H&R Block has offered professional tax services since 1955, giving them over 60 years of experience. H&R Block has served over 550 million clients and have offices within five miles of most American households. It offers a wide variety of tax filing options at different prices and resources to clients. H&R Block also helps clients prepare taxes in one of their many offices or online.

With H&R Block, customers can do online tax filing with software on a computer or through a mobile phone (iOS and Android apps).

H&R Block offers audit support through its Audit Risk Identification feature which boosts the overall value of the software and the Double Check function and ensures total accuracy.

While filing, there are embedded links directly into forms to provide clients insights to learn more and find answers to questions.

In addition, there is a "walk through" workflow and bookmark options for users. A big plus is that an Accuracy Guarantee is included with every product.

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The Good

Guarantees
Member Resources
Suggested Tax Deductions
Customer Support

Guarantees

Every tax return comes with the "H&R Block Guarantee," covering any interest or penalty fees from the IRS. The guarantee also encompasses auditing.

Member Resources

H&R Block provides free in-person audit support for clients, and clients receive a 5 percent bonus refund on top of their federal refund to be used at over 15 retailers. Also, live chat is available for clients to help them with any questions or concerns when filing.

Tax filers who use H&R Block can choose to receive their tax return as a direct deposit to their bank account, which makes it especially easy and convenient.

Suggested Tax Deductions

Standard Deductions The standard deduction is a fixed dollar amount that reduces the income you're taxed on. Your standard deduction varies according to your filing status. In 2014, the standard deduction was:

For single or married filing separately -- $6,200
For married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) -- $12,400
For head of household -- $9,100

Itemized Deductions Itemized deductions also reduce your taxable income. Ex: If you're in the 15% tax bracket, every $1,000 in itemized deductions knocks $150 off of your tax bill. You might benefit from itemizing your deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A if you:

Have itemized deductions that total more than the standard deduction you'd receive
Had large, uninsured medical and dental expenses
Paid mortgage interest and real estate taxes on your home
Had large, unreimbursed expenses as an employee
Had a large, uninsured casualty (fire, flood, wind) or theft losses
Made large contributions to qualified charities
Had large, unreimbursed miscellaneous expenses

Customer Support

H&R Block offers a number of ways to get in touch with them:

By phone: 1-800-472-5625
Twitter: @HRBlockAnswers
Live Chat: Live support is offered in programs to paying customers.

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The Bad

Supported Forms
Most Popular Version Prices

Supported Forms

For basic tax preparation, H&R Block offers 1040, 1040a, 1040ez. These tax forms are standard for filing taxes if individuals are employed in full or part-time jobs.

For those who are self-employed, H&R Block offers a Schedule C. The Schedule C is a form used for people to report how much money they earned or lost from their business during the fiscal year.

To report on multiple owned properties, H&R Block offers a Schedule E. The Schedule E allows individuals to report how much money they earned or lost from renting their properties during the fiscal year.

The Bottom Line

Tax season is when taxpayers receive the money they overpaid in taxes as a tax refund. Whether someone is filing a very simple set of tax returns or relatively complicated ones, this software is likely to provide the tools needed. Using an online tax filing software is cheaper than paying a tax preparer to do the work for you.

The filing process can be confusing, and getting it done correctly is important. Online tax filing software is a great resource for filers preparing their own taxes.

H&R Block puts direct links into online forms, giving clients insights into their questions during the application process. In addition, clients are walked through the online tax preparation filing process and are provided with several guarantees to provide peace of mind.

However, the H&R Block tax prep software doesn't automatically offer suggested deductions, which can make a big difference in what your tax return looks like.

H&R Block has expanded its free tax software include more complicated forms. If your tax situation isn't too complicated, you may be able to do a free file with H&R Block. Overall, H&R Block has several great features and is a good choice for tax prep.

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