H&R Block At Home Conclusion

We've found that H&R Block offers above average tax products. The biggest advantages are that the software is very easy to to use and H&R Block is a trusted and reliable brand. H&R Block received average scores for tax support and tech support. They've got excellent live tax support, but it costs $19.95 per session, unless you have the Best of Both product, in which case it's free. This year, they were surpassed by TurboTax, who now offers free tax support for all product levels. We would recommend H&R Block to anyone who wants tax advice online, via phone or face-to-face in a physical location. Also, H&R Block is great for anyone needing to file a federal return only, as the federal filing is low cost and the state filing is high cost.

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H&R Block’s tax software has excellent navigation and on-screen guidance, but the error-checking feature is a bit lacking. H&R Block double-checks only that your W-2 if Federal Income Tax withholdings are not greater than your income, which falls short of TurboTax's sytem that double-checks your W-2 for proper Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Income Tax withholdings. H&R Block shows your estimated tax refund as you fill out your tax return. On any product level, you can access your past three tax returns for free. Unlike TurboTax, H&R Block does not include helper text bubbles that explain parts of your tax return, alert you to save your changes before they are lost, or let you bookmark or flag pages you want to revisit.

H&R Block offers phone tax support at $19.95 per session. If you select the Premium version, you get one free tax support session, and you get free, unlimited tax sessions with the Best of Both version. Professional tax advice online takes 24 to 48 hours to respond, but you can call your local H&R Block office for instant support. Check with your local H&R Block office for hours of availability. H&R Block offers audit support, which helps you find out why the IRS contacted you, determine what it means, and prepare your next steps. H&R Block also offers Audit Defense, which means they will represent you if you are audited by the IRS, for $39.95.

H&R Block’s tech support is averge: although they're quick to respond, tech support is not as knowledgeable as they should be. During our testing period, it took longer for tech support to answer simple questions than it did to look up the answers online. When we tested their support, we found wait times for phone, live chat and email to be minimal to none. However, wait times may vary during tax season due to increase demand. Tech support hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., CST.

H&R Block is the only tax software company we've reviewed with physical offices where you can go to get in-person help with your tax return. H&R Block has been in business for 56 years and is a reputable tax software provider. H&R Block guarantees accurate calculations and will reimburse you if the IRS penalizes you for a miscalculation made by the software. H&R Block also guarantees a maximum refund, which ensures that you get the largest refund possible when filing your taxes with their software.

H&R Block products are on par with TurboTax products in terms of price and features and, depending on your product, can cost more than those offered by competitors like TaxACT. It costs anywhere from free to $79.95 to file your federal tax return, depending on the product you select. Filing a state tax return will cost you $27.95-$34.95, which is fairly costly when compared to competitive products from TaxAct or CompleteTax. You will be charged a total cost only after you e-file your return.