H&R Block 2018 Tax Software Deluxe $18.00 - Black Friday sale

[Kevin M]

Little off-topic question but didn't want to start a new thread: If I were to be filing taxes this year for both myself and a relative who's not great with money, would I need to purchase two of these, or would I be able to get away with only one? Or does it depend on which type of tax software?

H&R Block program allows to do the taxes for as many people you like (I believe, never tried more than about four) and free federal efile for (5) of those returns.

I've done more than five. One thing I discovered last year is that it's not just five free federal e-files, it's five e-files total; i.e., you can't e-file a sixth even if you're willing to pay for it. At least that was my experience.

I believe you need to use the downlowd/desktop version to do returns for multiple people--not the online version, but someone can check me on that if they want. That's the way I recall it being for TurboTax, for which I used the online version to remotely help a friend do his taxes. Other than that, I've always used the download/desktop versions of both products; they have other benefits besides doing multiple returns.

Kevin

[vtMaps]

I'm uncomfortable with e-filing for the simple reason that you have to assume that the file that is sent agrees with the readable version that the tax program shows you. So I create a pdf file for each return and print out a copy to mail in.

Same here. A couple of years ago I noticed that H&R Block software showed me one number on screen and a different number on the PDF printout of a worksheet. It was a couple of dollars difference on a worksheet to calculate 1040 line 29 (self-employed medical insurance deduction), and it didn't change my tax liability.

--vtMaps

[dodecahedron]

I got an email, but my offer was $34.95 so you have a better deal. I used H&R Block last year as well so that's why I got the email, but no clue why your offer was better.

I'm going to wait to see if Amazon has a Black Friday deal or maybe Cyber Monday.

I got an email similar to LadyGeek´s offering me $29.95 for Block Deluxe, but I will also be holding off to see the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, which have reliably been under $20 in recent years, according to camelcamelcamel. (Plus my Discover Card is giving me 10% cash rewards on Amazon purchases this quarter, so I am shooting for a net cost of under $18.) And this would be for a CD download that stays downloadable in my Amazon account without extra charge past 60 days. My state efile will be free because NYS mandates it.

I do plan to stick with Block for sure. It has worked well for me in recent years and I have several carryforwards (capital losses from TLH and solar tax credits) that I would like to see continue to go through seamlessly.

[Watty]

....but I will also be holding off to see the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, which have reliably been under $20 in recent years, according to camelcamelcamel. (Plus my Discover Card is giving me 10% cash rewards on Amazon purchases this quarter, so I am shooting for a net cost of under $18.)

In past years when you buy from Amazon you could also get an extra 5 or 10% Amazon credit on your refunds but you would have had to take part of your refund as an Amazon gift card.

This can make your net cost negative.

[dodecahedron]

....but I will also be holding off to see the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on Amazon, which have reliably been under $20 in recent years, according to camelcamelcamel. (Plus my Discover Card is giving me 10% cash rewards on Amazon purchases this quarter, so I am shooting for a net cost of under $18.)

In past years when you buy from Amazon you could also get an extra 5 or 10% Amazon credit on your refunds but you would have had to take part of your refund as an Amazon gift card.

This can make your net cost negative.

Yes, the Amazon deal on Block Deluxe is currently offering a 5% refund bonus if you take part of your refund in gift cards. I will pass on that since I already get at least 5% off my Amazon purchases simply by using my Amazon Prime credit card (and in fact am getting 10% off with my Discover deal this quarter.)

[Captain kangaroo]

Are these programs only good for year end income taxes? Or can I use it through out the year to help me calculate my quarterly taxes on bond interest and dividend income

[LadyGeek]

H&R Block program allows to do the taxes for as many people you like (I believe, never tried more than about four) and free federal efile for (5) of those returns.

OK, people keep mentioning "free efile." I'm used to paper and pencil, comfortable with paper and pencil, not a complicated return. I wouldn't mind using a program to back me up, but would prefer to keep mailing the paper. Can I do that with this software? I buy it, download it, run it and then print it out and mail it?

[I know, someone at the IRS keys/scans it in and it goes "online" anyhow, but I still prefer the paper on my end.]

Lady Geek - You mentioned their cookie tracking. I think I have my browser set to clear cookies when I close it. Can you give a link to info on anything else I can do to limit the cookie trail? What I should know about this when shopping for, say, cheap airline tickets? Could it be beneficial to leave a trail when comparison shopping?

Thx,

You can print your tax returns and mail them just fine.

Cookie tracking - I use Chrome or Firefox's private browsing modes when I don't want to keep my browser cookies. In general, cookies from one website should not be allowed to be used by another website (3rd party cookies). If you have further questions, please ask in the Consumer Issues forum - let's keep this thread for H&R Block.

Extended Download 5.99...a required purchase...no option to remove...I would remove if I could as it has no value for me

This is a big turnoff for me from purchasing directly from HRBlock. I can purchase this software from Amazon without this fee...

I was able to uncheck that box or I wouldn't have purchased the software. I do have a copy of last year's software, so there's no point to purchase this option.

[protagonist]

Since I purchased the 2017 version of H&R Block tax software, I just received an email with a link to pre-order the 2018 version for $29.95.

Wow, LG, what makes you so special?
I got an email around the same day but they want to charge me $34.95! *jealous*
giggle.....

[meebers]

If I could post a picture, it would show $19.95 for me 2018 Deluxe (Fed) (copied from my purchase Order)
"Price: $19.95
Sales tax: $1.30
Total: $21.25



Thanks for choosing H&R Block. We appreciate your business.

[LeftCoast]

I've used H&R Block tax software for years. For the last two years, I've bought the software from Amazon on January 4th, when it was the "Deal of the Day". For me, the Amazon price was better than the various H&R Block offers that I'd received by email.

Is there any version of the H&R Block software that give you free State e-files for California?

[protagonist]

If I might be so bold as to suggest....

I don't think a 5 or 10 or 15 dollar difference is going to make much of a difference to most of us in the long run.

I would opt for downloading the software whenever you feel like it.

[LadyGeek]

If I could post a picture, it would show $19.95 for me 2018 Deluxe (Fed) (copied from my purchase Order)
"Price: $19.95
Sales tax: $1.30
Total: $21.25



Thanks for choosing H&R Block. We appreciate your business.

Finally! I'm not the only one who got a good price. Wait a sec, you got the deluxe for $19.95? I forgot to mention the "other" upsell in the offer - identify protection. No.

Code: Select all

Product: H&R Block 2018 Deluxe Federal + State
- Backup CD: No
- Extended Download Service: No
- Tax Identity Care: No
  	 
Price: 	$29.95
Sales tax: 	$1.80
Total: 	$31.75

Caution on showing a picture, as the email contains the activation code and the last 4 digits of your credit card.

FYI - Here's how to post a picture: Posting images in the Bogleheads forum Basically, you need to upload the image to a hosting service and link to it.

[TravelGeek]

I am hoping that Fidelity comes through once again with a free TurboTax offer for this loyal customer, as Vanguard did in the good old days

By the way, I am surprised that the Taxcaster apps haven't been updated yet for the 2018 tax year (I realize at least the Intuit tool has a 2018 forecast type feature, but why bother at this time with 2017 at all).

[dodecahedron]

If I might be so bold as to suggest....

I don't think a 5 or 10 or 15 dollar difference is going to make much of a difference to most of us in the long run.

True, but there is the thrill of the hunt. (And camelcamelcamel makes it easy to set up monitoring and notification to pounce on bargains on Amazon.)

That said, I am not going to wait until late March or early April, which were the absolute lowest price dates for the product on Amazon last year.

[Lancelot]

I was lucky last year and purchased the $9.95 Deluxe version, from a heads up on this forum. I did not receive the target email, so I'll wait for another offer to come

[stlutz]

If I might be so bold as to suggest....

I don't think a 5 or 10 or 15 dollar difference is going to make much of a difference to most of us in the long run.

I would opt for downloading the software whenever you feel like it.

Given the number of discussions we have as to whether one should switch funds to reduce their expense ratio by .01%, we are talking about big bucks here!

[mggray17]

If I could post a picture, it would show $19.95 for me 2018 Deluxe (Fed) (copied from my purchase Order)
"Price: $19.95
Sales tax: $1.30
Total: $21.25



Thanks for choosing H&R Block. We appreciate your business.

Finally! I'm not the only one who got a good price. Wait a sec, you got the deluxe for $19.95? I forgot to mention the "other" upsell in the offer - identify protection. No.

Code: Select all

Product: H&R Block 2018 Deluxe Federal + State
- Backup CD: No
- Extended Download Service: No
- Tax Identity Care: No
  	 
Price: 	$29.95
Sales tax: 	$1.80
Total: 	$31.75

Caution on showing a picture, as the email contains the activation code and the last 4 digits of your credit card.

FYI - Here's how to post a picture: Posting images in the Bogleheads forum Basically, you need to upload the image to a hosting service and link to it.

I received the same email offer. Not sure what the trigger is, but I got the $29.95 for Deluxe with State offer.

[AAA]

If I might be so bold as to suggest....

I don't think a 5 or 10 or 15 dollar difference is going to make much of a difference to most of us in the long run.

I would opt for downloading the software whenever you feel like it.

True, but it's the principle of the thing. As I mentioned above, I took H&R up on their "lowest price of the year" offer last Fall and before the end of the year it was being offered for less than half that cost. I just don't like being misled.

[CABob]

I have received two emails offering this software for $34.95 but none offering $29.95. I also used H&R Block for the past two years. I feel left out but may take advantage of the $34.95 offer.

[tuningfork]

I have received two emails offering this software for $34.95 but none offering $29.95. I also used H&R Block for the past two years. I feel left out but may take advantage of the $34.95 offer.

I got the $34.95 offer. Long time H&R Block user. The past two years I took the initial offer to get it in mid-November for tax planning. Maybe the $29.95 offer goes to newer users? Anyway, I think I will wait for Black Friday this time.

[Prudence]

Just curious, do they give you an easy way to auto load prior years' Turbo Tax return data?

[Kevin M]

Just curious, do they give you an easy way to auto load prior years' Turbo Tax return data?

Yes. There were a few glitches when I switched over a few years ago--can't remember the details, but something was entered twice; might have had to do with rental real estate depreciation. Whatever it was, it was pretty easy to fix.

Kevin

[mervinj7]

My offer for Premium Federal + State is for $44.95 plus $5.99 for extended download service (which you can't unselect). I will continue to wait for an Amazon deal.

[LadyGeek]

I found my offer email. The extended download service can be unselected in both FireFox and Chrome.

The URL contains a "otppartnerid=" parameter which tracks the referring business partner. Perhaps it's due to an agreement with that company?

[mervinj7]

I found my offer email. The extended download service can be unselected in both FireFox and Chrome.

The URL contains a "otppartnerid=" parameter which tracks the referring business partner. Perhaps it's due to an agreement with that company?

You are right. Extended download can be unselected in Chrome. I will still wait for a better deal. I think last year I paid ~$28 for Premium from Amazon and they don't charge any extended download fee.

[Ethelred]

I have an email for Premium (the self-employed version) for $49.95. That's without the download service, but with state filing, which I don't need.

Last year, I paid $25 for the same product, with state filing, in late December. I don't remember why state was included, maybe it was necessary for the deal then?

That email is double what I paid last year. I'm going to see what's available at Black Friday and later.

[2pedals]

... delete

[2pedals]

Lowest price of the year could be the lowest price of 2018. Jan 1st might be a different story????

[AAA]

Lowest price of the year could be the lowest price of 2018. Jan 1st might be a different story????

Again, my experience last year was that the "lowest price of the year" I was offered in November was eclipsed significantly even before the year's end.

[indexfundfan]

Lowest price of the year could be the lowest price of 2018. Jan 1st might be a different story????

Again, my experience last year was that the "lowest price of the year" I was offered in November was eclipsed significantly even before the year's end.

H&R's "lowest" price possibly only refers to the price offered on its website; does not include those on Amazon or elsewhere.

[BoxOfUpticks]

I *finally* got an email, but unfortunately i'm in the $34.95 club. Maybe LadyGeek got the bogleheads admin discount - she certainly deserves it!

I'll stick with my strategy of waiting for a much better amazon deal (usually around $20), which has worked well for a number of years.

[robertmcd]

I just got the email for deluxe for $20. I don't file a state tax return.

[LadyGeek]

I *finally* got an email, but unfortunately i'm in the $34.95 club. Maybe LadyGeek got the bogleheads admin discount - she certainly deserves it!

I just received my H&R Block purchase confirmation.

Thanks for purchasing H&R Block 2018 Deluxe Federal + State software. You’re on your way to getting your maximum refund -- guaranteed.

...Make sure you download your H&R Block 2018 Deluxe Federal + State software soon, since your unique download link will expire on Jan. 8, 2019.

The unique download link includes the activation code in the file path. I'm betting they really do embed your info in the executable. They'll instantly know when you downloaded it (and how many times). It's a good way to check for piracy.

[BoxOfUpticks]

The unique download link includes the activation code in the file path. I'm betting they really do embed your info in the executable. They'll instantly know when you downloaded it (and how many times). It's a good way to check for piracy.

I think it’s just an access token for the web api; good for tracking and restricting number of downloads. I bet you still need to enter the license key when you run it, or at least at the ‘file’ step.

One year I couldn’t d/l the state via the fed app. Their support gave me a generic link to use (no key, just a straight url w/o queryargs).

[meebers]

Yeah!! Got the D/L today from H&R Block. Stored it in 4 different locations just because

[LadyGeek]

^^^ Be sure that one of those locations is an online backup.

The unique download link includes the activation code in the file path. I'm betting they really do embed your info in the executable. They'll instantly know when you downloaded it (and how many times). It's a good way to check for piracy.

I think it’s just an access token for the web api; good for tracking and restricting number of downloads. I bet you still need to enter the license key when you run it, or at least at the ‘file’ step.

One year I couldn’t d/l the state via the fed app. Their support gave me a generic link to use (no key, just a straight url w/o queryargs).

Yes, I'll still need to enter the key. It can be entered anytime after the program is installed, but must be installed before you e-file.

[wander]

After paid, HRBlock took me to the download page. Somehow, the download button didn't work (either with both Chrome and Firefox). I thought I needed to complain to HRBlock for a refund but then I got Email from HRBlock that had the link for me to download the file and activation code. The link works.

[Prudence]

What does Extended Download do and/or why do I need it?

[LadyGeek]

It allows you to download the software after 60 days. You'd need this service if you haven't backed up the software somewhere.

Bear in mind you should always keep the prior year's software and the associated tax file(s), as it contains the tax rules and is 100% compatible with that year's return. You should also keep a PDF output.

If you ever need to go back in time (or have lost your PDF output), you'll need the tax software for that year.

[Prudence]

Thanks!

[JW-Retired]

What does Extended Download do and/or why do I need it?

Not sure what it's good for? I don't spend the extra $5 and have never had a need to. You still get all the updates over the next year or more.

Maybe only if you lose the software and need to start again from scratch?
Jw

[LadyGeek]

OK, I downloaded and installed the software.

File size: 48 MB, slightly smaller than last year

There was no problem importing last year's return.

Next expected update: January 3, 2019

You can look at your federal info, but the state return is totally blocked until the forms are released (should be available January 3, 2019). The only thing you can do is to supply an email address to get notified when the form is released. Asking for an email address at the spot you want to start entering data is a nice touch.

Other than the delay waiting for forms, my initial overall impression is positive.

[prd1982]

I just tried the 2018 program, and believe there is an issue with line 3, Dividends. I think the 1040 has reversed the qualified and ordinary dividends. However, line 6, total, is correct. So I believe the issue is filling in the forms rather than a calculation error.

[Bengineer]

Deluxe + state + refund offer is $31.50 this morning on amazon

Business w/o state on CD is $40.

[nalor511]

Last year the $10 deluxe showed up Jan 1, fyi. I'd love to have it now, but the software (forms) aren't anywhere near final yet, so not sure it's worth paying $21 extra to have it now.

[nisiprius]

What does Extended Download do and/or why do I need it?

If you don't have confidence that you've saved a good backup of the original installer program, I suppose. I've never bought it and never needed it. I don't think they should be charging extra money for this, but I don't think it's needed or good value. Worst case, having to re-buy a $50 program isn't going to break me.

[Pixafari]

FYI: Deluxe Federal only on CD is $17.50 on Amazon now. No state needed for FL so I just jumped.

[nalor511]

Walmart has 2018 deluxe+state for $18 https://www.walmart.com/ip/H-R-Block-Ta ... /810000421

[student]

Walmart has 2018 deluxe+state for $18 https://www.walmart.com/ip/H-R-Block-Ta ... /810000421

Thanks. I hope Amazon will match soon.

[vtMaps]

Walmart has 2018 deluxe+state for $18 https://www.walmart.com/ip/H-R-Block-Ta ... /810000421

That is the windows version. The mac version is still over $30.

--vtMaps