H&R Block doing better about disclosing prices, but price still high

In 2016, I had H&R Block prepare my taxes. It was upsetting because neither the receptionist nor the tax preparer would give me an estimate of what it would cost to prepare my taxes. The tax preparer said he’d do my taxes, then, at the end, if I thought it was too expensive, I could reject the work.

I paid $472, which I thought was too high. However, I paid it and left because I was tired of dealing with my taxes.

I wrote in an article on my blog that said I thought H&R Block was using a form of bait and switch advertising; it wanted to get you in the door, then it would spring the price on you.

As a journalist, I have a small business. That means I fill out Schedule C for business expenses. I also have the 1040 form and schedules A and B.

Since H&R Block appears to charge by how many forms and schedules you have, it should be able to say it will cost you about $400 for the 1040 form and three schedules, I wrote in my article.

For my 2022 taxes, I had something unusual, so I wanted to ask a tax preparer about it. In addition, TurboTax, which I’d used for the last few years, seemed more difficult to use last year and the representatives didn’t seem as well informed.

When I called to schedule an appointment at H&R Block this year, the receptionist said the cost would be about $300. The tax prepared estimated about $350. Note the sign in the H&R Block window says “Upfront Pricing.”

Preparing my taxes this year actually cost $488. I paid an additional charge of $40 for H&R Block’s audit protection plan. The tax preparer said the charge was more than her estimate of $350 because I itemized my deductions rather than using the standard deduction and I had a lot of information to enter on one of my schedules.

It’s an improvement that I was able to get an estimate, even though the estimate was $138 off. However, I think $488 is too high of a price to pay for a business as small as mine.

Next year, I’ll try the H&R Block online program. A friend used it this year after he struggled with TurboTax.