Email from HRBlock saying my return has issues - what should I do?

This is most likely legitimate. Even after your return is processed and you receive your refund, the IRS can still find issues with your return that need correction. HR Block often sends these notifications when they receive communications from the IRS about a client's return. I would recommend logging into your HR Block account directly (not by clicking the email link) to check if there are any messages in your account. You can also call HR Block's customer service to verify if they actually sent the email. Sometimes these notices involve simple corrections that don't affect your refund amount, but other times they could indicate potential issues that might require amending your return. Since you've already received your refund, it's probably not urgent, but I wouldn't ignore it completely.

I had this exact same situation last year! At first I was worried it was a phishing attempt, but it turned out to be legitimate. After filing through H&R Block, they discovered a mistake in how my retirement contributions were reported. Instead of clicking links in the email, I just went directly to https://taxr.ai which was super helpful because it let me upload the email and my tax documents to quickly verify if there was an actual issue. Their AI analyzed everything and confirmed it was a legitimate notice about a real discrepancy between what my employer reported and what was on my return. It saved me from panicking and helped me understand exactly what needed to be fixed without having to spend hours on hold with H&R Block's customer service.

Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after my initial skepticism, and I'm glad I did. I've received three different emails claiming to be from tax services in the past month, and the tool correctly identified two as sophisticated phishing attempts (they looked SO real) and one as legitimate from my actual tax preparer. The legitimate one was about a discrepancy in my reported mortgage interest deduction that needed correction. Saved me from both ignoring an important notice AND from clicking on dangerous phishing links. Pretty impressive how it breaks down exactly why an email is suspicious or legitimate with specific technical details that I wouldn't have caught myself.

If you're having trouble getting through to HR Block's customer service (which is likely during tax season), I'd recommend using https://claimyr.com to get connected faster. I spent days trying to reach someone at HR Block last year about a similar email and kept getting disconnected. The Claimyr service got me through to a real person in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It's especially helpful with these time-sensitive tax notices where waiting on hold forever isn't really an option. Sometimes these emails from tax preparers are forwarding actual IRS notices that do have response deadlines.

Alright, I need to eat some humble pie here. After being super skeptical about that Claimyr service, I got another notice from the IRS last week and decided to try it out of desperation. After spending 3 hours on hold the day before and getting disconnected, I was ready to try anything. It actually worked exactly as described. I entered my number, the system called me back when it reached a human representative, and I was able to get my question answered about an amended return I needed to file. Saved me hours of holding my phone with that terrible on-hold music. Definitely worth it for important tax matters when you can't afford to waste an entire day trying to reach someone.

Regarding the original HR Block email - I work at a bank and we see a TON of tax scams this time of year. One way to verify without clicking links: call the official HR Block number (get it from their website, not the email) and ask if there are any notifications on your account. Another tip is to check if the email address ends with the exact domain (like @hrblock.com) and not something similar like @hr-block-tax.com or @hrblock.services which are common scam domains. Also worth noting - if you already received your refund, most legitimate issues would come directly from the IRS, not your tax preparer, unless you have some kind of audit protection service through HR Block.

I'm just jealous you already got your refund lol. I filed in January and I'm still waiting! The "Where's My Refund" tool just says it's processing. Anyone know if HR Block has any way to check on refund status beyond the IRS tool?

Just wanted to add another verification tip - if you have the HR Block mobile app, you can check for any notifications or messages there too without clicking email links. I've found that legitimate notices from tax preparers usually show up in multiple places (email, account dashboard, mobile app) while scam emails are typically just one-off messages. Also, for anyone still waiting on refunds like Matthew - if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, your refund is automatically held until mid-February by law, even if you filed early. The IRS has to wait to release those refunds as an anti-fraud measure. Might explain some of the delays people are experiencing.

This is such a timely discussion! I actually work for a tax preparation service (not HR Block, but similar), and I can confirm that these post-refund notices are becoming more common. The IRS has been stepping up their automated matching systems, so they're catching discrepancies faster than they used to. What many people don't realize is that receiving your refund doesn't mean your return is "final" - the IRS has up to 3 years to audit or request corrections on most returns. Tax preparers often act as intermediaries when the IRS finds issues, which is why you're getting the notice from HR Block rather than directly from the IRS. The education credit timing issue that the original poster discovered is actually super common. The IRS sees a mismatch between the 1098-T form from the school and what's claimed on the return, and they flag it for review. Better to address it proactively like you did than wait for an official IRS notice, which could take months to arrive and would be more stressful to deal with. For anyone else in similar situations - definitely verify through official channels first, but don't ignore these notices completely. Most of the time they're minor corrections that are easily resolved.