How to Benefit Most from Your Taxes, Based on Your Personality

Tax season is upon us.

As all of us gather our slips, receipts, and tax documents, we suddenly see before us “a year in review” – and not the kind found on Facebook.

Your taxes tell a unique story about your life – what you spent, what you studied, whether you moved or stayed put. How prepared you are to actually file your taxes, however, largely depends on your personality.

There are many options available when filing your tax return. H&R Block has decades of experience in the business of taxes and ensures that their software will get you the maximum return possible.

So whether you’re a student who’d rather be hanging with friends than digging through documents, or an experienced taxpayer whose receipts are neatly filed (and colour-coded), check out this list to find the best option that is most suited to you and your needs.

You’re a seasoned taxpayer who knows how to maximize their returns:

You’ve built great habits over the years, diligently filing receipts and keeping an up-to-date spreadsheet of all your eligible returns. It’s safe to say that you’re all set for this tax season and you simply want a precise and confidential avenue for filing your taxes. All you need is something like the free software from H&R Block, certified by CRA’s NETFILE, where all tax forms and slips are included. You can prepare any type of document or return from a simple T4 to RRSPs, investment income, rental income, child care deductions, pension splitting, and more.

For the savvy taxpayer: H&R Block Free

You know the basics, but you’d appreciate some expert support:

Did your year involve multiple T4s? Or perhaps you moved, took a course, or got married? Ultimately, you want to ensure you’ve taken every necessary step to file your return correctly.

Log in online at H&R Block’s site to purchase an Expert Review and book an appointment to speak with a professional. This can be a 15, 30, or 60-minute phone call. Optimize your appointment by being prepared – have your tax return ready and open with all of your slips and receipts immediately available. The Tax Experts can answer all of your questions, review your return, and provide suggestions to improve your refund or even decrease what you owe.

For careful planners and those undergoing a transition: Expert Review

You believe that time is money and that advice can pay off big time:

You lead a busy lifestyle. You have all of the information to file your taxes, and you want assistance from a professional to get them done efficiently. With H&R Block Assistance, the experts will ask you questions about your unique tax scenario and provide the information you need in order to take the next steps. Bit by bit, the software will check your work for you. You can take advantage of the review options available to you, or jump ahead and finish filing faster. Reach a team member anytime by calling their priority phone number or using online chat support.

In addition to everything the software includes, you get a personalized list of tax tips, the ability to download and review the government PDF of your tax return before filing, and a review of how your refund or balance owing is affected based on what info you entered.

For the busy professional: H&R Block Assistance

You want to take control of your taxes and value security.

Instead of transporting all of your receipts and T4s back home when you visit your parents, this year you’ve decided to declare financial independence and fiscal responsibility. Since it’s your first time doing your own taxes, however, you probably want to ask for professional support. H&R Block Assistance

The H&R Block Protection software is the best option for filing your tax return seamlessly and stress-free. It provides a visual explanation of all the main sections (total income, deductions, taxable income), and how the data you entered impacted your subtotals. The Tax Experts will also educate you on what you can do to improve your refund or decrease your balance owing. You can import data from previous tax returns, even if they were completed with different tax software. Finally, when you click send, TLS encryption is used to electronically send your return to the CRA, keeping your data safe.

In addition, the software is equipped with audit protection and storage of your return for seven years, which means that in the event that the CRA selects you for an audit, your return is stored securely and can be easily retrieved in a PDF.

For the newly independent taxpayer: H&R Block Protection

No matter how you felt about 2016, you can feel really good about filing your taxes – because with H&R Block, it’s payback season!