Lesson Learned. :) - Minneapolis,MN

This is why I am not going to them!!! Over 300 dollars....sorry Charlie that is not in my price range!!!

Several years ago we went there and they told us we were going to owe a ton of money on top of owing them over $300. We took them to my parents and my dad walked me through doing them, and it cost me nothing and we didn't owe. We didn't get a lot back, but we did not OWE any money. It was insane!

I would have asked their fee up front, that is way too much unless you have tons of claims and make millions of dollars. I would not have them file.

Wow! That's a ton of money. We use Turbo Tax... and have had no problems, even though we own a home, have five different investment accounts, own a business, have kids, etc. It takes a few hours to do our taxes... but the software walks you through everything.

I would think you should call the office and ask why it's so high. There may be additional charges you don't need - like free credit checks all year, or some fancy way of getting your refund to you. A house and one stock is just about the easiest return to do - did it take her more than 30 minutes?

You should have asked her before she did it, how much it would be.

It doesn't matter that she didn't file it yet for you.
She ALREADY did the work on it.
So you are having to pay for that.
The service she did on it.
Already.
And personally, I would want to get my papers, from her. Don't just leave it there. What a bunch of personal private financial info on those forms.
What if she just tosses it in a trash can without shredding it first? (because she is irked at you) Or what the heck does she do with it on her computer, if you don't pay for it? She has all your personal financial info. on her computer too.

We did Turbo Tax this year.
It was fine. Took some time but we managed to do it that way.
Versus, previously we went to an accountant. Who charged about $200.

they should have told fee upfront prior to doing the taxes.

My friend does taxes here in Richmond - certified by the IRS and charges $250...and $400 for small businesses. He gives the quote upfront and signs a disclosure about filing, length of time he will save it and any errors adjudication.

I would have continued with Turbo Tax. You can always walk away, I believe, if you did not sign a form/contract upfront to pay the fees and do it yourself.

Good luck!!

That sounds pretty high to me. I use a CPA and he charges me $325. Our taxes aren't that complicated, but they're not easy either.

I'm pretty sure those "accountants" at H&R Block are not certified public accountants. I don't know how much training they go through, but my SIL's mother works for H&H Block during tax time, and she is not very bright. I don't think she went to college either. All they do is enter in your information like you would if you used Turbo Tax.

If you didn't sign any agreement with them, I would call a supervisor and tell them that you weren't quoted anything upfront. Tell them what you are willing to pay (see if you can research the going rate for other accountants) and go from there. Do they still have your W-2 forms and other tax documents? I wonder if they will hold onto them until you pay up. I would say that getting a fair price for the work is worth the hassle of talking to someone higher up. Good luck!

I don't know the answer to this, because I don't know what arrangement one makes with H&R Block before they do the work. Did you agree to pay by the form? Do you think all the forms they used are necessary?

Perhaps you could call and ask to speak to a manager. Explain that you are a first-timer, did not understand the fee structure and ask what adjustment can be made. Certainly they do not want this bad publicity.

Oh lord. Please don't listen to some answers that say it's rude to not go back and file your taxes, since "h&r" block worked so hard. They asked you questions from a computer and typed it in. Would it be unfair to have a maid come and give you an estimate of your house and then choose not go with that company because its too much? I don't think so. File with tax act or turbo tax today so it's rejected if h&r block tries it. $30 dollars compared to $300 is a lot of money. I would want to spend that on a lot of other things than a shady company. Don't feel bad about it. If I was H&R block I would feel bad for being so shady.

Just a question, if your hubs was proficient with Turbo Tax, why not use H&R blocks on-line version? We always have and it cost $39.95.
Not knowing the fee up front sounds a little fishy.

And for the record, that $39.95 covers all the forms, interests, business, real estate, school, mortgage, ALL that stuff and e-files for you.

I know a young man. A very naive, young man. He paid H&R Block to file his quickie taxes. Cost him over $200!

My son had a fit when he heard this. He did his own, with me looking over his shoulder (as requested), for $0.

(sigh) I think you should pay the fee. They took you in.....on your word. Please stand behind it, & consider it a lesson learned.

Did you sign a contract (or something) with them before having them figure out your taxes? If so, you are obligated.

You can always call and try to negotiate with them. It never hurts to ask.

If you don't pay, it's like any bill and will eventually go into collections. Why not call and speak to the manager. Perhaps there is a coupon or promotion? We pay 275 for our taxes from an accountant. Were your taxes simple or more complex?

That is a lot of money and they do the same thing as you would using Turbo Tax. H&R Block really does prey on people who are not aware that they don't have to pay so much. You're under no obligation to go back.

Did you not ask about fees before they started prepping your taxes? Seems like something that should have been talked about first...

That is why we go to an accountant, not H &R block. I nearly died, my hubby and I pay $125 for our joint taxes being done.

H&R Block is a total ripoff. I went there last year because my husband is a total douche and complains every year that I dont know what Im doing, dont get us enough money back, other people from his work got a bigger refund (they cheat on their taxes), ect, so last year I went to H&R Block and had them done and had them check over the last three years. Surprise, surprise, I did them right every year and it cost me over $250 to have done what I could have done free. But I did get to say I told you so. Do you still have your tax forms? Just do them on turbo tax and dont go back to H&R Block.

H&R Block charges per form so it is not possible to receive an estimate from them WITHOUT them actually filling in the forms. I don't know if you have to file with them at this point or not. We used them precisely once because they are ridiculously expensive. Good luck.

Geez... we get our taxes done by a private CPA firm, and they don't even charge us that much.
It doesn't sound like you have a lot of crazy stuff that could run up the costs, either.

My husband took ours to H & R Block one time YEEEEAAARS ago... like, 15 years ago. We had always done our own before. But that year we moved across the state line from Florida into GA, and suddenly had state taxes to file also (Florida has none). We were both employed in Florida, but only his employer took out Ga State tax. Mine was a small employer who did not. And it was only for part of the year... not the entire year's income. So we went to a "professional". After husband took them in, he got at least 2 calls from them to come back, that someone had taken a 2nd look and the paperwork was wrong and needed to be corrected. We never used them again.
The next year, we sought out a private CPA and have used the same one ever since. It was nice, too, b/c one year the Feds said we owed taxes on some money we had withdrawn from a retirement account, but we didn't. They assumed it was pre-tax money.... but it wasn't. We had already paid the taxes on the funds. We called up our CPA, dropped off the paperwork with her, and she took care of it. No additional charge.
We have NEVER paid $300 for filing our taxes. And we itemize, have retirement accounts, IRAs, have done 1043 (?) exchanges, have withdrawn funds from a Roth account, sold international stock, etc.

It sounds about right. I don't know what they'd do if you just didn't go back, but I think that would be a horrible thing to do. They have put out the time and effort to provide services to you; you should have asked about fees when you asked them to do the job. It's your fault for not asking.

If people just don't pick up taxes after they're done, they'll start charging in advance. You would be part of the "few" that ruined it for the "many." Please don't do that!

We have a private accountant and that's how much she charges us, but we own a business. There is no way I would go to H&R Block for one thing, but no way are they worth that much. And isn't your first question normally, "how much do you charge?". I can't believe he had them done first and then found out how much it would be.

We've used TaxAct for years, it's less than $20 and catches any mistakes you make. We find it easy to use, and I have a small business, my husband files a 1099, and we have a house and four dependents. The only reason I'd even use a CPA is if we decide to hire anyone for my business. I wouldn't pay $300 for what you had to do.

did she have to file anything other than what you have? our tax person charges per form filed and we have to file 3 extra things one of which includes injured spouse. It causes our fees to go up, so 300 bucks is not strange to us.

My husband's a 1099 so we have our taxes professionally prepared by an accountant. He charges $195. I would say $330 is highway robbery for what sounds like a pretty standard return.

that's very high, our CPA charged us $250.00 and he's an expert, which very unlikely that the person @ HRblock is..... I would say, next year, DIY! ;)

I appreciate what Kimberly has explained to us in regards to H&R Block's "perks". However, not everyone who works for H&R Block has the kind of experience and knowledge as the people she cites in her example. They also have people who just go in and take a class and call themselves tax preparers. How do I know I'm getting the folks she's mentioning, and not the one that Sue H is mentioning? To me, it's a crapshoot.

I wouldn't use H&R Block for that reason, to be honest.

Dawn

You do not have to pay them unless they print them out and give them to you or they e-file them for you. Just go get your paperwork from them (if your husband left it there) and tell them that you are not interested in their fees. I used to work for JHewitt and we got that all the time.

Updated

You do not have to pay them unless they print them out and give them to you or they e-file them for you. Just go get your paperwork from them (if your husband left it there) and tell them that you are not interested in their fees. I used to work for JHewitt and we got that all the time.

I never liked Turbo Tax and use Tax Act software instead. I used to be a H&R block tax preparer for 3 years. They charge two ways (by form and by line). Yes they can charge alot and it wasn't uncommon for a return to cost well over $200.00 and that was over 20 years ago.

Your husband should ask for his support documentation back (some offices will probably fight you on this) and try Tax Act software instead. It is what I do and I have quite a few things going on my tax return.

FYI - H&R Block will stand by their work if you are audited. They do have people qualified to fight the battle with you against the IRS if it comes to that. They have ex-IRS agents as well as CPA's working there too. They even have advanced tax classes which preparers are required to take annually to sharpen their skills but the people going to an IRS audit are certified via IRS standards.

That seems very high for me only because it HR Block. I personally don't find them very credible.

Our CPA does cost about $250 an hour BUT. ... He is high end professional and manages our personal and business taxes plus we do have extra forms, etc to be filed due to our business, investments and daughter.

I'd question the $330 and point blank ask... " if I get audited, are YOU going to prove my case so that I am not out any extra fees nor has anything not been filed incorrectly".

If they won't be there for you in case you're audited... You are scammed.

Ps we used turbo tax for years with no issues and flawless.

That seems steep for what you get at H&R Block, yes. We do own a business, so our taxes are fairly complicated (depreciation schedules, itemization of everything, health care expenses, 1099s, W2s and W3s...). With all of that, we pay a good $2K per year, but our accountant is a certified CPA, so he is actually liable for the advice he gives us, and will defend us in the event of an audit. I don't believe anyone at H&R Block is necessarily a CPA, nor will they defend you if you're audited.

I would ask her to please itemize the charges for your tax preparation. Good accountants will charge in the neighborhood of $100-200/hour (around here, anyway) - H&R Block has very high overhead, but even so they shouldn't exceed $100/hour, I would think. Complain to a supervisor if you feel the charges can't be justified.

We are military, so we have our taxes done on post for free. However, every year they give us a paper to show us how much we 'saved' for doing our taxes on post. I think our return is pretty simple. This year they said we 'saved' $354 for doing them on post. So, that might be right.

Ours is the same. It has to do with them charging by form. My guess is because of the stock and capital gains it required a separate form which caused the higher charge. I thought it was a little high for HR Block too but I guess there are other perks like Kimberly mentioned as far as if you get audited.

Here on the east coast (at least) that's a common fee. We only did that one year when it involved a death in the family and sale of a home. Otherwise we always use one of the online systems. If you don't have to use H&R, don't. Or chalk it up to a learning experience once, and never do it again. Good luck!
=)

yeah, that seems stupid high.
but they did the work (yes, just typing in the blanks, that's not the point) and now you do need to pay them. but you have just done a great job of letting people know what a rip-off it is, and neither you nor anyone reading this thread nor anyone we talk to will ever use 'em.
it's not particularly satisfactory, but it's the only honorable thing to do.
khairete
S.

That is a lot to pay especially when you are describing a pretty easy amount of tax stuff to deal with. I have used Tax Act for years and years, probably spend 45 minutes plugging in all the info they ask. No way would I ever pay someone that kind of money to do what I can do myself so quickly. And since I live in a state that doesn't have a state income tax, my efile is FREE...that's the best price for me :-)

Sounds like you got ripped off!! Before you sign you need to find out what version of the 1040 they used. If it was the EZ, you can use one of the FREE online tax programs and probably efile for free too!!! I am able to use HR block online for free and that is what we use every year. We own a home, have 1099 for savings interest and had and IRA conversion this year too, plus 2 kids to claim. Oh and don't fall for the rapid refund or get your refund money from them stuff because they charge extra for that....the IRS changed how they pay out this year and I filled on a Monday and we had our $$ direct deposited to our bank the following Monday!!

Even when I was a single mom and I took my stuff to a local CPA she only charged me $35 to do the 1040ez.

Taxslayer is a free program too.

S.

Wow, it has gone up in the last few years.

We started filing online at their website because it is free and we dont have a very complicated return.

They are just trying to make money on the other end. They charge you per page for each different section. If that makes sense.

I remember one year we had to pay even more because we received a free ipod for opening a Key bank checking account. That free ipod ended up still costing us $75 in fees and filing cost.

I love having tax season come around because that is like our only savings account we have. I would not pay the $330 they want to charge. Yikes no thanks!