I compared returns from two tax preparation services and got WILDLY different numbers

This is actually quite common with complicated tax situations like yours. When you have multiple factors (self-employment, investments, mid-year move), the software algorithms can interpret things differently based on how you answer their questions. The education credit is a big red flag - if H&R Block found it and TurboTax didn't, that means you probably answered a question differently in each program. For the business expenses, the categorization might be different but the total deduction should be similar. For stock sales, the cost basis method makes a huge difference. If one program is using FIFO (First In, First Out) and the other is using specific identification or average cost, that could explain part of the discrepancy. The state tax situation with a mid-year move is notoriously tricky. Each program handles part-year residency calculations differently, and this alone could cause significant variations. I'd recommend going through both returns again and specifically comparing Schedule C (business), Schedule D (capital gains), education credits (Form 8863), and your state returns. Look for errors or missing information rather than just accepting the higher refund.

I was in a very similar situation last year! Multiple income sources, investment sales, and crazy different numbers between tax services. After hours of frustration trying to figure out which one was right, I stumbled across https://taxr.ai which literally saved my sanity. It analyzes your tax documents and previous returns and shows you exactly where different services are making their calculations differently. I uploaded both of my draft returns from TurboTax and H&R Block, and it highlighted exactly where the differences were occurring and which one was correctly applying the tax code in each section. Turns out both services were partially right and partially wrong in my case! The tool helped me identify which parts to take from each return to maximize my legitimate deductions without raising audit flags. It basically showed me how a professional tax preparer would look at my situation.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after taking the recommendation from this thread. It was actually incredibly helpful for my situation! I had a similar problem with a $1,900 difference between FreeTaxUSA and TaxAct. Uploaded both returns and within minutes could see exactly where the differences were coming from. Turns out FreeTaxUSA was correctly handling my rental property depreciation but missing a home office deduction, while TaxAct had the home office right but was calculating my state taxes incorrectly. The detailed breakdown showed me exactly which forms had discrepancies and which approach was correct according to the current tax code. Saved me from leaving money on the table AND from claiming deductions that might have triggered an audit. Definitely worth it for complicated tax situations!

If you're still confused after comparing the returns yourself, you might want to try calling the IRS directly to ask about the specific differences you're seeing. But good luck actually getting through to someone! I spent WEEKS trying to get clarification on a similar issue last year - constant busy signals, disconnects after waiting on hold for hours, and completely contradictory answers when I finally did get through. Then I found https://claimyr.com and it completely changed the game. They have this service that basically waits on hold with the IRS for you and then calls you when an actual agent is on the line. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of wasting days trying to get through, I got a call back in about 40 minutes with an actual IRS agent ready to answer my questions. Was able to get definitive answers about how to handle my situation directly from the source.

I need to eat my words and apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr. After posting that comment, I decided to try it myself since I was stuck on a similar issue with different tax prep services giving me different answers about handling crypto transactions. The service actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about an hour with an actual IRS representative on the line who walked me through the correct way to report my specific situation. Saved me at least $1,200 in taxes by confirming I could use specific identification method instead of FIFO for some of my trades. For anyone with complex situations where different tax programs are giving different results, getting the official word directly from the IRS is SO much better than guessing. And not having to waste an entire day on hold made it actually possible to do this. Really surprised this service exists but very glad it does!

One thing to check is if you entered all the EXACT same information in both systems. I've found that even small differences in how you categorize things can lead to huge differences in the final numbers. Last year I tried three different services and got refund estimates ranging from $1,200 to $3,700. Turned out I had categorized some business expenses slightly differently and one service asked a question about my home office that the others didn't. When I made sure everything was entered consistently, the refund amounts got much closer (within about $200 of each other).

ALWAYS get a third opinion when you see big differences like this! I went through something similar when I had rental property income, self-employment, and investments all in one year. The different tax programs interpreted some things completely differently (especially depreciation methods and home office calculations). Ended up taking everything to an actual CPA who found even MORE deductions that both software programs missed.