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

[PFInterest]

18 on Amazon.... get it!

[lakpr]

Watty,

Thanks for posting and making a separate thread out of this. Jumped on this offer.

I have been a long time subscriber of TaxAct, at least since 2011, but spending $80 next year for Federal + State seems untenable, so looking to switch. This post is really timely for me and perfect.

[Suntan1]

Bought it. Thanks

[jhfenton]

I jumped on the deal too after checking to make sure that TaxAct wasn't going to auto-bill me for anything for 2018.

[dodecahedron]

Question: I usually share the CD with 4 friends so we don't waste the 5 e-files, with the $18 Amazon PC download copy, can my friends download it without access to my Amazon account or my Amazon software library? In other words, is there a link that I can email them to download the software, which does not require logging into my Amazon account?

If you prefer a CD, you can also buy that on Amazon for $18. (The price is good for PC download, Mac download, or CD shipped to you.) If you have Prime, shipping for the CD will not cost you anything. Otherwise you may have to bundle with other stuff to qualify for free shipping.

That said, I would read the license terms and conditions very carefully before sharing either the CD or download version with your friends. I am not sure if the arrangement you describe is allowed by the license terms.

I have always assumed that the software license ¨five free efiles¨ was intended for a single user who was preparing multiple tax returns for family members. I do not know whether the license permits the use you describe.

[harmony]

Got Premium on Amazon this morning for $32.50 because we need Schedule C. A few minutes later I received an email from TaxAct offering 25% off on 2018 Self-Employed Edition (reg. $96.90). No, thanks. Last year I couldn’t get TaxAct to produce a Schedule C unless I upgraded to Freelancer. H&R Block provides Schedule C in their two top tiers, thus giving us a less expensive option to create our Schedule C. (H&R Block lists Premium at $74.95 on their website, but I got it today for $32.50 on Amazon.) We won’t end up paying more than half of what we earned in self employment to pay for the software to create a proper Schedule C. Thank you H&R Block for offering two price tiers for Schedule C. We self-employed (but slowing-down) retirees appreciate this very much.

[ahnathan]

Question for someone who has never filed own taxes.

I am in Manhattan. Finances aren't super complicated but will be more so in the next few years so I thought it would be a good time to start.
Married Filing Jointly.
All income in NYC, prob around 115k this tax year.
Two Roth IRAs fully funded, not back door.



Will this software allow me to file both Federal and NY State Taxes for the $18?? Also, NYC has city taxes. Can I file those through this software? Or are the state and city tax filings extra money?

[montanagirl]

Whoa, I finally caught the deal in time! Thanks!

[capitalG]

Nice - decent deal on Premium as well ($32.50) for those interested.

capG

[dodecahedron]

Question for someone who has never filed own taxes.

I am in Manhattan. Finances aren't super complicated but will be more so in the next few years so I thought it would be a good time to start.
Married Filing Jointly.
All income in NYC, prob around 115k this tax year.
Two Roth IRAs fully funded, not back door.



Will this software allow me to file both Federal and NY State Taxes for the $18?? Also, NYC has city taxes. Can I file those through this software? Or are the state and city tax filings extra money?

Yes, for $18 you can efile your federal, NYS, & NYC personal income taxes with this deal. (Note that NYC taxes will be automatically computed and included on your NYS IT-201 form. It is a four page form. NYS taxes are computed on lines 39 to 46 of page 3. NYC and/or Yonkers taxes are computed on lines 47 to 58 of page 3. The two tax liabilities are then added together and offset by your total withholding and estimated tax payments.)

Edited to add: as far as whether it costs extra money, the free state (and in the case of NYS, local if needed) are included in the $18 priced product. There is a slightly cheaper product for folks who do not need to worry about state taxes (or local ones.) That one is on sale for $17.50 today. So the incremental cost for the state (and local if needed) capability is 50 cents!

[LadyGeek]

Question: I usually share the CD with 4 friends so we don't waste the 5 e-files, with the $18 Amazon PC download copy, can my friends download it without access to my Amazon account or my Amazon software library? In other words, is there a link that I can email them to download the software, which does not require logging into my Amazon account?

While TurboTax may allow up to 5 e-files, Amazon which has a different license. Transferring the software to your friends is not permitted.

See: Amazon.com Help: Conditions of Use

Turbotax does permit sharing a CD. See: How many people can share turbotax (online or on disk)? - TurboTax Support

Online, each has to have their own account. With the CD up to five can use and efile with it.

Update: H&R Block has a different perspective. No sharing is permitted. See: Product and Services License Agreements | H&R Block®

For the 2017 desktop version (latest on their website):

Software limitations. The Software may be used only for the following:
(1) prepare and e-file up to five U.S. federal personal tax returns for you and your immediate family members;

...Software copies. You may only install and use the Software on one computer. You may copy the Software for backup and archival purposes only, as long as the original and each copy are kept in your possession and control.

[Clumsum]

Ahnation. Deluxe will let you do both federal and state for $18. I do not know if it will do the city. I doubt if it will though.

[ahnathan]

This sounds like a pretty good deal!

Gonna give it a try. Thanks gang. Excited to give it a shot.

[AAA]

I just did the Amazon download for Mac. A couple of things - when I double-clicked on the download there was a brief error message that implied it couldn't be opened but it seemed to ignore that and mounted the disk image anyhow. Also, when you start the program, the registration window asks for an activation code and says you can find it in the email you received. You can find this in the Your Games and Software section of your Amazon account. It wasn't in the email I received from Amazon. Other than that, the program opened as expected.

So the "lowest price of the year" email I got from H&R a couple of weeks ago offered the program for about twice what I just paid for it.

Interesting. It was in the email that they sent me.

At the time I wrote the above, I had only received the order confirmation email from Amazon, which did not include the code. Later I received another email which did.

[wordsmith11]

Thank you!

[dodecahedron]

Ahnation. Deluxe will let you do both federal and state for $18. I do not know if it will do the city. I doubt if it will though.

Clumsum, put your doubts to rest.

If you look at page 3 of the actual form for NYS personal income tax, you can see that the city income tax is automatically computed and included in the state efile, if applicable. Tax software handles it automatically. You just click a box indicating that you are a resident of NYC (or Yonkers) and the appropriate city tax liability is appropriately assessed.

[LadyGeek]

I merged Watty's thread into here. As the OP, I retitled this thread to match.

[bsteiner]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

[mindgap]

Perfect I need the self employed version and it’s 50% off right now $32,50 thanks to amazon. And you can buy both versions for Mac and Windows.

Never thought buying a tax software can be so exciting

[dodecahedron]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

That is a great deal for those who know ahead of time they will need it!

In my case, I was not sure whether I would need to file a 1041 for my late husband´s estate until long after all the deals were gone. Estate income tax returns can be strange beasts and it is often not obvious until late in the game what tax year to use, since it can often be advantageous to choose a tax year other than the calendar year. There are also issues of accrual vs. cash to consider.

Ultimately (and this was five years ago) I wound up paying $140 (plus tax) for the estate income tax 1041 software I used, which was Turbotax Premium & Business. Block software was not yet on my radar screen at that time.

[FireAway]

[Thread merged into here, see below (next page) --admin LadyGeek]

I think this is the best possible deal - H&R Block 2018 Deluxe + state + free (federal) e-file + 5% Amazon bonus on refunds - $18 today.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?search-alias= ... eluxe+2018

[PFInterest]

duplicate

[FireAway]

Sorry, did a search and somehow didn't see it.

Here's the main thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=262899
Moderator, delete if you'd like.

[vtMaps]

Got Premium on Amazon this morning for $32.50 because we need Schedule C.

Perfect I need the self employed version and it’s 50% off right now $32,50 thanks to amazon.

The Deluxe version for $18 at Amazon does do schedule C.

--vtMaps

[harmony]

Got Premium on Amazon this morning for $32.50 because we need Schedule C.

Perfect I need the self employed version and it’s 50% off right now $32,50 thanks to amazon.

The Deluxe version for $18 at Amazon does do schedule C.

--vtMaps

Good to know. H & R Block’s website is recommending Premium at minimum for both online and download products for self-employed. I take it you got a Schedule C form to open up in your Deluxe software. What level of interview support does it provide?

[celia]

Question: I usually share the CD with 4 friends so we don't waste the 5 e-files, with the $18 Amazon PC download copy, can my friends download it without access to my Amazon account or my Amazon software library? In other words, is there a link that I can email them to download the software, which does not require logging into my Amazon account?

In general, when you buy software, it can only be used on one computer at a time. So after you are done with your taxes and delete the software from your computer, you can let someone else use the CD to download it on their computer. But the second filing (that goes through H&R Block before it gets forwarded to the IRS) might recognize that the registration number is then being used on a different computer. H&R Block might just count the number of filings with the same registration number instead. But you need to be aware of copyright/sharing restrictions anyway.

Why don't you contact your friends asap and let them know they can get their own copy on Amazon on Walmart.com today for only $18 ($18.17 at WalMart)?

[celia]

Moderator, Please leave this thread up for the rest of Black Friday (today). The other thread keeps reverting the title to $29.95 and isn't as eye-catching as this thread. (I just posted there, and my title defaulted to the original one and the early threads reference the $29.95 price too.)

I also notice the price is $18.17 at WalMart.com. If one place stops the Black Friday sale at midnight, the other place may continue it.

[LadyGeek]

^^^ I have revised my previous post to add H&R Block's license agreement. The software is for personal use only and only on one computer.

[bryansmile]

edited to note the Amazon copies might have different terms of use (no share).

[Kevin M]

Just tried to order from Walmart four times using three different credit cards. All orders got cancelled due to payment verification issues.

[LinusP]

Just tried to order from Walmart four times using three different credit cards. All orders got cancelled due to payment verification issues.

I tried twice (with the same card) last night. When I woke up this morning and Amazon essentially matched the price, I went that route. Guess Walmart doesn't want our business...

[HueyLD]

What payment verification issues? is their web system down or something?

[dodecahedron]

Why not? I've contacted HRB before and they encourage their customers to share purchased software with friends. On the CDs they sometime send to my home, there's always a sticker that says something like 'share with your friends'. All 5 e-files go through fine.

Note that tax software publishers (both TT and HRB) have in the past sent out promotional CDs to encourage you to purchase the software early in the season. I am guessing that is where you might have seen stickers encouraging sharing in the past.

These promotional CDs that arrive unsolicited in the mail are free and very different from the ones that you purchase from a store or online because their packaging does not contain an activation code. The promotional CDs do not convey any kind of license to use the software. Installing the promotional CD simply takes you to the site where you can then purchase a license to use the software.

So of course there was no problem with sharing a promotional CD with friends if there was a sticker on it encouraging you to do so--sharing the promotional CD without an activation code will simply take them to the website to pay and sign up for their own license.

Just do not share your activation code credential once you have purchased it. As LadyGeek´s authoritative information makes clear, the purchase of a single Block license does not authorize the use of the purchased software on multiple computers. The clear intent of the 5-efile provision is to allow for a situation where one (hopefully knowledgeable and helpful) family member prepares tax returns for themselves and possibly other family members (e.g., children, elderly relatives, etc.) on a single computer.

[Goldrush]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

I have been using Turbotax Premier for my personal taxes (federal and state) and Turbotax Business for filing estate tax return (federal and State) on Form 1041.

Does H&R Block Premium & Business include the Federal and State Tax forms for my personal return and does it also include the Estate Tax forms for Federal and State? In other words, instead of buying two products from Turbotax for around $170, I can buy one product from H&R Block for $40 today and it will do my personal return (federal and state) and the Estate Tax return (federal and state)?

[student]

Just do not share your activation code credential once you have purchased it. As LadyGeek´s authoritative information makes clear, the purchase of a single Block license does not authorize the use of the purchased software on multiple computers. The clear intent of the 5-efile provision is to allow for a situation where one (hopefully knowledgeable and helpful) family member prepares tax returns for themselves and possibly other family members (e.g., children, elderly relatives, etc.) on a single computer.

This is my understanding as well.

[bsteiner]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

I have been using Turbotax Premium for my personal taxes (federal and state) and Turbotax Business for filing estate tax return (federal and State) on Form 1041.

Does H&R Block Premium & Business include the Federal and State Tax forms for my personal return and does it also include the Estate Tax forms for Federal and State? In other words, instead of buying two products from Turbotax for around $170, I can buy one product from H&R Block for $40 today and it will do my personal return (federal and state) and the Estate Tax return (federal and state)?

Yes, except (i) the full price is about $70 or $80, and (ii) while you get the fiduciary income tax forms for all the states, you only get the individual income tax forms for one state (though you can buy the individual income tax forms for additional states for about $40 for each state after the first one). So for me, since I live in New Jersey but work in New York, I end up paying an additional $40 or so.

I've never used TurboTax, but I think the two are similar, with the H&R Block a bit less expensive because it has a smaller share of the market.

[diy60]

Just tried to order from Walmart four times using three different credit cards. All orders got cancelled due to payment verification issues.

I had this same exact issue. Tried multiple times, this is how I fixed it.

You need to talk to a CS rep, and I used the "call back" feature which actually worked extremely fast.

1. Went to https://help.walmart.com/app/ask
2. Select any "Choose your topic" and "What can I help you with". (anything will work)
3. After the page refreshes, click the "phone" tab, and enter your info.
4. Click "Submit". Wait time for the call back was no more than several seconds

Give the customer service rep any of your failed order numbers. They will then indicate their fraud department blocked the transaction (I have no idea why). State you would like to order again, and they will send a note to the fraud dept and will inform you to wait 30 mins before ordering again (but no later than 24 hrs). NOTE: You will need to tell the CS rep what credit card you will be using. It was a PIA but it actually fixed the problem.

In hindsight the Amazon offer would have been much simpler with the added benefit of the download link remaining in your purchase history, but since I don't have a crystal ball and it was Thurs evening I pushed forward with the WM order.

Best of luck.

[bsteiner]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

That is a great deal for those who know ahead of time they will need it!

In my case, I was not sure whether I would need to file a 1041 for my late husband´s estate until long after all the deals were gone. Estate income tax returns can be strange beasts and it is often not obvious until late in the game what tax year to use, since it can often be advantageous to choose a tax year other than the calendar year. There are also issues of accrual vs. cash to consider.

Ultimately (and this was five years ago) I wound up paying $140 (plus tax) for the estate income tax 1041 software I used, which was Turbotax Premium & Business. Block software was not yet on my radar screen at that time.

Estate and trust income tax returns can be difficult if you're not used to them. We ask accountants to coordinate with us on the selection of a taxable year for estates, and while an estate is pending to let us review drafts of the returns before filing them.

The first taxable year for an estate begins upon death, so (unless someone dies on December 31st), an estate will file a return for the year of death, regardless of the choice of a taxable year. If the estate's first taxable year ends in November or earlier in the year of death, it will file two returns on that year's forms.

As you point out, in addition to being able to select a taxable year, an estate may select the cash or accrual method. Since so many accountants find fiduciary income tax returns difficult, we often use the calendar year so after the first year the accountant can use the amounts from the Forms 1099, though after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was passed, some estates used a November year to be able to deduct state income taxes for another 11 months. I don't recall ever using the accrual method, though many years ago another lawyer (whose name I long since forgot) said he generally used the accrual method (for reasons I've also long since forgotten).

[dodecahedron]

Premium & Business (which includes, among other things, Form 1041 for estates and trusts, and all of the state forms for estates and trusts, is $40 on Amazon today. The offer includes a 5% Amazon bonus on tax refunds.

I have been using Turbotax Premium for my personal taxes (federal and state) and Turbotax Business for filing estate tax return (federal and State) on Form 1041.

Does H&R Block Premium & Business include the Federal and State Tax forms for my personal return and does it also include the Estate Tax forms for Federal and State? In other words, instead of buying two products from Turbotax for around $170, I can buy one product from H&R Block for $40 today and it will do my personal return (federal and state) and the Estate Tax return (federal and state)?

Yes, except (i) the full price is about $70 or $80, and (ii) while you get the fiduciary income tax forms for all the states, you only get the individual income tax forms for one state (though you can buy the individual income tax forms for additional states for about $40 for each state after the first one). So for me, since I live in New Jersey but work in New York, I end up paying an additional $40 or so.

I've never used TurboTax, but I think the two are similar, with the H&R Block a bit less expensive because it has a smaller share of the market.

Actually, there appears to be a big difference between TurboTax and Block, which further strengthens the argument for going with Block if you need to do 1041s for an estate or trust.

As Goldrush notes, if you go with TurboTax, you will be forced to buy two separate products, one of them quite expensive. The only TT product that does 1041s is TurboTax Business which does not do your personal 1040. It does a lot of other stuff in addition to a 1041, which you may or may not need (e.g., generate W-2s if your business pays employees and generate 1099s if your business pays subcontractors) but it does not support your personal 1040.

So not only is the Block product that does 1041s much cheaper than the TT counterpart, it apparently obviates the need to purchase a second separate product to do your 1040.

[simas]

For those of your who bought H&R Block 2018 (as I did today for Premium) - can you figure out where is it calculating QBI (Qualified Business Income Section 199A) deduction. I think I went through 1040 it generates line by line and may be I am failing to see it.



I have 130k of 1099 income as self employed and want to figure how if/how much I should fund in Solo 401k come end of the year..

[dodecahedron]

Estate and trust income tax returns can be difficult if you're not used to them. We ask accountants to coordinate with us on the selection of a taxable year for estates, and while an estate is pending to let us review drafts of the returns before filing them.

The first taxable year for an estate begins upon death, so (unless someone dies on December 31st), an estate will file a return for the year of death, regardless of the choice of a taxable year. If the estate's first taxable year ends in November or earlier in the year of death, it will file two returns on that year's forms.

As you point out, in addition to being able to select a taxable year, an estate may select the cash or accrual method. Since so many accountants find fiduciary income tax returns difficult, we often use the calendar year so after the first year the accountant can use the amounts from the Forms 1099, though after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was passed, some estates used a November year to be able to deduct state income taxes for another 11 months. I don't recall ever using the accrual method, though many years ago another lawyer (whose name I long since forgot) said he generally used the accrual method (for reasons I've also long since forgotten).

Yes, estate income tax 1041s can be tricky, even for accountants as a professional journal article indicates:

Although many accountants routinely handle the preparation of the final personal return, fewer accountants acting as fiduciaries are as adept at taking advantage of the alternatives available to them when preparing Form 1041, U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts.

The source article goes on to give some really helpful suggestions for the 1041. I found it very useful. Tip #4 with an accrual choice plus careful choice of tax year may enable the filing of a 1041 that maximizes the ability to make use of deductible legal and accounting expenses paid by the estate administrator that otherwise would have gone to waste. (E.g., if the estateś income all arrives within a few months after death but the estate´s expenses accrue but do not get paid within the calendar year in which the income arrived.) Careful choice of tax year can also enable the filing of a single ¨first and final¨ 1041 rather than having the trouble and expense of filing 1041s for a short first tax year followed by a second final 1041.

[CardinalRule]

Thanks for sharing the Black Friday deals for H&R Block. The only thing keeping this longtime TurboTax user from pulling the trigger so far is the ease of importing last year's return. I still might make the change...

[dodecahedron]

Thanks for sharing the Black Friday deals for H&R Block. The only thing keeping this longtime TurboTax user from pulling the trigger so far is the ease of importing last year's return. I still might make the change...

I was able to do that import, with great ease, in 2014 when I made the switch from TT to Block. I had already acquired TT (I believe for free as a Vanguard Flagship member) but was getting sufficiently annoyed at a flaw that when I saw a cheap price for Block in January 2015, I decided to kick its tires. The rest is history--I imported, Block performed, and I have not looked to switch back.

[jackets320]

How do you know which version you need? I tried to see diff in version on website but no luck

[vtMaps]

The Deluxe version for $18 at Amazon does do schedule C.

I take it you got a Schedule C form to open up in your Deluxe software. What level of interview support does it provide?

The Deluxe version does virtually all the same forms as the Premium version, but with less interview support. So not much interview support for schedule C in the Deluxe version.

--vtMaps

[Jazzysoon]

Thanks for posting this offer, just bought it for 18.17+tax at Walmart. It appears cc went through ok.

[Jazzysoon]

How do you know which version you need? I tried to see diff in version on website but no luck

Here is link to HRBlock site - Then go to 'Open Tax Software Products Comparison', which is below the table of products

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/in ... 3aee551758

[bsteiner]

... an accrual choice plus careful choice of tax year may enable the filing of a 1041 that maximizes the ability to make use of deductible legal and accounting expenses paid by the estate administrator that otherwise would have gone to waste. (E.g., if the estateś income all arrives within a few months after death but the estate´s expenses accrue but do not get paid within the calendar year in which the income arrived.) Careful choice of tax year can also enable the filing of a single ¨first and final¨ 1041 rather than having the trouble and expense of filing 1041s for a short first tax year followed by a second final 1041.

Matching income and expenses in a state is much more important now than it used to be. When the estate tax exclusion amount was much lower (it was $675,000 as recently as 2001), and the estate tax rate was 55%, we almost always took the administration expense deductions on the estate tax return. Now that fewer estates pay Federal estate tax, we more often take them on the estate's income tax returns. Before this year, we could pass excess deductions in the final year through to the beneficiaries. We can no longer do that until 2026.

Executors should be paying their legal fees on a current basis. If they don't, the law firm may stop working on their matter. Fortunately, most executors are good at paying their legal fees on a current basis.

It's hard to wind up an estate within a year. It takes a while to ascertain the assets, value them, file the estate tax returns, file the decedent's final income tax returns, decide which assets to sell and how to sell them (and then sell them), and do all the other things that happen when someone dies.

[F150HD]

Posted in other thread. Trying to confirm Deluxe includes Schedule D

[F150HD]

Can someone who downloaded or bought DELUXE 2018 confirm it contains Schedule D?

Reading online, it kinda looks like Deluxe no longer has that?

I was looking here under Deluxe, and this does not state Schedule D is included: https://www.hrblock.com/online-tax-fili ... ax-filing/

Edit: confusing. Looks like if you buy the software, you DO get Schedule D? but if you file 'online' you need to use Premium?
I buy the software, but am finding this somewhat confusing. Why would online-Deluxe be different then the Deluxe you buy and install on your own PC?
-
https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/

-
-
https://www.hrblock.com/online-tax-filing/