What is everyone paying to file their taxes this year? Seems crazy high!

I'm trying to figure out what's normal to pay for tax filing services these days. My buddy just paid almost $1200 to H&R Block for his taxes (he has W2's, interest statements, a 1099-B, a K1 that wasn't prepared, Schedule E for a rental property, and took the standard deduction). My situation is pretty similar, except I also had a casualty loss from hurricane damage in Florida (around $200K in damages). When I called H&R Block to get a quote, they told me only $289! That seems suspiciously low compared to what my friend paid. Are they just trying to get me in the door before jacking up the price? Has anyone used H&R Block recently? I'd love to know what your tax return included and how much you actually ended up paying. Did they quote you one price but charge something totally different once they saw all your documents? I checked with a local CPA in my area and they quoted me $1300. I had no idea H&R Block could be so expensive too. Just trying to figure out what's reasonable before I commit!

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18 comments

Eloise Kendrick

•8M

Tax preparer here - those prices can vary wildly depending on your specific situation and which H&R Block office/preparer you visit. Their base prices start low, but they charge additional fees for each form and schedule they need to prepare. For example, a simple W-2 might cost $50-75 to process, but a Schedule E for rental property could add $150-200, and a casualty loss might add $200-300 more. That $289 quote is almost certainly just the starting price. Once they start working through your documents and see the casualty loss, extra schedules, and investment forms, that price will increase substantially. Based on what you've described, I wouldn't be surprised if your final bill ends up in the $700-1000 range. If you're comparing options, also look at TaxAct, TaxSlayer, or FreeTaxUSA for DIY options that are much cheaper if you're comfortable doing it yourself. For complex returns with casualty losses, though, professional help is often worth the cost.

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Eloise Kendrick

•8M

For complex tax situations involving casualty losses and investment income, a CPA is generally worth the higher cost. CPAs typically have more extensive training and experience with complex tax matters than the average H&R Block preparer. They can often find deductions and credits that others might miss, potentially saving you more than the difference in preparation fees. H&R Block employs both CPAs and enrolled agents, but many of their preparers are seasonal tax professionals who complete their tax training program. At most retail locations, you're more likely to get a trained preparer rather than a CPA unless you specifically request one and pay their premium rates.

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Freya Collins

•8M

After spending hours trying to figure out my taxes with my rental property and some stock sales, I finally gave up and found this AI-powered tax help site called https://taxr.ai and it was a game changer. It analyzed all my documents and explained exactly what forms I needed and what I'd likely pay at different services. It even has this really cool feature where you can upload pictures of your tax documents and it extracts all the important information automatically. For my Schedule E rental property stuff, it highlighted several deductions I didn't even know I qualified for. Saved me a ton of time trying to figure out which IRS publications applied to my situation.

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Freya Collins

•8M

It doesn't file your taxes for you - it's more like having a tax expert analyze your situation and documents before you decide how to file. It helped me understand what forms I needed and which deductions I qualified for, then I could decide whether to DIY or hire someone. The security is actually really good. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis - they're deleted after processing. I was concerned about that too, but they explain their security protocols on their site. It's much more transparent than most tax services I've used.

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LongPeri

•8M

Just wanted to update - I decided to check out that https://taxr.ai site after all and wow, it really did help! I was super confused about my casualty loss deduction (had flood damage last year) and it analyzed my insurance docs and told me exactly what I could claim. When I finally decided to go with H&R Block, I knew exactly what forms I needed and approximately what I should pay. They initially quoted me $299 but tried to increase it to $799 once they saw all my documents. I showed them the analysis I had from taxr.ai and they actually honored the lower quoted price! Saved me $500 just by being prepared with the right information.

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Sara Hellquiem

•8M

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS about your casualty loss questions (which I did), check out https://claimyr.com - it helped me get through to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes after I spent DAYS trying to call them myself. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had questions about Form 4684 for reporting my hurricane damage that nobody at H&R Block could answer clearly, and I needed to speak with the IRS directly. After waiting on hold for 3+ hours on multiple days and getting disconnected, I was ready to give up. Claimyr basically waited on hold for me and called when an agent was available. The IRS agent clarified exactly how to document my casualty loss properly.

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Sara Hellquiem

•8M

They don't have special access - they use an automated system that waits on hold for you. When their system detects a human has answered, it calls you and connects you to the IRS agent. It's basically like having someone else wait on hold so you don't have to waste hours with your phone to your ear. I was skeptical too, but it actually works. They don't get you "priority" access - you still wait in the same queue as everyone else, but you don't have to actively wait on hold. You just go about your day until they call you when an agent is available. For me it was about 2 hours of wait time, but I was able to do other things instead of listening to hold music.

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Liv Park

•8M

I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it myself since I had spent literally 6+ hours over 3 days trying to reach someone about my tax questions. It actually worked exactly as advertised - I got a call back about 90 minutes later with an IRS agent on the line. The agent helped me understand exactly how to document my casualty loss (I had wildfire damage) and what supporting documents I needed. This directly saved me money because I was able to properly claim my full loss instead of the partial amount my tax preparer initially suggested. Sometimes you actually do need to talk to the IRS directly, and this made it possible without the ridiculous wait times.

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Leeann Blackstein

•8M

I've used H&R Block for the past 3 years. Their pricing is definitely confusing. Last year with just W2s and standard deduction I paid $219. This year I added a 1099-MISC and a HSA contribution and suddenly it jumped to $389. No real explanation for the huge increase. I think they have different pricing tiers based on which tax forms you need. But they're not transparent about it until you're already sitting there with all your documents. Definitely feels like a bait and switch sometimes.

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Leeann Blackstein

•8M

I actually did try to negotiate this year! When they told me the price jumped to $389, I mentioned I was considering trying a cheaper option like TaxSlayer. The manager came over and offered me a "returning customer discount" that brought it down to $329. So there is some flexibility, but you have to speak up. The other thing I've learned is that prices can vary between different H&R Block locations, even in the same city. The office in the wealthier part of town charges more than the one in the shopping center near me. Might be worth calling a few different locations for quotes.

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Carmella Fromis

•8M

I used TurboTax this year for a somewhat complex return (W2, 1099-B with stock sales, rental property). Their premier version was about $119 plus $49 for state filing. BUT they charged me an extra $59 for the Schedule E for rental property and another $39 for "expert review" of my stock sales. So I ended up paying around $270 all in. Still cheaper than H&R Block quoted me ($499), but not as cheap as their advertisements suggest. Their interface is pretty good though, walks you through everything step by step. Just be aware of the add-on fees.

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