10-second breakdown:
This software options squeaks by the bar to be ranked among some of the major players. A bit expensive for most situations, but if you are a freelancer/consultant/self-employed type; it’s a handy tax tool.
The good:
Dozens of industry specific deduction lists to help professionals in those particular industries. If you’re a real estate agent, truck driver, etc., Jackson Hewitt has created a tool that will help you keep more of your money.
“Help Me Decide” guides are prompts that appear while you are developing your taxes to assist during the hard times when you’re not sure which direction to take.
There are hundreds of Jackson Hewitt locations that are ready to help you with your return in the event you get stuck. If you need it, you can just take your progress to a trained pro and they’ll get you back on track.
The bad:
The software isn’t as intuitive as others. You can’t save spots and indications of your progress seem to be lacking.
The price tag seems a bit far fetched for the average taxpayer, unless you can benefit from the industry specific deductions or the physical location assistance.
How it works:
Before you actually get started choosing a version and uploading your income to the software, you’ll have to know a couple of things about Jackson Hewitt’s digital products. First, they aren’t built “in-house”. The software was actually made by a competitor and includes the same basic engine. In addition to that, the website isn’t the most forgiving and can be difficult to gather the intel you need to make an accurate decision. With those negatives out of the way there is still a lot of positives going for this option.
But first, you’ll have to pick the version that suits your filing needs. Here’s a run down of each:
Free: There are some stiff requirements on this software’s free version. You have to be under the age of 50 and make less than $62,000 annually (at the time of this review). You also have to have a fairly simple return that only requires a 1040EZ or 1040A. All said, it’s still a great deal if you meet those criteria.
Basic: The basic edition of for simple returns that don’t meet the criteria for the free version. There aren’t too many bells and whistles available, but you do have access to 6300 brick and mortar locations in the states.
Deluxe: The deluxe edition is what you need if you have dependants, sold stocks, and have an employer. These are for a bit more complicated returns.
Premium: The final option is for the self-employed, freelancers, and single member LLC’s to help you file your taxes accurately. If you’re in a professional industry, this could be the best option to get the deduction help for your specific expertise.
All versions seem to come with a guarantee that promises 100% accuracy. Jackson Hewitt backs it up with the pledge to pay your penalties and interest if their software caused the problem, not a bad assurance.
Now, it’s onto the actual process of filing. Once you get your income documents loaded in there, the software will start to prompt you through the typical situations. You’ll be asked about home ownership, medical coverage, etc.
The neat thing that makes Jackson Hewitt stand out is the “help me decide” feature. If you have an issue answering any of the questions, you can read up on all the potential options to help you make the right choice before moving forward.
You’ll want to keep a decent mental track of all the things you’ve done and particularly what you haven’t done. There isn’t a great recap process and there isn’t a way to hold a place and have the program remind you to go back before you file. The company does have the accuracy guarantee, but it doesn’t cover errors due to a mental lapse.
If you’ve had a major life event, there is another feature that sets you up for the biggest deductions. The interface will guide you through a series of potential life events that could effect your filing status. These changes could mean anything from buying a house to losing a spouse or dependent.
If you are in a specific field of work that comes with special deductions, this is a truly unique feature in this product. There are dozens of occupations that have been included, but the site isn’t clear and doesn’t seem to have them listed out properly.
If you still have problems after those perks, there are thousands of physical locations of this brand in retail outlets and shopping malls. The best part about Jackson Hewitt is most are open all year long.
Once you’re ready to file, we feel obligated to tell you to check everything over once again. It’s way easier to make sure it’s right before you send it than to request an amendment on your return. While there is a recap at the end of the process, it’s not substantial. Since many returns require pages of digital information, finding your exact spot could be difficult once you’ve moved past a given section.
State returns will cost you a pretty penny and aren’t included in all plans.
Sidenote: Printing out your returns is always a good idea. Make sure you save a version on your computer that can be opened with another program, like a PDF, so you won’t need the software anymore after filing.
For complete rankings of all online tax preparation software, go here.
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