjoy the savings and the only software backed by 90,000 tax professionals.

Steve M

One thing to note is that the CD has the "deluxe" federal version plus one state return (plus free e-file and/or Microsoft Money after rebates). I've always used the "lite" version of TaxCut which is still available on their website for download for $9.95. I think this is a scheme to get people that ordinarily would buy the $10 version to pay $30 instead out of convenience or lazyness.

UAVirgin

I received the same CD package in the mail. I partially used TaxCut last year but I found it so clunky I switched back to TurboTax to do my state return.

TaxCut IMO is a piece of junk. They didn't even supply basic forms for my state, referring me to download them from the states web site. I won't use them again.

winstoda

I always use Taxcut Standard (the $10 version). This week I got a free copy of Taxcut Standard in the mail. No cost to install and use. $15.95 to e-file which is the usual cost but when you buy the package retail they include a rebate to get the e-file fee back. Not an issue for me as I mail the form anyway and use my state's free web-file service for state taxes.

pinniped

E-filing, upgrading to Deluxe/Premium, & TaxCut State. I used to work in this industry (marketing for tax software products). Everybody pretty much plays the same game: give the Fed 1040 software away for free or very cheap, and get 'em on states and e-files. Seems like everybody has to file a few states these days (I will file 4 this year, and most of my friends are filing like 6 to 10), and a lot of folks find it easy to just let the software handle it all, even though half of those states might allow a nonresident to fill out one simple paper form. $20 a pop for the states...all of a sudden you have a $200 customer, all because you gave 'em Federal for free.

The target audience is do-it-yourselfers with a situation not quite complex enough to require a real tax professional. There are a lot of 'em out there.

mrmakochan

So do people here prefer TurboTax over TaxCut?

pinniped

They are nearly interchangeable. The differences are primarily branding and marketing. Personally, if I wanted a physical home software product for my taxes, I'd just buy whichever of the two is least expensive. One round of promos will run in advance of the first busy period for taxes - 4th week of January - for the folks who anticipate refunds. Another round will run for the second busy period - 4th week of March - for the "balance due" crowd.

Obviously you should look for promos that include as few mail-in rebates as possible. Certain retailers will have different rules - for example, Wal-Mart requires products to be priced on the shelf without rebates. Some of the office superstores allow rebating, but require an online processing method. Note that they set these things up with multiple small rebates on purpose (e.g., you can't buy 3-4 products and submit one $60 rebate): the statistics for nonredemption would amaze you.

UAVirgin

I have to disagree with you pinniped, there are vastly different user experiences between TurboTax and TaxCut.

Functionally they perform the same, although the cludgy user interface in TaxCut (previous years) makes me wonder if it really is doing things correctly. I also found that things that TurboTax did automatically, like entering the same number on multiple forms, TaxCut made me enter by hand with a prompt.

I too used to work in the industry, the corporate tax software biz, and the best personal tax software IMO was from Parson's (RIP) but they are long gone from the business.

JT8D-217

TurboTax for the Web rocks! Have used it for the last 4, maybe 5?, years. Saves your data from prior year, which speeds up the process immensely. 20% to 30% discounts are out there - usually though finiancial institutions. Last year netted out to @ $35 for Fed + 1 State. You can establish an account and populate the forms to see if you like it - you only pay when you file.
FWIW, my tax situation is not complicated; DINK, house, charitable, Roth, etc. YMMV.

mbreuer

After Turbotax instituted their unacceptable (to me) activiation procedure a few years ago, I switched to TaxAct. It's free, and works well enough for my purposes.

the_traveler

I, personally, would not use either TurboTax or TaxCut! As an IRS auditor for over 8 years , I have found that many of the taxpayers have used either TurboTax or TaxCut to prepare their returns, and there were many mistakes on their return caused by the program(s).

On the IRS website, there are now (in the past few years) many companies that allow you to prepare and efile your returns FREE! I have used many of them (for family and friends), and have found most to be very user friendly and easy to use. (And correct too!)

So I do not see a reason to pay $30-$50 to buy a program, when you can get the same thing done for free! (As long as you meet the requirements for that company, but that is fairly easy. If you do not meet them for Company A, try Company B or C instead. I usually find 3 or 4 or more where I qualify.)

I no longer work for the IRS. This is just being passed along to help you.

MisterNice

Same here but I went to TaxCut that year. It was clunky, TT revised their stupid activation act and I went back to TT and now consider it superior to the others.

MisterNice

cl_

I'll second that. And their deluxe version, with state software, is only about $20, including efile. Really the way to go.