H&R Block Deluxe 2022 review: Still tops for tax preparation

Our Verdict

A visual interface and the introduction of screen sharing and live Online Assistance help keep H&R Block highly competitive.

For

• Elegant, visual design
• Clear language and copious back up
• Online Assist for live tax pro help and screen sharing

Against

• Choosing a revenue enhancement pro to near do your taxes is not integrated into the online production
• Sluggish interface

Tom's Guide Verdict

A visual interface and the introduction of screen sharing and live Online Assist help proceed H&R Block highly competitive.

Pros

• +

  Elegant, visual design

• +

  Clear language and copious support

• +

  Online Help for live tax pro help and screen sharing

Cons

• -

  Choosing a revenue enhancement pro to virtually do your taxes is non integrated into the online product

• -

  Sluggish interface

H&R Block Deluxe 2021 is the company's latest iteration of its do-it-yourself tax prep service. The latest version is our pick for best tax software for 2021 thank you to its thoughtful, efficient design, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-grasp explanations and midrange pricing.

This year H&R Cake adds Online Assist, and then you tin tap tax expert aid at any indicate while y'all're edifice your return. This step-up feature fills a void in the product while still providing the i of cleanest and nearly efficient revenue enhancement interfaces nosotros've seen and educational help to continue you updated on what affects you in the revenue enhancement world. Read the residue of our H&R Block Deluxe 2021 review to find out if this is the best tax software for you.

H&R Block Deluxe 2021 review: Pricing

H&R Block's federal online tax software encompasses four tiers, each with a stacking listing of added features and support. Plus, each level lets y'all add together screen share and on-demand conversation and video assistance.

Besides the Deluxe version ($49.99) nosotros've tested hither, H&R Block's offerings include Premium ($69.99) and Self-Employed ($109.99) tiers. Every bit is typical for tax software, you don't pay up front with H&R Block; instead, y'all pay when you file based on which tier yous end up at.

For example, nosotros started our review at H&R Block Deluxe, the showtime step up from the company's gratuitous tier, and so moved through the experience from at that place. Once we had entered that we had 1099-Misc forms and were self-employed with expenses, the interface directed the states to upgrade to that version to have access to the right tax forms.

H&R Cake has five Mac/PC downloads too, starting at $29.95 for the Basic version and scales up to $89.95 for Premium & Business (advisable for minor business owners). These versions are best for those who prefer to keep information locally, and not in the cloud. The company has a $145 small business product under its Cake Advisors banner that integrates with other small-scale business services.

H&R Block Deluxe 2021 review: State Filing

Except for H&R Block's Free version, which includes a state taxation return at no toll, other H&R Block online versions require an boosted $36.99 per state. State e-filing is included in all online versions. As e'er, you move onto the country return only later completing a federal render; the service will auto-populate relevant information accordingly.

The Deluxe+State, Premium, and Premium & Business download versions all include the software for i state form, but bizarrely charge $nineteen.95 to e-file.

H&R Block Deluxe 2021 review: Features

H&R Block's Costless online (and Basic download) versions are meant only for the simplest of federal tax returns. As soon as yous have a deduction to declare (beyond child care or student loan involvement), you lot'll need to pace up to a college version with more features that permit you deduct things like donations, real manor taxes and mortgage interest. H&R Cake works with Footstep, a mobile-expense tracking service, to automobile import your data.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

New this yr: Those who are self-employed and who don't have expenses can file at the Deluxe level; previously, the only choice was the about expensive tier for Self-Employed, regardless of whether you lot had Schedule C expenses. At the Premium online level, you gain access to Schedule C and D, support for self-employed filers with limited business expenses, and back up for logging investment and holding income as well every bit for tracking Wellness Savings Accounts. The Self-Employed online version offers more complete back up for independents and freelancers, with higher deductible business expenses and support for filing for abode-office deductions, depreciation and vehicle expenses.

H&R Cake Palatial 2021 review: Available Assist

H&R Block has done a solid job of bolstering its aid features. As you motility through your online return, you get context-sensitive assistance at the ready, e'er visible in a right-hand pane that can be accessed by the question-mark icon on the top navigation bar, or by clicking on the Learn More links in the main interface.

The help pane changes automatically as you move through different screens in the central interface. It is efficiently designed and saves y'all from fumbling around the interface — a real pleasure and a time saver.

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

Assist includes answers to common questions, a help search bar and related additional data. If yous haven't already upgraded to the "Online Aid" tier of service, you lot can click on the Get Skilful Help icon at the upper correct to upgrade. The options include Online Assist, at $109.99, which adds screen sharing and live video and chat with an online tax professional; and Tax Pro Review, starting at $59.99 for a tax pro to review and file your taxes for you; get both, and the add-on costs $119.98 total. (Prices may vary depending upon which version yous're using).

Every bit a baseline, all H&R Block products include the online help pane and text-chat technical support offering free, 24/7 guidance on using the product.

While H&R Block does offer a way to file with a virtual revenue enhancement pro'south assist, the service is marketed exterior of the do-it-yourself packages discussed above. Rather, the approach leverages the visitor'southward many brick-and-mortar offices to make an date during business hours with a local taxation pro who will exercise your taxes. By contrast, competitor TurboTax integrates its Live Full Service equally a stride-up for its other products, and information technology provides an all-digital process for uploading relevant documents and meeting with a tax pro virtually.

H&R Cake Palatial 2021 review: Ease of Use

The H&R Cake online interface continues to reflect a unified, cohesive feel with bold, clear fonts and language that'southward more often than not friendly without being likewise colloquial. As you move through the service, the help panels guides you through the tax code changes and how it might bear on you.

(Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Nosotros appreciated how efficient H&R Block's interface was to navigate. Beside the help pane on the correct, the main window is flanked by a left navigation pane and 2 peak navigation confined — i which e'er gave access to assist and toll previews to see how much our render was going to cost. That 2d navigation bar lets you move through your federal and state returns and start the east-filing process.

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

We could import W2 info in a variety of different ways, including taking a pic and uploading it, and the programme did a skillful job prompting u.s. to add potential information as we moved through questionnaires in the dissimilar sections (Your Info, Income, Deductions, Credits, Taxes, Wrap-Up).

(Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Entering information is more than streamlined than in competitors (for example, what you demand to practice to enter charitable deductions).

(Prototype credit: Tom'due south Guide)

H&R Block Deluxe 2021 review: Verdict

The cohesive H&R Block Palatial 2021 interface, combined with the service's helpful guidance, pricing and safety net of affordable tax pro assist, makes information technology the best tax software to use when information technology'due south time to file your taxes.

For those who need more hand-holding, TurboTax Deluxe is the improve pick as it has more than extensive taxation pro help — fifty-fifty if yous have to pay more for the service. For anybody else, H&R Block Palatial is easier to navigate and more well-rounded at all levels, which makes it our top option.

Melissa Perenson spent more than a decade at PC World and TechHive, and she has freelanced for numerous publications including Figurer Shopper, Tom's Guide, TechRadar and Consumers Digest.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/hrblock-deluxe-2021

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