TurboTax vs H&R Block 2022 | Online Tax Software

TurboTax and H&R Block are the two largest tax prep services in the United States. Both offer a combination of software and human tax preparer support to help individuals and families prepare accurate tax returns. TurboTax ranks No. 1 in the Best Tax Software of 2022 rating, followed closely by H&R Block in second place. So, which is best for you?

The right choice between the two likely depends on your preferences when filing taxes online or in-person, sensitivity to cost, your computer skills, and your comfort level completing your taxes yourself. Keep reading for a more in-depth comparison of TurboTax vs. H&R Block.

TurboTax and H&R Block are two of the top tax preparation software companies on the market, and they take the top two spots in our rating of the Best Tax Software of 2022. TurboTax takes the No. 1 spot with a score of 4.0 out of 5, and H&R Block is No. 2 with a 3.8 rating. Both programs have a similar range of tax prep software products to fit the needs of virtually all tax filers. Each offers four product tiers – Free, Deluxe, Premium, and Self-Employed – and has three versions of each tier – an online version that includes a mobile app, a version with added live support, and a downloadable desktop version.

Both TurboTax and H&R Block feature Q&A formats, clean designs, user-focused features like automatic imports of W-2s or previous tax returns, support from tax professionals, and guarantees of accuracy and maximum refunds. With the addition of TurboTax Live Full Service this year, now both companies also offer the option of having a tax professional do your taxes for you. Digging into the details can help you decide which makes more sense for your tax filing needs.

For price, TurboTax and H&R Block come with similar options. Both offer a free option available to people with simple filing needs. As your tax return becomes more complex, you’re required to upgrade to more expensive versions, up to a top version for self-employed business owners. Don’t forget that you’ll pay around $40 to $50 more per state on top of your filing fees, with TurboTax again charging a little more than H&R Block.

For features, both TurboTax and H&R Block offer competitive options that cover the majority of tax returns, including your federal return and state return, along with returns for self-employed workers. For software, you’ll find mostly similar features, though TurboTax does a better job of importing tax details from banks, investment companies, and other software. H&R Block stands out with the option to get help from a tax professional in person, which you can’t do with TurboTax.

TurboTax is a well-known market leader for a good reason. Both online and desktop versions of TurboTax handle most common tax situations. The addition of TurboTax Live which provides extra support for your tax questions is a useful feature, particularly if you get stuck midway through your tax filing and want to upgrade for live help.

While it’s not the cheapest option around, it handles nearly anything you can throw at it, including the Child Tax Credit, self-employed tax forms, investment income, real estate rental income, and a massive list of tax deductions and credits. The step-by-step forms are easy to follow if you’re comfortable with a computer and your financial information. If you’re not, TurboTax Live is an excellent resource for getting help, though it does cost extra.

H&R Block stands out for its large network of branches, with 10,000 locations and 60,000 employees around the world. It also comes with a slightly better set of options for free filing, which may be a draw depending on your needs. The software experience is very similar to TurboTax, but only H&R Block gives you the choice to drive over to see someone in-person for help filing your taxes. You can choose to drop off your tax papers and have H&R Block handle just about everything else for you with its traditional full-service tax offering.

H&R Block does a decent job handling the forms you upload but has a limited set of connections with outside banks, investment firms, and cryptocurrency exchanges for data imports. If you have many forms to enter, it’ll take you a little longer with H&R Block. But at a lower price and with similar features, it could still be a good choice for your needs.

If you’re looking for the easiest and smoothest online experience, TurboTax is a solid choice. If you’re considering in-person help, H&R Block is the leader. For cost, H&R Block is a little less for most people, but the difference is negligible. That means you should pick the tax filing solution that makes the most sense for your tax forms, computer skills, and your comfort level with understanding your finances and tax forms.

TurboTax remains the top choice based on a scored comparison, but H&R Block isn’t far behind. Either is a good choice to help you reach a successful, accurate tax filing for the next tax year.

For more information about tax software and filing your taxes, see the following guides:

 For comparisons and advice about other products and services, see our other guides:

At U.S. News & World Report, we rank the Best Hospitals, Best Colleges, and Best Cars to guide readers through some of life’s most complicated decisions. Our 360 Reviews team draws on this same unbiased approach to rate the products that you use every day. To build our ratings, we researched more than 10 tax software and analyzed 23 reviews. Our 360 Reviews team does not take samples, gifts, or loans of products or services we review. All sample products provided for review are donated after review. In addition, we maintain a separate business team that has no influence over our methodology or recommendations.