Posted: 1/14/2012 6:49:48 PM EDT
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Anybody recommend H&R Block for taxes? Or do you recommend people do taxes themselves?
Do you think that they can get me more money on my return? I have always done my taxes with turbo tax but I wonder if it would be better/easier for someone else with more experience to do them. |
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It depends on how complicated your taxes are.
H&R Block isn't likely the best choice any more than UHaul is the best place to rent a truck. If you are filing 1040 EZ forms, then you shouldn't be paying anyone to do that. If you have lots of complications and need to file a straight 1040 with many schedules then they are possibly worth it. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I have used the online program. Worked fine for me. Im talking about going in and talking with someone in the office. I would advise against that. The one time I did that, I had to argue with the person because they didn't know the current tax law. The person in a store, is nothing more than a keyboard monkey punching in the same values you would do online. Anything more advanced, I would recommend talking to an actual CPA. |
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a lot of those places have short, couple of weeks, training programs and then hire temp people for tax season and I'm pretty sure they simply use H&R block's version of turbo tax
seems to me if you need more than turbo tax you need a real accountant, and you should probably be meeting (or at least talking/emailing) with them a few times a year not just at tax filing time |
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Anybody recommend H&R Block for taxes? Or do you recommend people do taxes themselves? Use their software (taxcut) but do it yourself. That's what the idiots in the booth do and they are n ot half as smart as you. I know what I'm talking about. They fucked up my Taxes once and I have done it myself ever since. |
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I have used them ever since I came to the US in 1996.
I like them they have always done a great job and I like the extra insurance they offer just in case of an Audit. I have no desire to do my own taxes I prefer to pay somebody that knows what they are doing. |
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Chances are, turbo tax, or tax cut (H&R Block) will get you no more than having a human being plug the numbers into what amounts to the same spreadsheet. Only if your taxes are highly complex (and you will already know whether they are or not) will maybe a tax professional really help find you more. But in general, the time to be hiring the tax pro is before the tax year starts, not after it's ended. |
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All depends on your situation. I'd steer clear of H&R Block or similar establishments. Anyone can pretty much charge to prepare taxes. There is no regulation. Either they are easy enough for you to do yourself, or go spend the money and have a CPA do them. There's regulation now if you are paid to prepare returns. Every paid preparer has to have a PTIN from the IRS. You have to meet certain guidelines, and I think either this year or next, if a person isn't a licensed CPA they have to take a competency exam before you get/renew your number. I'd recommend a local CPA. It will probably be cheaper, and as has been pointed out, he'll probably help you plan for the coming year. A few changes became effective at the end of 2011. Depreciation deductions, the way LT/ST gains and losses are reported, and others. More than likely, your local CPA will be up on them and help you plan adequately. I don't know what the education requirements are for the various "chain" preparers. |
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I have used them for years. Cant comment on everyone elses stores but the one I go to they always seem to find ways for me to save a few bucks and all that shit is handled in less than half an hour. I have a jobm a business, and do trading so taxes are a pain in the ass for me. Their prices are getting high though. Cost me almost 300 bucks last year. I think I am going to shop for a CPA this year due to the cost. One big benefit of HR block or a similar company is that if there is an error or an audit or anything they take care of that shit for free. |
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Although it's true that there is now an education/testing requirement for tax preparers, most aren't required to actually pass the new test until 2013. I've taken the H&R course (85+ hour course) that they require new hires to pass (among a few other tax courses to broaden my knowledge of the subject for my employer) and theirs is a VERY basic course that focuses on their bread and butter; lower income, single parents who qualify for the Earned Income Credit.
There were folks in my class that were already working at H&R and they couldn't pass the course (85% required to pass). Scary stuff. An instructor who was filling in one day didn't know that the rules had changed for determining dependents since the time when she first learned it (wow!). I would steer clear of H&R. Plus they aren't THAT much cheaper than your local CPA/Tax Accounting firm. They charge by schedules filed just like everyone else so if you have an easy return it's going to be fairly cheap no matter where you go. If you have W2's, a 1098 (mortgage interest statement), a few 1099's (from banks, brokerage accounts, etc) you can probably do just as well using a program like turbotax provided you know how to read and understand the questions. However if you have a small business or a rental I would really recommend you work with a CPA. Unless you are willing to spend 30+ hours reading through the different publications on small businesses and rentals I guarantee you will do your return wrong because you didn't know about some obscure rule that the tax program won't prompt you to answer. Seriously, there are some wonky rules out there that you either know or don't (like some home equity interest might not be deductible depending on what it was used for and how much you have...most people would/do just plug in whatever comes to them on their 1098 forms from their lender assuming all of it's allowable on their schedule A). Hope that helps. |
| I wouldn't be surprised if H&R didn't have a backlog of lawsuits. Run away. Don't know about the online thing though. I was in a rush a few years ago and tried them. After putting in the numbers, they wanted about $4 or 500. I walked. A CPA did it for $150. H&R puts every damn entry in a separate category and on a different page so they can justify giging you for several pages of crap. Most obvious scam I've seen in a loooong time. |
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Quoted: I wouldn't be surprised if H&R didn't have a backlog of lawsuits. Run away. Don't know about the online thing though. I was in a rush a few years ago and tried them. After putting in the numbers, they wanted about $4 or 500. I walked. A CPA did it for $150. H&R puts every damn entry in a separate category and on a different page so they can justify giging you for several pages of crap. Most obvious scam I've seen in a loooong time. Just checked, and I paid a whopping $21.95 last year to file. Haven't had Uncle Sam coming looking for any money since I started using them 5 years ago. |
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I wouldn't be surprised if H&R didn't have a backlog of lawsuits. Run away. Don't know about the online thing though. I was in a rush a few years ago and tried them. After putting in the numbers, they wanted about $4 or 500. I walked. A CPA did it for $150. H&R puts every damn entry in a separate category and on a different page so they can justify giging you for several pages of crap. Most obvious scam I've seen in a loooong time. Just checked, and I paid a whopping $21.95 last year to file. Haven't had Uncle Sam coming looking for any money since I started using them 5 years ago. I should have mention this was for a 1099. |
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I've used H&R block for the last four or five years. I'd recommend it if your taxes are relatively simple. I've been a student up until recently and haven't made more than 30k a year working while in school. I do get an employer discount and I haven't been audited. Takes about 45 minutes and I get my direct deposit in a week or two.
Now, hopefully when I get a better higher paying job, own property, and have dependants; I don't know if I'd use them. |
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Quoted: Anybody recommend H&R Block for taxes? Or do you recommend people do taxes themselves? Do you think that they can get me more money on my return? I have always done my taxes with turbo tax but I wonder if it would be better/easier for someone else with more experience to do them. Depends on how much dough you make.... If you make enough to actually have a tax liability, a CPA is the way to go. They know how to get you all the deductions you are entitled to...H&R Block....not so much. If you are getting money back....you're doing it wrong. Why would you give the IRS an interest free loan of your hard earned cash? You need to reassess your withholding quarterly. If you are payimg in more than your estimated tax liability...add another dependant. The idea is to keep it at a zero sum game. I keep my tax account in an interest bearing savings account and make quarterly payments. It doesn't earn much interest, but anything is better than letting the IRS hold it interest free. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Anybody recommend H&R Block for taxes? Or do you recommend people do taxes themselves? Do you think that they can get me more money on my return? I have always done my taxes with turbo tax but I wonder if it would be better/easier for someone else with more experience to do them. Depends on how much dough you make.... If you make enough to actually have a tax liability, a CPA is the way to go. They know how to get you all the deductions you are entitled to...H&R Block....not so much. If you are getting money back....you're doing it wrong. Why would you give the IRS an interest free loan of your hard earned cash? You need to reassess your withholding quarterly. If you are payimg in more than your estimated tax liability...add another dependant. The idea is to keep it at a zero sum game. I keep my tax account in an interest bearing savings account and make quarterly payments. It doesn't earn much interest, but anything is better than letting the IRS hold it interest free. I have a $25k liability this year, and other than a student loan interest deduction, there ain't shit I can write off. CPA or not.  Got to love a tax code that bends you over a barrel if you don't own a home, have a wife, and a litter of kids.
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In years past, when I had something new and complicated arise in my taxes, I would go to them for one year to see how they resolved it, then duplicate their process in the following years when I did it myself.
The preparers there are hit or miss. Some have years of experience and know taxes well, others just took the basic courses before starting on real returns. In my experience, they were at least smart enough that the newbs would ask the most senior preparers in their office if they hit a tough question. |
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Can the computer tax programs do local taxes or just federal? I've always done H&R Block because I didn't want the hassle of tracking down all the local tax forms ( state income tax, city I work in income tax, city I live in income tax, school tax etc.) I always did my own when I lived in WA. Only had to file federal. I didn't know how good I had it. |
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If you are not going to use a home program I would go CPA. What a CPA can give you is good future planning advice much more in depth than any program. This, this exactly. The CPA probably won't cost much more, but is an actual accountant and knows what they are doing. The preparer at H&R Block is a person who spent a few days getting certified and likely has zero accounting experience. This is the advice my wife gives, she isn't a CPA but has been a bookkeeper for years and does have a degree in accounting. ETA: We use either Turbo Tax Online, and generally pay about $15 for it, there are discounts available for their service all over the place. I saw a thread on Fatwallet.com that you Mac users can get either Turbo Tax or the H&R Block online service for free as well. |