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Homeowner? Investment income? H&R Block At Home Deluxe is for you

Taxpayers with simple returns have had lots of choices when it comes to preparing and filing their taxes online, including free options. But you get what you pay for, generally speaking, and those whose taxes require a bit more work have been forced into more-traditional (and expensive) options such as a visit to the offices of a professional tax preparation service or expensive, complex tax software that sometimes still involves CPAs and service fees. H&R Block's online service, H&R Block At Home, offers several options for taxpayers, including a free service. The Deluxe service costs $… Read more

H&R Block At Home's Basic service can prepare and e-file basic tax returns

With so many online tax services, it's hard to know which one to trust to file your federal or state taxes. For those who want a familiar name, H&R Block has been preparing federal and state taxes for clients for decades, so it didn't start from scratch when it launched an online tax service, H&R Block At Home. As with Block's traditional service, it offers different levels of service for different needs. H&R Block At Home Basic costs just under $20, so it's near the low end of fee-based online … Read more

Whoops: Firm's e-mail slipup fires 1,300 employees

"Hey, I've just been fired."

"What a coincidence! So have I. Let's go and have a beer."

Such conversations must have abounded yesterday when British insurance company Aviva sent this charming e-mail to 1,300 employees in its investment unit: "We're not investing in you anymore. You're fired."

No, wait. That wasn't the e-mail. This was the e-mail, according to the Telegraph: "I am required to remind you of your contractual obligations to the company you are leaving. You have an obligation to retain any confidential information pertaining … Read more

Americans turned to tax sites in droves in February

The U.S. tax season still has a few more days to go before it's over (for punctual filers anyway), but it appears many Americans have already done most of the work needed to file their personal financials.

Research firm Nielsen today released its findings on tax-related-site usage during the busy season. Not surprisingly, given past history, February was the most active site among Americans, with one-quarter of all U.S.-based Web users heading over to tax-related sites. All told, the 53 million Americans who went to tax sites in February viewed more than 1.4 billion pages.… Read more

Netflix to offer Facebook integration (outside U.S.)

Those who are both Facebook members and Netflix subscribers will soon be able to tie their two identities together in certain ways, but only if they live in Canada or Latin America.

In announcing its second-quarter earnings yesterday (PDF), Netflix touched on the topic of its integration with the popular social network.

The video service explained that it has made progress with Facebook integration and is looking to launch an in-network feature sometime in the third quarter. But users in the United States will apparently be out of luck.

"At this point, we plan to launch this initiative only … Read more

Big on service

If you have tax prep needs, chances are H&R Block has you covered. The company is offering a total of eight options for the 2010 filing year: four software packages and four online prep services.

Like most other solutions on the market, H&R starts with a Free Edition as its entry-level product. This version, which is only available online, offers basic federal filing as well as a number of other free services, such as free advice and audit support. Moving up from there you have the $19.95 Basic Edition, which adds the ability to import … Read more

Survey: Businesses snooped on by ex-employees, IT staff

Many IT folks think snooping is on the rise at their companies. They may know best since they're the ones doing some of the snooping, at least according to survey results released Wednesday by Cyber-Ark.

To put together its fourth annual "Trust, Security and Passwords" (PDF) survey, security vendor Cyber-Ark said it questioned more than 400 IT professionals across the U.S. and the U.K., mostly from enterprise-size businesses.

Among those surveyed, 67 percent admitted that they accessed confidential information not relevant to their jobs. In nominating the department most likely to snoop, 54 percent pointed … Read more

Taxes 2009: TurboTax vs. H&R Block vs. TaxAct

We know, tax time is the pits, but if it makes you feel better, we did ours six times while researching the pros and cons of TurboTax (Windows|Mac|Online), Tax Act (Windows|Online), and H&R Block At Home (Windows|Mac|Online), formerly called H&R Block Tax Cut. So we know a thing or three about taxes. (And we hate them six times more than you do.)

Obligatory disclaimer: We tested both the online and desktop versions of the Deluxe version of TaxAct, TurboTax, and H&R Block At Home (called Ultimate Bundle in TaxAct, since it includes the State return). We prepared our Federal and California state taxes online and on a Windows 7 computer, using our real W-2s and tax forms, so our experience may not reflect your personal situation.

What you need to know about tax prep software

Which one?: Most software comes in four levels of guidance covering simple returns (the 1040 EZ form) to the complex. Most people go with Deluxe, which walks you through deductions for things like home owners and renters, investment income, dependents, and charitable donations. Premier or Premium adds on home ownership, rental property, and more complicated investments and deductions; Business keeps an eye on small-business owners after going through personal investments and deductions. E-filing versus printing: E-filing can net you a refund in as few as 8 days, whereas refunds on tax forms you print and mail can take up to 6 weeks. Most programs include at least one free Federal e-file for one tax return, but additional e-filing costs rack up after that. Many packages charge extra to e-file State returns or returns for additional family members. Online and desktop: All three programs offer online and desktop versions. H&R Block At Home and TurboTax support Windows and Mac; TaxAct is Windows-only. Online versions mostly mirror desktop versions, but with minor differences. Desktop software is typically licensed for up to five free Federal e-files (you can print off as many as you'd like), while online tax prep usually includes one free Federal e-file. Online tax returns are encrypted and stored on the provider's Web servers. Desktop returns are stored locally on your computer.

TurboTax vs. TaxAct, vs. H&R Block At Home: What's the difference?

When it comes down to it, the actual content of the tax interview--the questions and sections that the tax apps guide you through--is nearly identical in these competing programs, including the online and desktop variations. Clarity in language, extra tools, and help and support features are key differentiators, not to mention the price. We sum these up below. See more pricing charts here. Read full reviews on TurboTax, TaxAct, and H&R Block At Home.

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Big on service

Don't bother looking for H&R Block's TaxCut to prepare your 2009 taxes. You won't find it. Sixteen years after Snapping up TaxCut from Kiplingers, H&R Block is girding its own brand by doing away with TaxCut and renaming the product H&R Block At Home.

As with the rest of its desktop cohort, H&R Block At Home takes a few good minutes to install, scan for updates, and download those too before you can get going on the desktop version. You'll need to only wait for a secure connection … Read more