H&R Block TaxCut

TaxCut was the only one of the tax sites I reviewed to point out that even though my itemized deductions exceeded my standard deduction, I might want to claim the standard deduction anyway to capitalize on offsetting effects in my state return. The 'Deductions and Adjustments' summary also provided explanations of the differences between what I input and what I could deduct. Such information is helpful for people with deductions that phase out according to income, such as student loan interest.

The site also showed some awareness when it flagged my fake Social Security number (123-45-6789), though it gave the interesting response that the IRS had already processed a return with that number.

But my TaxCut experience wasn't all wine and roses. When I changed my noncash charitable contributions to $400 from $500, the tax summary still showed $500 (and again, I received little guidance about the value of those items). While I edited and re-edited the information to no avail, the site froze several times, forcing me to close my browser and log back in. Also, users can't e-file in more than one state.

Human backup is a huge selling point, though. TaxCut offered plenty of help and FAQs--even videos--tailored to the task at hand, and one personalized 'Ask a Tax Advisor' phone or e-mail session is available with the service.

But at $19.95 a pop thereafter, that help can get pricey; users with complicated tax situations might be better off heading to an H&R Block office to have their taxes done the old-fashioned way. The federal-state package cost of $44.95 (instead of paying $19.95 for TaxCut Premium and $29.95 for one state return separately) makes TaxCut cheaper than TurboTax and TaxBrain, and it's a better value than the similarly priced CompleteTax.

--Tina Orem