UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. H&R BLOCK, INC. et al
Filing
40
MEMORANDUM re 35 MOTION for Preliminary Injunction filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit Exhibit 12, # 4 Exhibit Exhibit 13, # 5 Exhibit Exhibit 30, # 6 Exhibit Exhibit 37, # 7 Exhibit Exhibit 40, # 8 Exhibit Exhibit 42, # 9 Exhibit Exhibit 43, # 10 Exhibit Exhibit 56, # 11 Exhibit Exhibit 112, # 12 Exhibit Exhibit 114, # 13 Exhibit Exhibit 115, # 14 Exhibit Exhibit 116, # 15 Exhibit Exhibit 123, # 16 Exhibit Exhibit 124, # 17 Exhibit Exhibit 139, # 18 Exhibit Exhibit 157)(Buterman, Lawrence)
Exhibit
115
TaxWatch
Jan. 28, 2011, 2:28 p.m. EST
Five top online tax-prep services
By Eva Rosenberg, MarketWatch
This update corrects the prices for TaxAct’s tax-preparation products.
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — These days, hardly anyone should be preparing their tax return on paper.
Electronic filing is definitely here.
To help you choose an online tax-preparation service, we’ve compiled the details on five of the top five software
providers. Aside from these five vendors, there are many companies out there who provide excellent service. Read
about filing your tax return for free.
But before you use an online company you’ve never heard of, check to see if they’re on the IRS’s list of Free File
Alliance providers. They had to meet rigid standards to participate. http://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp
You already know you must wait until after Valentine’s Day to file your tax return, if you’re itemizing — but you can get
started on those returns right now. And you can e-file simpler returns already. Read more about the delay.
The big trends in 2011
What are the big trends in online filing this year? Everyone is turning to online communities that have extensive
answers and information in their databases.
Also, importing data is hot. You can import information from last year’s
tax return and this year’s W-2s and 1099s. Some vendors’ top-end
versions also let you import donation and investment information,
including dividends, interest income and even stock transactions.
'Cat Lady' beats IRS in court
A woman who had deducted expenses related to
saving feral cats went up against the IRS and won,
potentially reshaping the rules on some
unreimbursed expenses.
• Business tax loopholes could be ending
Most companies’ software will guide you through various life events,
under a variety of names. All have help available on the side, as you
work your way through the system. Responses are pretty fast, from
minutes to hours. There is a big emphasis on customer support this
year. And everyone is assuring you they will give you the best refunds
in the industry.
A growing number of sites are showing clients’ reviews and opinions.
This can help you determine whether the service meets your specific
situation. CCH CompleteTax’s reviews can be sorted by a variety of
customizable criteria.
MORE TAX ADVICE
• Top tax tips for 2011
• Tax quiz: Should you do your own taxes?
• Tax strategies for charitable giving
H&R Block, TurboTax and TaxAct all have software that allows you to
prepare your own corporate, partnership or LLC returns. TaxAct allows
you to e-file multiple federal returns, and print unlimited federal returns.
THE IRS AND YOU
• What to do if you owe the IRS
• 7 ways to persuade the IRS you're right
• Tax bill got you down? Try a payment plan
FILING HELP
• File your taxes by smartphone
• File your return for free
• Filing taxes online: Is it safe?
• Five top online tax-prep sites
TaxMama always recommends you get those returns reviewed by a
professional. Business tax returns are complicated, even for tax
professionals. If you don’t have a proper set of books for your
business, with a balance sheet and income statement, you should not
be doing your business tax return on your own at all. You need a
safety net, and that’s what a tax professional provides.
DEDUCTIONS AND CREDITS
• Tax credits you don't want to miss
• Tax deductions with the biggest payouts
• Claiming on-the-job expenses
• Home-buyer tax credit: Watch your step
• Tax breaks for health-care costs
• MarketWatch 2011 Taxes Guide
TurboTax, TaxAct and TaxSlayer can handle multi-state tax returns, for
folks with W-2s from several states or those who live in one state and
work in another.
Here are the top choices, in alphabetical order.
CCH CompleteTax
Free basic returns, three price levels ranging from $19.95 to $49.95,
plus $19.95 for state (included in Premium edition). http://www.completetax.com/
Gary Lundberg, director of product management for CCH CompleteTax is excited about their new tax hotline service.
For only $19.95 you can get unlimited answers for 90 days. That covers most of the tax season.
Lundberg also went to bat for you to get you some extra free services. If you were unemployed last year (showing
unemployment income), have a balance due on your tax return, or switch from TurboTax, TaxAct or H&R Block, filing
is free. This is a major value.
As in the past, their audit protection services are costly for what you get. CCH Complete charges $19.95 a year or
$29.95 for three years. Since you are rarely audited during the first year, buying one year is a waste of money.
CCH is a major publisher of tax information for tax professionals. This has been TaxMama’s favorite source for current
tax materials for decades. Use their excellent free resource center. http://www.completetax.com/tools.asp
H&R Block at Home
Free basic returns (state $27.95), and for more complexity, prices ranging from $19.95 to $79.95, plus $34.95 for
state. Lots of customized guidance for various occupations, rental property owner and investors.
http://www.hrblock.com/taxes
DeductionPro, a tool to help you maximize your charitable contributions, is free to all. Results can be imported into
your tax return. For complex tax returns, the Best of Both edition is your best value. It comes with unlimited help from
a tax professional, who will review your tax return, sign it, and e-file it for you.
Worry-Free Audit Support® is still free — even for the free tax
returns (that’s new this year). Call them when you get a notice. An
enrolled agent, or EA, will explain the process and guide you through
the audit experience.
Advice for tax-filing time
Kathy Pickering of the Tax Institute at H&R Block talks to
Kelsey Hubbard about some common tax questions,
such as when to expect your refund and how you might
benefit from the payroll tax holiday.
This year, the H&R Block team is excited about its iPhone and
Android TaxCentral application. You can use it to estimate your
taxes, locate an H&R Block office, and get answers to questions.
The Get It Right Community answers tax questions for anyone, even
if you’re not a customer. Leigh Mutert, CPA, keeps you up-to-date on
the H&R Block blog .
They still make the prior-year TaxCut® software available for those
who need to get caught up with older returns.
TaxAct
A basic federal return is free; a more complex return is about $10. For about $18, their Ultimate bundle combines a
complex federal return, plus one state tax return. Otherwise, state returns range from free to about $15, depending on
the product.
You can import last year’s tax return, regardless of whose software you used. www.taxact.com
If you buy their Deluxe software in a box, you may print unlimited returns, and e-file one federal return. For only $7.95
for each one, you can e-file four more returns.
TaxAct has a federal student aid tax worksheet to help you complete the FAFSA application. And they have an
extensive library of prior-year return software, for folks who need to catch up.
TaxSlayer
Free basic returns, then $9.95 to $19.95, plus $4.95 for state tax returns. If you need to prepare prior-year returns or
amended returns, you can do that cheaply here. Military personnel file for free. www.taxslayer.com
TurboTax
Free basic returns ($27.95 for state), then $29.95 to $74.95 plus $36.95 for state. A price of $129.95 for business
returns includes five e-files. The visuals are really nifty, with a completion bar and running totals of federal and state
refunds or balances due. Intuit’s ItsDeductible donation computation tool has been free for years. The results can be
imported into your tax return. www.turbotax.com
Intuit Vice President Bob Meighan is excited about giving you the ability to import most of your information into the tax
return. You’ll have to do very little keying in on your own.
The Live Community forum is accessible from every page in the system. Help tools are extensive. TurboTax’s
resource center is open to the public with lots of estimators, tools and tax law updates. http://turbotax.intuit.com/taxtools/
The free audit support center identifies the letter the IRS sent you and the issues that affect you. It provides
downloadable letters you can use to respond. For an additional $39.95, you can get full audit support from an outside
provider, if your tax return ever gets audited.
More to come…
There is so much to say about all the wonderful tools and toys you have at your disposal, there just isn’t enough room
in one article. (Keep an eye on SmartMoney’s Tax Blog for detailed notes about each of the online filing services in
this article. They will be coming soon. http://blogs.smartmoney.com/tax/
Incidentally, each of these vendors (except TaxSlayer) allows you to start your tax return and test out scenarios
without paying or providing your Social Security number.
Five top providers
This year’s
providers
CCH Complete Tax
H&R Block Online
Intuit TurboTax
TaxAct
TaxSlayer
Free version
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Basic edition
Free
$29.95
$29.95
Free
$9.95
Midlevel edition
$19.95
$49.95
$49.95
$9.95
N/A
$49.95, including
$17.95, including
Top edition
state
$79.95
$74.95
state
$19.95
State return
$19.95 each
$27.95 with free
edition; $34.95 with
paid editions
$27.95 with free
edition; $36.95 with
paid editions
$8 to $14.95 each
$4.95 each
Import prior year
Yes. Free with paid
versions; $9.95 with
free version. Import
data from last year's
CompleteTax return
Yes. Import prioryear PDF file from
TurboTax or H&R
Block At Home.™
Yes. Import prior
year PDF file from
TurboTax, TaxACT
or H&R Block At
Home.™
Yes, any PDF
Only TaxSlayer
Phone support
$19.95, unlimited
answers for 90 days
Yes
Yes
$7.95 (free if started
by Jan. 1)
Yes
Online chat
$4.95 per session.
One session
included in Deluxe;
two sessions with
Premium.
Yes, free online
community for paid
users; free answers
via iPhone
Yes, free online Live
Community
No
Yes
Email support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Individual advice
$19.95, unlimited
answers for 90 days
Free with Best of
Both service
$29.95 for first 20
minutes or per issue
Yes (see phone
support, above)
No
Audit support
$19.95 a year
Free, includes an
enrolled agent to
represent you
Yes, online tools, or
$39.95 per return
Free online tools; at
Yes, template-based
premium level,
information
advice
Start it for free
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Charity tool
$9.95 with Basic,
free with Deluxe and
Premium
Yes
Yes
Free with Deluxe
and Ultimate
No
N/A
$129.95 includes
$79.95 includes
five federal e-files,
business state
unlimited federal
returns and one
printed returns; state
personal state return
returns extra
Corporations,
partnerships, LLCs
$54.95 includes one
Form 1040 e-file and
N/A
one business e-file;
$14.95 per state
Eva Rosenberg, an enrolled agent, is the publisher of TaxMama.com, where your tax questions are answered. Eva is
the author of several books and e-books, including the newest edition of “Small Business Taxes Made Easy,” now
available at your favorite bookseller. Eva teaches a tax-pro course at IRSExams.com.
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