Thank you to H&R Block for sponsoring this post. All thoughts my own.
Last week Matthew and I were talking about all the things that needed to be done in the next few weeks and I was feeling overwhelmed. After listing off a litany of big commitments and small tasks, he calmly replied, “Baby, we’ll get it done. We always do.”
It was such a simple, affirming statement. And he was right.
One of the ways I have learned to accomplish a lot of tasks is to ask myself, “what are my need to dos and what are my nice to dos.” The nice to dos can be distractions, so if I recognize what the need to dos are, it can eliminate time being spent on unnecessary activities.
This time of year, one of the need to dos is taxes. Because we are self-employed and I have a traditional job, we have two types of taxes to file. With July 15 right around the corner, taxes are in the need to do bucket.
People are often surprised that we don’t have an accountant, but Matthew is really detail-oriented when it comes to our taxes and has always done them himself. I help with keeping documents organized, etc.
This year, H&R Block reached out to me about doing a sponsored post about their online tax filing. We have historically used TurboTax, but after doing some research, we were both really impressed and decided to make the switch in 2019. We plan to use H&R Block again this year.
Here’s what impressed us about H&R Block vs. TurboTax:
Easy to switch to H&R Block
One concern that we had was because we had used TurboTax in the past, we would find it time-consuming to re-enter things into new software. With H&R Block Online, it’s super easy to drag and drop all your forms in from TurboTax or just pdf files. You can also upload your tax docs with a picture and the system will recognize all your data. We switched last year and it was incredibly simple.
H&R Block Offers Lots of help
H&R Block Online has multiple levels of help. You can chat with a tax pro, screenshare and even have a tax pro review your return and file it for you. H&R Block Online Assist offers unlimited, on-demand access to highly trained tax experts who can help along the way. Whatever level of involvement you want, they offer it. Services like this are so helpful to people like us who want to do our taxes ourselves, but might have questions. You can tell the people at H&R Block really care and want to give their clients the confidence to DIY their taxes.
H&R Block’s Easy Q&A interface
Rather than having to fill out a bunch of forms, H&R Block asks you questions, all the while filling in your tax documents in the background. It’s smart technology and makes the process really easy. Seriously, anyone can do their taxes with an interface like this!
Transparent Pricing and a Better Value than TurboTax
H&R Block believes in upfront, transparent pricing. No hidden fees or unexpected surprises when you’re ready to file. Also, plain and simple, H&R Block is more affordable. I am a firm believer that little savings add up to big savings. H&R Block Online is typically at least $10-$15 cheaper than TurboTax, and for many people including parents and students it can be totally free. H&R Block Online offers four affordable and easy-to-use solutions under the DIY umbrella, allowing taxpayers to select a solution that’s right for their life/employment situation and budget:
H&R Block Free Online: Designed for people with less complex filing situations, including clients who have W-2 income, kids and rent, as well as students and first-time filers. More people can file for free with H&R Block Free Online vs. TurboTax, including parents and students.
Federal cost: $0; $0 per state filed
H&R Block Deluxe Online: Designed for homeowners, people who’ve made charitable donations and those with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs); includes six years’ access to tax returns, Deduction Pro® to optimize deductions, and chat support for technical questions.
Federal cost: $29.99; $36.99 per state filed
H&R Block Premium Online: Designed for freelancers, contractors, investors and rental property owners; includes all Deluxe features as well as the ability to import expenses from popular expense-tracking apps, and cost-basis calculation using our advanced filing calculators to help determine the cost basis of your home sale, dividend and gift and inheritance assets.
Federal cost: $49.99; $36.99 per state filed
H&R Block Self Employed Online: Designed for self-employed individuals and small business owners with a home office and/or employees; includes all Premium features as well as an improved guided Schedule C interview to ensure a better experience for complex clients.
Federal cost: $79.99; $36.99 per state filed
For any of these options, use this link to get 25% off (expires 7/10/2020).
Also, through the end of May, H&R Block is offering free tax-prep through their Tax Pro Go virtual service for frontline workers, including police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and healthcare workers.
Along with this,H&R Block has a new No Surprise Guarantee, which means you’ll have no unwelcome surprises about price, process or IRS audits. Clients will always know their price upfront, and if that price changes for any reason as they prepare their taxes, H&R Block will notify them; and H&R Block provides real-time insights into increases or decreases to clients’ tax refunds as they go.
Big endorsem*nts for H&R Block
In my research, I read reviews in PC Mag, Wirecutter and the New York Times and they all endorsed H&R Block Online. I found this to be incredibly affirming as I was doing my own research about switching last year.I thought this video by PC Mag gives a good overview of why H&R Block’s online tax filing is so excellent.
If taxes are on your need to do list, I encourage you to check out H&R Block. Get that need to do completed. You’ll be so glad you did!
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