However, in recent years, the service's online presence has yet to live up to the company's in-person knowledge. Our primary problems with the 2022 version remain the same: chaotic navigation and inadequate support.

How Much Does It Cost To Buy Jackson Hewitt?

At one point, Jackson Hewitt provided three distinct, jackson hewitt tax resolution services and separately priced online options for doing your taxes. Currently, a single fee of $25 covers both federal and state returns. That's a cheap price.

If you file your taxes online with Jackson Hewitt this year, the business will guarantee the $25 filing fee for the next two years, in 2023 and 2024. All of the most important IRS forms and schedules are included in this year's update, so even the most involved filings should be manageable.

How Jackson Hewitt and Other Tax Sites Operate

Although most tax-preparation sites operate similarly, the quality of customer service and overall usability might differ substantially. The previous manual process of flipping back and forth between Form 1040 and its companion forms, schedules, and instructions is far more cumbersome than these digital alternatives.

Online tax services spare you the hassle of constant back-and-forth. In most cases, they will initiate a discussion and make an effort to do so. Wizards provide simple question-and-answer interfaces to guide you through the setup process.

You can use the many in-built help options if you need clarification on a query or statement. Online tax preparation services often provide customer support via live chat, phone, and email. You won't ever have to look at an IRS form or instruction, and the explanations will always be clear.

Initial Efforts

You must register for an account if this is your first time visiting Jackson Hewitt. One sets up multi-factor authentication by entering a unique username and password, choosing and answering security questions, and so on.

When you click the "Start Now" button, the website will prompt you to provide personal information such as your name, address, filing status, Social Security number, etc. If you used Jackson Hewitt's online services last year, several areas would be pre-filled for you once you log in.

You can also choose to have the site contain the tax forms you filed in the previous year. All the auto-populated information still has to be checked by you.

How To Navigate Jackson Hewitt

Accessing different parts of the site can be done in one of two ways. Select the subjects you wish to cover if you are an experienced tax filer or have a basic return. W-2s and interest payments are two examples of subjects covered in the Income section.

You pick one randomly from the main list, answer its questions, and then go back to the main list for more. Every sub-topic has its version of this welcome page.

Take advantage of the sequential interview if your return is very complicated, you are a tax preparation novice, or you want to avoid leaving anything out.

Non-Standard Nautical Guidance

There are several hiccups in Jackson Hewitt's steering. Unlike TaxSlayer and other sites, this one doesn't prompt you to go back to your previous page when you log in again. My tests showed that I would get to the interview's conclusion before being informed that I hadn't submitted anything. I used the navigation bar to access the various sub-sections.

Requesting Assistance

A good user experience is vital for tax preparation websites, but the aid resources' quality, availability, and depth are more important. Websites like TurboTax that specialize in this field offer fast assistance with even the most complex questions.

They anticipate problems and provide quick Q&As on the same screen as the questions; they also hyperlink phrases and open tiny windows with well-written, intelligible explanations.

Error-Checking

You will be prevented from proceeding past screens in Jackson Hewitt if mandatory fields are empty. For instance, I could not progress after attempting to submit mortgage interest without first supplying a lender address since the Next button remained disabled. There was no way out of this situation than going back or calling off the trip.

While some competitors would have kept me from continuing to work on the return after cancelling, they did. However, some rivals enable you to go forward while marking incomplete interface sections with a bookmark.