Overall, having a virtual assistant chatbot if you need to ask a question or get help gives me peace of mind. Plus, it’s included with the DIY service, which saves me a lot of money instead of going with one of the options that involves an actual tax expert to look at things.
H&R Block’s service asks a lot of questions related to potential tax breaks, for example, looking for savings from cash and non-cash charitable donations, and H&R Block was able to find more tax breaks to maximize my refund.
health related questions
The biggest difference I noticed was in the section related to health care, which was full of useful information about coverage and its impact on taxes. Most of the other tax services I tested did not include health care questions, and were not clearly explained with helpful FAQs.
I had to answer questions about the state of household health insurance in 2025. H&R Block has been very thorough in asking questions and providing information about the types of insurance that qualify for tax benefits, and even whether Medicaid coverage for COVID-19 testing and services counts as health insurance. If healthcare expenses play a major role in your personal finances, I would opt for H&R Block’s tax service over competitors.
Pro Tip: The early bird gets the worm, and it’s the same with taxes. Generally, the sooner you file, the better price you get for these online filing services. Like H&R Block, most services have a tiered system with different plans, and the same applies when you choose to file. The end of January is the cheapest time to file, and the beginning of February is the second cheapest, with prices increasing as you get closer to the April 15 deadline. Often, H&R Block holds a Presidents Day sale for a week or two, so if you’re planning to go with this already extremely affordable service, I’d keep an eye out for sales during that period.
Overall, I found H&R Block’s DIY online self-service easy and quite intuitive. The supplemental information helped me understand the process, and the file upload options saved me a lot of time. Also, I liked Al Tax Assist for additional help with questions and Live Tax Pro support for giving my forms a second look.
Other services available
As mentioned, there are many different options available for filing, as well as expert assistance tailored to unique tax situations (if you choose this service) to ensure you’re getting the most money back. If you have a more complex tax situation (as I did last year), or are a new filer who is a little unsure, you may want to go with H&R Block Assisted.
With this service, you can get the filing done in as little as an hour. There are options to have your taxes dropped off, or to meet with a tax expert virtually or in person. H&R Block has more than 60,000 tax professionals and 9,000 offices, with locations in every state within 5 miles of most Americans.
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