H&R Block Tax Review
- Federal starting price
- $35
- State returns starting price
- $37
Our verdict
Save money by filing your taxes online or pay a little more to have a professional file for you.
H&R Block is perhaps one of the most well-known tax prep companies in the US. It offers online tax preparation you can do yourself or assisted guidance with an H&R Block tax professional. If you file your taxes online, mobile or desktop, you might qualify for $0 federal and state returns if you have a simple tax situation. If you want the help of a tax professional, that starts at $35 for federal, or there’s the option of them doing everything for you, which starts at $89 for federal. Similar to other online tax preparation services, H&R Block offers accuracy and maximum refund guarantees, and audit and identity theft protection. Just know that if you can’t qualify for the Free Online filing, plan on needing to pay at least $35 for federal and $37 for state.
Best for: Those with simple returns who qualify for a free filing.
Pros
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Mobile and desktop filing
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DIY and assisted plan options
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Simple returns may get free filings
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Accuracy and maximum refund guarantees
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Expat, audit and identity theft services
Cons
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Not all filers can file for free
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Refund Transfer costs $42
Who is H&R Block best for?
H&R Block offers tax filing for nearly all tax situations. If you have a simple return that consists of limited deductions, W-2 income, are a student, need to report unemployment or are eligible for the Child Tax Credit, all those forms and more are covered in the Free Online option.
H&R Block online plans and cost
H&R Block has four core tax filing options: Free Online, Deluxe, Premium and Self-employed. If you’re like most people, you’re probably hoping to go with the Free Online option — but the plan you actually go with depends on the forms you need to submit.
For example, if you’re a homeowner, you’ll need to upgrade to the Deluxe plan at a minimum, since that’s where you can deduct real estate taxes and home mortgage interest. And for investors, plan on needing to get the Premium plan, since that’s the lowest tier that accepts the Schedule D form where you can report stocks, bonds and other investment income.
Before you select a plan, be sure to check its accepted forms and schedules so you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll actually pay to file your taxes with H&R Block.
| Plan | Federal cost | State cost |
|---|---|---|
Free Online | $0 | $0 |
Deluxe | $35 | $37 |
Premium | $65 | $37 |
Self-employed | $85 | $37 |
H&R Block tax software options
If you don’t want to file online, H&R Block also offers tax software options you can download to your computer.
| Software | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
Basic | $40 | Federal returns only, includes five federal e-files. |
Deluxe + State | $59 | Same perks as Basic, plus federal and one state return and itemized deductions. |
Premium | $85 | Same perks as Deluxe + State, and designed for complex taxes and covers rental property forms. |
Premium & Business | $99 | Same perks as Premium, plus personal and business taxes together and expense tracking. |
Special H&R promotion
Available from January 6 to February 15, 2025, if you file with an H&R Block tax advisor, it will match the price you paid for another tax preparation service the previous year.
What we like about H&R Block
H&R Block has been around since 1955. It’s a long-standing tax preparation company with experience and industry prowess.
We have to give props where they’re due: It wasn’t hard to locate prices, plans or what plans cover what tax situations. H&R Block advertised clear pricing and plan options, and they did just that. We also easily located which forms and schedules are covered in each plan option.
A few guarantees
H&R Block has some guarantees for a little peace of mind, including the industry-standard maximum refund and accuracy guarantees.
- No surprises. For all filing methods, this guarantee stipulates that if H&R Block doesn’t disclose any of its four benefits (Upfront Transparent Pricing, Transparent Process, Free Audit Assistance and Free Mid-Year Care Check-In), you’ll get 20% off on next year’s preparation.
- Maximum refund. Like many other tax preparation software, you get the standard Maximum Refund guarantee. It stipulates that if you discover an error in the H&R Block tax preparation software that would have entitled you to a larger refund or smaller liability, H&R will refund you the software fees you paid to prepare your tax return.
- Accuracy guaranteed. Stipulates that if H&R Block makes an error, you’ll be reimbursed for any resulting penalties and/or interest. Keep in mind that the error must not be due to incomplete, inaccurate or inconsistent information supplied by you. The error must be on H&R Block’s side, so this guarantee doesn’t offer reimbursements for errors or misunderstandings you provided that lead to an inaccurate tax filing.
Extra services
H&R Block does mostly focus on tax preparation, but it has a myriad of other optional or included services to check out:
- Tax Identity Shield. Protects against tax identity theft and includes dark web identity watch, SSN alerts, tax return notifications, IRS protections, tax identity restoration help and identity monitoring through credit reports.
- Second Look. Completely free, H&R Block can review your last few years of tax returns in an attempt to catch past mistakes or missed deductions.
- Audit and tax resolution services. Designed for those who’ve received a letter from the IRS and need audit assistance, H&R Block offers professional tax assistance to analyze the problem, create a plan and then follow up.
- Expat tax services. This service is for those who need to file US taxes while outside the country.
Where it falls short
There aren’t many shortcomings for H&R Block. That being said, there are some cheaper options out there, including the ability to file directly with the IRS if you make under $84,000 in adjusted gross income through IRS Free File.
And one other thing to call out: H&R offers something called Refund Transfer. This feature is a typical tax prep option where you use your refund (if you’re owed one) to pay for your tax prep. However, H&R charges an additional $42 for this service.
Compare H&R Block with other online tax filing services
Customer reviews and ratings
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | B |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.06 out of 5 stars, based on 472 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 1.2 out of 5 stars, based on 1,236 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 06 February 2025 |
As with most tax preparation or financial services, H&R Block doesn’t do super well when it comes to customer reviews. It’s common for people to only leave reviews for financial companies when something goes wrong, but thousands of negative reviews and complaints are still telling.
H&R Block’s Trustpilot profile is unclaimed, and it’s not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The company also doesn’t take a lot of time to respond to reviews, which isn’t ideal either.
Most of these customer reviews spoke poorly of H&R Block’s in-person filing option, claiming that their tax preparer made mistakes on their tax form that resulted in penalties. Of those who filed online, many say that customer support is hard to reach via phone and that it’s difficult to get a direct solution to your problem via live chat.
What do people on Reddit say?
However, some people talk about being nervous to do their taxes wrong themselves and risk issues with the IRS. For that reason, many prefer to file with a professional tax preparer, such as H&R Block, saying the cost is worth the peace of mind.
Your reviews
Bethany Finder
Editor, Banking
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