Ever since I started filing my taxes, I’ve been the do-it-yourself type. Each year I’d pick up my tax booklet at the post office, work through the forms and mail in my completed return. Initially that job was pretty easy. With a single T4 and not many deductions to claim, filing really couldn’t have been easier. Then I had children, bought a house and started my own business. Suddenly my taxes got a lot more complicated and took a lot longer. But I still did the work myself and up until last year, I still used the old-fashioned paper and pen.
When filing my 2014 taxes, I upgraded to online software for the first time. I loved the ease of use, but the price tag wasn’t so great. Because I was self-employed and had investment income, the software cost $50 for a single return! Since I had to pay quite a bit in income tax already, every extra dollar I lost filing hurt a bit. And with my return for 2015 being even more complicated as I’m paying GST for the first time, I wanted to find the most effective filing method possible this year…at the best price.
Top that all off with the many changes to tax deductions for the year, including higher Universal Child Care Benefit amounts, the loss of the child non-refundable tax credit and the newly refundable children’s fitness credit and I’m left with a lot of income, expenses and deductions to claim! But this year, H&R Block is challenging me to use its online tax software and see just how easy filing my income tax return can be.
The one feature of this software that immediately appealed to me is that it’s completely free to use, not just for basic returns, but for everyone! Are you a student? The software is free! Self-employed like I am? Free! From retirees to union employees to those with investment income, preparing and filing your taxes online with H&R Block won’t cost you an extra cent. And the software offers a 100% accuracy guarantee as well, so there’s no need to worry about an error costing you money.
Of course, there are some people that prefer the speed and convenience of having somebody else prepare their return. And if you’re one of those people, heading to one of H&R Block’s 1200 offices across Canada may be the best choice for you. To help make tax preparation more affordable than ever, H&R Block even has a special promotion this year that you won’t want to miss! If you paid somebody else to prepare your taxes last year, bring the receipt to an H&R Block office and the company will prepare this year’s taxes for 50% less!
Personally, I love preparing my taxes myself, though it can be frustrating, complicated and exhausting at times! That’s why I can’t wait to see how the H&R Block Online Tax Software makes filing my taxes quicker and easier. And the fact that I’ll be able to do so absolutely free has me smiling already! I’ll have a review of my filing experience in the next week or so but in the meantime, why not check out the H&R Block website and see what the software has to offer? It may just help make tax season fun for a change!
It’s so much easier to do them online and the refund comes quicker!
I really like the convenience of preparing my taxes myself through online software. It definitely makes busy lives easier!
Great,I love H&R Block.
I’m lucky that I have a CPA doing my taxes. My hubby and I have complicated returns so I don’t even try to go there.
We had someone do our taxes this year,it really is convenient for us and we do e file so our refund comes fast.I do often think I could probably do it ourselves if we just got the software.I wonder if installing the software is hard to do or not…hmmmm
I do my taxes online with H&R myself very convenient, fast and easy.
I have a friend who does mine every year and the last few years they were done online i believe.
I still do mine manually with the forms and drop them off in the drop box at Revenue Canada. It does take longer for the refund.
Oh you’ll have to try the online filing one day, Florence! Last year I even still mailed mine in; I just used the software to prepare and print the documents. The automatic math calculations make it so much easier! :)
I have a tax lady that does mine and all my forms and what not stays at her office, so I have no fear of losing anything and thankfully she contacts the CRA if need be for me also, it’s nice not having to worry about doing it and forgetting anything!!
lucky for us, our tax “box” is just a small envelope, two t4’s thats it
Haha, lucky indeed, ,Sabina! Even my guy has a little more than that because he’s a union employee, but his taxes are still a walk on a sunny beach compared to mine! Lol