- Tiered online filing: Matches Free, Deluxe, Premium, and Self-Employed tiers to individual return complexity.
- Import and guided interview: Imports supported prior-year and tax-document data and guides the filer through deductions and credits.
- Investment and rental support: Premium covers sales of investments or a home plus rental-property income.
- Self-employment forms: The top self-service tier handles freelance, gig, and sole-proprietor income.
- Broader H&R Block network: Users can separately choose expert assistance, full service, desktop software, or an office, depending on availability and price.
H&R Block
Consumer online tax filing with free and paid support tiers
Updated August 10, 2026
H&R Block Overview
This page covers H&R Block Online, the consumer web filing product—not H&R Block’s desktop Premium & Business package or its office preparation service. The online lineup has Free, Deluxe, Premium, and Self-Employed tiers for progressively broader individual tax situations.
The $0 tier is limited to qualifying simple returns. Homeowners, investors, rental-property owners, and sole proprietors move into paid federal tiers, and each paid online plan currently adds $49 per state. Office and full-service pricing are separate and should not be mixed into this table.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan or service | Current price | Billing and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Free Online | $0 federal + $0 state | Qualifying simple individual returns, including the forms and credits listed on the current page. |
| Deluxe Online | $65 federal + $49 per state | Homeowner deductions, childcare expenses, HSA reporting, and other expanded deductions. |
| Premium Online | $105 federal + $49 per state | Investments, crypto sales, home sales, and rental-property income. |
| Self-Employed Online | $130 federal + $49 per state | Freelance, contractor, gig, sole-proprietor, and single-member LLC income. |
These are current consumer Online prices. The separately sold desktop products and in-office/full-service preparation have different prices and are excluded to prevent product mixing.
Pricing source: https://www.hrblock.com/online-tax-filing/
Pros
| Compared with | Why this product may fit better |
|---|---|
| TaxAct | Next to TaxAct, the wider H&R Block product family offers online, desktop, expert, full-service, and physical-office routes under one brand. A user can choose a different level of assistance without first searching for an unrelated local preparer or platform. |
| FreeTaxUSA | Buyers considering FreeTaxUSA will see a different approach. Users with niche or difficult questions can move to paid expert or office support instead of relying only on self-service chat. Although the higher tiers cost more, the structure gives users a recognizable way to identify where investments, rentals, or business income enter the product ladder. |
| Cash App Taxes | Alongside Cash App Taxes, the product supports a clearer escalation path when a filer wants a professional to review or complete the return. That flexibility is valuable for users who expect a straightforward return but want a visible fallback if an unusual tax issue appears. |
| TaxSlayer | Choosing TaxSlayer means taking a different route. Free Online includes a state return for qualifying simple filers and ties the tier names closely to common tax situations. The included state is meaningful for eligible users because some competitors advertise $0 federal preparation but charge separately for the state return. |
Cons
| Compared with | Where this product may fall short |
|---|---|
| TaxAct | TaxAct may be safer here. Paid federal tiers and the $49 per-state charge can make a multi-state return expensive. Users should price every state and any expert assistance before comparing H&R Block with a low-cost self-service product. |
| FreeTaxUSA | If FreeTaxUSA is the alternative, investments, rentals, and self-employment trigger substantially higher federal prices rather than remaining in one low-cost form tier. A filer whose forms are broadly supported for free elsewhere is paying for the H&R Block process and support options, not merely for access to those schedules. |
| Cash App Taxes | Set against Cash App Taxes, the shortfall is clear. The $0 offer is eligibility-limited. Many situations that Cash App handles free require a paid H&R Block tier. Eligibility should be checked against required forms before the user invests time in the interview. |
| TaxSlayer | Against TaxSlayer, the drawback is clear. Trustpilot feedback for the wider H&R Block brand is strongly negative on service, unexpected charges, and filing problems, even though it mixes software and office experiences. Buyers should treat it as an escalation-risk signal, not as a clean score for this specific Online product. |
Reviews
- Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026: Kiplinger readers rated H&R Block outstanding for support, especially with tricky or niche tax situations. Respondents also credited the software with finding savings and preventing errors, providing a current positive signal for the product’s guidance and escalation options.
- Trustpilot H&R Block profile: The live profile is 1.3/5 from 1,487 reviews, including 195 in the last year. Complaints center on support, incorrect or failed filings, unexpected fees, and resolution problems; because this profile mixes online software, offices, and other H&R Block services, it is not presented as a pure Online score.
