This tax season, as every year in recent history, there are 3 main ways to do your taxes. Should you file via H&R Block, TurboTax, or an accountant? The user interfaces on H&R Block and TurboTax are more sophisticated than they used to be, but should you trust the AI behind them to alleviate the anxiety you (along with many others) experience around tax season?
Tax law changes can cause confusion for Americans, even for financially savvy individuals. In this respect, 2021’s tax season will be no exception. However, by choosing the best tax preparation service for your needs, you’ll eliminate a great deal of the anxiety and confusion that you may otherwise face.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of each, and whether or not you’ll benefit from choosing Joan W. Halter, CPA over either of the aforementioned AI systems.
What Can H&R Block and TurboTax Offer?
Although consumers often believe that H&R Block and TurboTax are nearly identical services, there are distinct differences between the two.
Turbo Tax is entirely self-service. Users interact with the simple platform by answering questions about their finances, lifestyle, charity donations, and number of dependents the filer supports, among other categories.
TurboTax is owned by Intuit, thus it offers seamless integration with QuickBooks. If you keep track of your accounts through QuickBooks throughout the year, you can easily import your records into TurboTax.
Should you encounter any difficulties filing via TurboTax, you’ll have the option to request assistance from a TurboTax tax professional. TurboTax has made a great choice by only hiring qualified CPAs to fill this role. Still, keep in mind that asking a TurboTax CPA questions can result in a significant price jump, especially if you file after mid-February.
TurboTax is user-friendly, quick, and therefore provides a service that may be ideal for you. If you are filing a W-2, have minimal investment profits, and rent or own only one property, TurboTax will likely ensure that your tax forms are submitted correctly.
H&R Block also offers a self-service filing option. Unlike TurboTax, H&R Block gives users the option of hiring one of their tax pros to fill in their tax returns and file them.
Alternatively, users can choose to complete their taxes themselves and purchase live assistance from a tax professional—just like TurboTax.
If you decide to work with H&R Block, you can travel to one of their physical locations. This is beneficial if you aren’t comfortable filing electronically, or do not have a secure computer on which to do so.
H&R Block does not integrate with any accounting software systems, which means you won’t be given the option to directly import your records.
H&R Block will be suitable for straightforward tax filing, especially for those who do not want to hire a personal CPA but aren’t comfortable filing online.
Our highly experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable team offers tax preparation services uniquely tailored to each client. We will spend time speaking with you, making sure we have uncovered every deduction possible.
Business owners, stockholders, property investors, blended families, and anyone who has recently inherited significant assets will all be best served by working with Joan Halter, CPA. You deserve to have your finances protected to the fullest.
We have only one caveat to share: our tax preparation on your behalf can only be as accurate as the financial information you share with us. Therefore, we encourage you to maintain complete, current, extensive records of your financial transactions and holdings throughout the year.
Doing so will eliminate the stress you might otherwise battle during tax season, keep your tax preparation costs as low as possible, and enable us to maximize your deductions with significantly less effort.
Please contact us to discuss your finances, tax preparation, our extensive financial services, or to schedule a consultation with Joan Halter, CPA.