- TurboTax Home & Business CD/Download tax software allows you to prepare both personal income taxes and business taxes. File self-employment and personal taxes with ease. Discover the most overlooked tax deductions in your industry, receive guidance on vehicle tax deductions, and much more.
- TurboTax was designed to get you your biggest tax refund, guaranteed. As the best-selling tax software on the market, TurboTax provides 100 percent accurate calculations and expert advice via phone or live chat.
- If you've already purchased a previous year's CD/Download tax software you can access it here. 2017 Tax Return 2016 2015. To file 2015 taxes, please choose the right TurboTax product to get your maximum refund. Home & Business.
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TurboTax is generally pricier than everything else out there, but even though confident filers may not need all the bells and whistles that most TurboTax online products offer, many people will find the experience worth a few extra bucks. We’ve long praised TurboTax for its design and flow.
Quick facts
- User-friendly, interview-style Q&A
- Live, on-screen support feature raises the bar in human help
- Some of the most expensive software on the market
TurboTax’s prices
TurboTax has a lot of things going for it, but price isn’t one of them. The list price of its software routinely is on the high end of the spectrum, especially when you factor in the added cost of a state return. Military discounts are available — typically at least $5 — though you might be able to score the Deluxe version for free depending on your rank. But on balance, buying TurboTax means spending more.
The company’s free version lets you file the new Form 1040 (the IRS killed off the 1040EZ and the 1040A in 2018) and allows you to claim credits such as the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit. But if you want to do much else, you’ll need to get one of the paid versions. Translation: if you plan to itemize, were a landlord, had capital gains, freelanced or ran a small business, or had any other situations going on that require filing a separate schedule, you’ll need to pay.
Available packages and list prices
Free edition | • Federal: $0 • State: $0 TurboTax’s free federal version allows you to file a 1040 and a state return for free, but you can’t itemize or file any of the new Schedules 1-6. It works for people who don’t plan to claim any deductions or credits other than the standard deduction, the earned income tax credit or the child tax credit. |
TurboTax Live Basic | • Federal: $79.99 • State: $34.99 This is essentially the free version but with on-demand video access to a tax pro for help, advice and a final review. |
Deluxe | • Federal: $59.99 (with TurboTax Live: $119.99) • State: $44.99 This version lets you itemize and claim other tax deductions and tax credits, and includes the ItsDeductible feature for calculating the value of donated items. You can file a Schedule C, but you can’t report capital gains or rental income. The Live version comes with on-demand video access to a tax pro for help, advice and a final review. |
Premier | • Federal: $79.99 (with TurboTax Live: $169.99) • State: $44.99 This is the Deluxe version plus added capability for reporting investments and rental income. The Live version comes with on-demand video access to a tax pro for help, advice and a final review. |
Self-Employed | • Federal: $119.99 (with TurboTax Live: $199.99) • State: $44.99 Gets you everything in the Premier version plus deduction help and expense-tracking features for freelancers, independent contractors and side-hustlers. The Live version comes with on-demand video access to a tax pro for help, advice and a final review. |
One note about prices: Providers frequently change them. We’ll keep updating this review, but you can verify the latest price by clicking through to TurboTax’s site.
TurboTax also offers desktop software, but it’s not part of our review. Desktop means your return doesn’t reside in the cloud; it stays on your computer while you work on it. People who have used the desktop version before will see a cosmetic difference with the cloud, but the steps are similar — and, of course, the math is the same.
TurboTax’s features and ease of use
TurboTax’s products are some of the most user-friendly on the market, and for good reason. Like many other providers, TurboTax lets you access and work on your return across devices: on your computer via the website or on your phone or tablet via an app. So you could import your W-2 information from your employer, but you also could snap a photo of the form with your mobile device and see all the data transferred to your return. The latter is especially helpful if you have multiple W-2s.
Getting help throughout the preparation process is TurboTax’s biggest strength. A banner running along the side keeps track of where you stand in the process and flags areas you still need to complete.
TurboTax’s interface is like a chat with a tax preparer. The software asks questions in plain language and puts your answers in the right place on your return. You can skip around, too.
The Deluxe, Premier or Self-Employed packages also integrate ItsDeductible, a feature — and standalone mobile app — that’s helpful for quickly finding the deduction value of donated clothes, household items or other objects.
TurboTax’s Self-Employed version offers a neat expense-tracking feature through QuickBooks, including the ability to store photos of your receipts and track mileage from your phone.
Support options with TurboTax
If you need (or want) a lot of handholding, TurboTax could be a great choice. Its searchable knowledge base, video tutorials and online community are great for research on the fly, but the access to live help is a game-changer for many nervous filers.
Ways to get help
- Searchable knowledge base
- Big online community
- Video tutorials
- Alexa skill for checking return or refund status
- Live, on-screen human help (if you paid for it)
One of TurboTax’s most outstanding support features is TurboTax Live, which is in its second year. If offers (and not cheaply; see our pricing table for costs) a one-on-one review with a CPA or enrolled agent before you file, as well as unlimited live tax advice. They’ll even sign and e-file your tax return if you want. You can make an appointment or talk on the fly to a tax pro via one-way video (you see them, but they don’t see you — they just see your screen). Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern, seven days a week.
New this year is an offline expert review option that lets you ask questions and get answers from a CPA, Enrolled Agent or tax attorney via email.
To boot, you can get tax advice year-round with TurboTax Live (it doesn’t close up shop on April 15). Having on-demand access to a tax pro all year is huge, although you can’t ask to talk to the same tax expert each time you call.
If you’re audited
Getting audited is scary, so it’s important to know what kind of support you’re getting from your tax software. First, be sure you know the difference between “support” and “defense.” With most providers, audit support (or “assistance”) typically means guidance about what to expect and how to prepare — that’s it. Audit defense, on the other hand, gets you full representation before the IRS from a tax professional.
TurboTax gives everyone free audit “guidance” from a tax pro to help you understand what’s going on if you get that dreaded letter, but if you want someone to represent you in front of the IRS, you’ll need TurboTax’s audit defense product, called Max Defend & Restore. It costs $39.99.
Tax refund options
No matter how you file, you can choose to receive your federal refund via direct deposit to a bank account — that’s the fastest option. You can also have your refund loaded onto a TurboTax Prepaid Visa Card. (If you’re getting a refund on your state taxes, see if your state offers a prepaid card option as well.) Other options include getting an old-fashioned paper check, applying the refund to next year’s taxes or directing the IRS to buy U.S. Savings Bonds with your refund. And TurboTax will up your refund by up to 10% if you load the amount to an Amazon e-gift card.
You have the option of paying for the software out of your refund (if you’re getting one). But there’s a $39.99 charge to do that.
How TurboTax compares
Read full review | Read full review | Read full review |
Pricing Ease of use Support | Pricing Ease of use Support | Pricing Ease of use Support |
The bottom line
With its cutting-edge support and comprehensive design, TurboTax is in many ways the standard for the do-it-yourself tax-prep industry. Its products come at a price, however, and confident filers who don’t need all the bells and whistles may get a better value elsewhere.
Competition is fierce among the biggest tax-prep software providers. TurboTax is king, but it may not be the clear choice for everyone. Our advice: Take a hard look at H&R Block before you decide.
Here’s our point-by-point comparison to help sort out which is better for you: H&R Block or TurboTax.
Read full review | Read full review | |
(TurboTax for online; H&R Block has a slight edge for in-person options) |
TurboTax vs. H&R Block: Price
H&R Block is generally less expensive, but TurboTax’s top-tier, throw-it-all-at-us version costs well over $100 at list price when you add in a state return (that rises to over $200 if you go with its software-slash-human hybrid package called TurboTax Live); H&R Block’s corresponding top-tier product is only a little cheaper when you add the human review to make it an apples-to-apples comparison at the high end.
H&R Block |
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TurboTax |
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Both providers offer several versions of paid products that accommodate increasingly complex tax situations. Itemizers will probably find the Deluxe versions a good pick; the Premium/Premier versions are generally tailored more toward investors and people with rental property. (And remember, you’ll pay extra to get your state return done.) If you’re self-employed, the Self-Employed versions can handle the heavy lifting.
Winner: H&R Block
If you’re an early starter, the more robust free version could mean big savings for many filers. To boot, its products are a little less expensive than its TurboTax counterparts.
» MORE:Try our federal tax calculator
TurboTax vs. H&R Block: Features and ease of use
Only one entity determines how the math works on a tax return, and that’s the IRS. So unless there’s a programming error, you should get the same numerical “answer” no matter which tax software you use. But you still have to feed the software all of your information, and there are a million ways to do that. Which is why we look at features and ease of use — we want to know which offerings are least likely to make you want to pull your hair out.
TurboTax
TurboTax is widely considered the most user-friendly tax software provider on the market. The interview-style Q&A interface keeps things in plain English, and you can skip around.
H&R Block
H&R Block’s interface is also straightforward and easy to use, and help is available within the preparation process. As with most software packages, a banner keeps track of where you are in the return process. The process is a little more stubbornly linear than with TurboTax, which some users may find annoying if they want to skip around.
Both providers offer photo and other import options for W-2s to speed things up. TurboTax’s Deluxe, Premier or Self-Employed packages also integrate ItsDeductible, which is helpful for quickly finding the deduction value of donated clothes, household items or other objects. TurboTax’s Self-Employed version offers a neat expense-tracking feature through QuickBooks, including the ability to store photos of your receipts and track mileage from your phone.
H&R Block’s Self-Employed version, on the other hand, imports Uber driver tax information and integrates with the expense-tracking app Stride Tax. All versions will import last year’s return from TurboTax, Tax Act, Credit Karma or any other tax prep company, and you can import your 1099s, too. The free version doesn’t import last year’s return, though.
Winner: TurboTax
If you want every single cutting-edge bell and whistle on the market, TurboTax is probably the better choice. But H&R Block is nothing to sneeze at — especially this year. Both have solid options with intuitive interfaces that will help things make sense, offer guidance where needed and keep the process moving in a logical manner so you get done quickly.
TurboTax vs. H&R Block: Support
Here’s where things get heavy.
TurboTax
If you need (or want) a lot of handholding, TurboTax could be a great choice. Its searchable knowledge base, video tutorials and online community are great for research on the fly, but one of TurboTax’s most outstanding support features is TurboTax Live, which is in its second year. It offers a one-on-one review with a CPA or enrolled agent before you file, as well as unlimited live tax advice. They’ll even sign and e-file your tax return if you want. You can make an appointment or talk on the fly to a tax pro via one-way video (you see them, but they don’t see you — they just see your screen). Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern, seven days a week.
New this year is an offline expert review option that lets you ask questions and get answers from a CPA, enrolled agent or tax attorney via email. To boot, you can get tax advice year-round with TurboTax Live (it doesn’t close up shop on April 15). Having on-demand access to a tax pro all year is huge, although you can’t ask to talk to the same tax expert each time.
H&R Block
H&R Block is competing hard against rival TurboTax with two offerings this year.
First is H&R Block’s new “Ask a Tax Pro” service, which gets you unlimited, on-demand chat sessions with a tax expert. You can share your screen with the tax pro to discuss specific questions. It works on mobile and tablet, or you can talk using a phone instead if you like. Hours of operation for on-demand chat are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern on weekends during tax season. The downside: it’s not free — it costs $39.99 for Free and Deluxe users, and $49.99 for Premium and Self-Employed users.
Second is H&R Block’s Tax Pro Review, which offers a one-on-one review of your entire return with a tax pro who will go over your documents and check for accuracy and possible missed deductions or credits within three days; the tax pro will even sign and e-file your return for you. You communicate with the tax pro on-demand via a secured message center or arrange for a phone call if you prefer. Free users can tack it on for $49.99, Deluxe users pay $79.99, and Premium and Self-Employed users pay $89.99. You can also buy the service as a standalone product for $119.99 plus $36.99 for every state return you file.
Not all of H&R Block’s tax pros are CPAs or enrolled agents, but the company says they undergo more than 60 hours of training and complete additional 30-plus hours of annual training to get ready each year for tax season; it also says the tax pros who help its online filers have 15 years of experience on average and get additional training specifically around the company’s online products.
But here’s what gives H&R Block a tiny edge: its enormous band of human tax preparers at the company’s roughly 12,000 offices around the world. Help at a brick-and-mortar stores isn’t free, of course (in-office appointments start at $59), but it helps to know you can go there if you get hopelessly wrapped around the axle.
Winner: It depends on what you prefer
TurboTax and H&R Block offer the best support options on the market. Because of its brick-and-mortar locations, H&R Block may be better if you want more ways to in-person support if you run into serious trouble. But TurboTax has an impressive offering for filers who are comfortable getting advice online, and both providers give users access to actual tax pros, which is a good thing.
TurboTax vs. H&R Block: Refunds, audits and other considerations
No matter how you file, you can choose to receive your refund via direct deposit to a bank account (the fastest option) or in the form of a paper check. Other options include applying the refund to next year’s taxes or directing the IRS to buy U.S. Savings Bonds with your refund. And both have a debit card option, which means you can have your refund loaded onto a prepaid card. (These cards come with fees, so be sure to factor that into your decision.) But there are some other things to know about, too.
Both let you use your refund to pay for your tax-prep fees. But there’s a fee for that: TurboTax charges $39.99; H&R Block charges $39.95.
Getting audited is scary, so it’s important to know what kind of support you’re getting from your tax software. First, be sure you know the difference between “support” and “defense.” With most providers, audit support (or “assistance”) typically means guidance about what to expect and how to prepare — that’s it. Audit defense, on the other hand, gets you full representation before the IRS from a tax professional.
TurboTax: TurboTax gives everyone free audit “guidance” from a tax pro to help you understand what’s going on if you get that dreaded letter, but if you want someone to represent you in front of the IRS, you’ll need TurboTax’s audit defense product, called Max Defend & Restore. It costs $39.99.
H&R Block: H&R Block offers online users a product called Worry-Free Audit Support. This gets you contact with an Enrolled Agent to help guide you through an audit. It includes IRS correspondence management, audit preparation and in-person audit representation. That runs $19.99.
On top of that, you can buy something called Tax Identity Shield, which helps you apply for an Identity Protection PIN or Identity Theft Indicator if it turns out criminals have used your personal info to file a fake tax return. That runs $14.99. (If you buy Tax ID Care and Worry-Free Audit Support together, you’ll pay $24.99, which saves ten bucks).
Winner: H&R Block — but only if you’re worried about an audit
If you just want the cash from your refund, both companies can get it done. If things ever get messy with the IRS, though, H&R Block has an edge because its audit defense add-on is less expensive than TurboTax’s service.
TurboTax vs. H&R Block: Which one is right for you?
2015 Turbotax Free
Despite its dominant market share in DIY tax prep, TurboTax may not be the clear choice for everyone. Our advice is to take a hard look at H&R Block before you decide. You might get the job done for less thanks to the expanded capabilities of its free version this year. But if you like lots of support at your fingertips and can pay up, TurboTax has all the bells and whistles and is a very attractive option.
Turbotax Home And Business
Read full review | Read full review | |
(TurboTax for online; H&R Block has a slight edge for in-person options) |
2015 Turbotax Business Download
» MORE:Check out our roundup of the best tax software